Day 6, Blue Mountain Shelter, 50.5 miles

Hey everyone! It's Breeze's turn to run the blog.

Last night and today have been very interesting. The temperature dropped into the low 20s during the night and we were greeted this morning with a nice thin layer of snow. It was tough to get out of the sleeping bag. The rest of the day really depended on what side of the mountain we were on. One side of the mountain was facing the sun and shielded from the wind. You can guess what the other side was like. Still, we had a short day planned, so we got in to camp early and got a fire going. We're hanging out with a few thru hikers from last night, but most of the guys headed into town to escape the cold. I guess we're just better campers then then ;)

I did want to share a little anecdote from last night.  Yesterday Wendy and I met our second female thru hiker. As soon as she walked into camp, all the alpha males immediately perked up. Well, except Alex - but he's not so much an alpha male as he is more of a whipped poodle at this point :). Anyway, everyone began cracking jokes and telling stories until there were only 2 guys left competing from the initial 7. I'll admit, I was playing the game right along with everyone else. But like the other guys, I soon realized I was quite outmatched, and refocused my energy to more productive endeavours. Only until I became a spectator did i realize just how entertaining this little match actually was. By this time, both guys were strutting around like roosters at a cock fight. They were outdoing each other at every turn, including story telling, gear comparisons, and trail knowledge. I'll admit, they both knew their stuff. One had work experience with the ATC (Appalachian trail conservancy) with a pack weight of 25 lbs, while the other worked as a summer camp counselor in Maine, taking kids hiking in his free time. His pack weight was a little over 30. In the end, the lower pack weight won, and the silver medalist went off to sulk in the corner, still muttering random facts about the AT.

Just thought I'd share a small snapshot of the day to give you guys a little more than just a weather report. In the picture, Wendy is standing just in front of our shelter for the night. We have an awesome view!

Until next time,

Breeze