From the Journals: DAY 3

Coach

Blood Mountain Shelter - Low Gap Shelter: 13.2 mi.
Coming off the mountain, I injured my left foot. It appears to be a stone bruise. It was pretty painful most of the afternoon and especially after the added weight of the resupply. The Professor looked pretty worried when he saw me limping, but by the end of the day I had adjusted and we got some good mileage in when you add in the 3 hr supply pickup. I also picked up a walking stick that someone left on the side of the trail. I do believe it will be going to Maine. It will be interesting to see how my speed picks up after I recover completely with the aid of the walking stick.
DAY 3 (CONTINUED)
The Professor and I also continued our dialogue about dropping weight. We also caught up with some thru-hikers that started on Monday, which was 3 days ahead of us. In an effort to drop weight, we sent our tents home, so it looks like shelter hopping for the near future. We do seem to be learning and our mistakes are pretty funny, so all in all I think we are doing pretty well.

Professor

Coach Language or Coachisms:
1. Groop = Gorp
2. Golden Honey = Peter Pan Honey Peanut Butter
3. I see them less than when I see them = I don't see them very often
4. Peanut Butter Heaven = Having peanut butter on a grassy knoll basking in the sun
5. Let me tell you something about powdering your balls.. If you ever need to stop and think about whether you should powder your balls, you should definitely powder your balls.

Woke up before the sun to watch the sunrise over Blood Mtn. with some oatmeal. I am a little worried about Coach's foot. I think he has a "stone bruise." Looks like it hurts.

- Resupply @ Neels Gap, they gave me a free roll of athletic tape, was totally pumped. I bought all the Aleve they had in the store. I ate a hot dog, yum! We talked to a guy named Brian (hiked the AT twice with a 15lb pack); after we both sent home our tents, poles, stakes, rain fly,... and I sent home antifungal cream,...sorry Mom. Saved 4lbs. After loading up with 5 days of food and 3 liters of H20 our packs weighed more than when we started. That was downer. "Peanut Butter Heaven" lifted our spirits.

Camping @ Low Gap, total almost 14 miles. Finally caught up to "Bueno" a guy we were reading his shelter journal entries. He's a North Bounder.

People on the Trail:
Norsewoman: From western PA and loves the Pens.
Bueno: Ex-marine; two tours in Iraq; Goofy funny
JJ: Bueno's friend since childhood