Date: 2007-11-19
From: Campbell Shelter

To: Pickle Branch Shelter
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: broken clouds

mi. 17sleep shelterdest. Pickle Branch Shelter day 130 The plan last night was to wake up early and get to McAfee knob before sunrise. Well that didn't quite happen. I set the alarm but that didn't help. I woke up at 4:30 and went back to bed, but woke up at close to 6. I did manage to get packed up and hiking by 6:15. Torque was actually just behind. The knob was only .6 or so away. By the time I got there it was already hikable light out. I didn't see a sunrise per say, it was clouded in anyways. I did see it get ever so lighter out. There are also some pretty cool short bus sized rocks on the bump the knob is on. Of course the trail went around some of them. I got to what I thought was the knob and sat down. Later I learned it was a knob, but not the McAfee knob. It had great views all around. The valley was fogged in. It's been awhile since I saw a good temperature inversion. Just the peaks were showing. I got some great pics. A few minutes later Torque rolls up. He sits off to the side a little and does his thing. Be both ended up laying back and catching some sleep. Then after that we did a big photo shoot. This is one of those famous spots to take pictures. After awhile I was ready to head out. I took off and Torque stayed behind for awhile. A couple minutes later what did I see but a sign to McAfee knob and an arrow. I follow it and see the one I saw in everyone's pics. Those who been here are probibly wondering how I mixed them up. If you are headed southbound it isn't hard. I stopped and did my own little photo shoot. I ended up doing almost all of them with using the timer on my camera. They looked to turn out really good. I'll have to have them posted next week. I even got the one with me sitting over the edge. It looks scarier in the pic than it actually was. I'm glad they turned out using the timer. For some reason when I let other people take them for me I am not as happy with them. On the way down Torque went on ahead. I stopped in at the first shelter to sign in. There was a group from VA Tech there. It would have been fun to camp around them for the night, but they were headed the wrong way. This stretch of trail was one of them with the shelters really close. I stopped in at the next one to take a snack and poo break, just not in that order. I also made a couple phone calls. I wanted to give my parents the exact place to pick me up. Hopefully they will find me. If not I can make it into town on Thrusday night, I am carry more than enough food to make it there. Now I missed the guy, but I heard about him from Gavin last night and read about it later, but there was a guy leaf blowing the trail. You could see the parts he did. That is a mantainer taking his job seriously. As someone put it in the register. I would be more surprised and alarmed seeing him than the people I see carrying a rife. Now I know I shouldn't of been putting around this morning, but I enjoyed it. The hour on the phone didn't help. This and the stop I made just made for some night hiking. In town I didn't pack out all the snacks i needed. In Catawba at the first road crossing there is a store 1 mile away. But later on there was one .4 off. Of course I went to the one .4 off. No need to mess with hitching or walking farther than needed. It turned out to be a great stop. You could have fully resupplied here. Price wise it wasn't the worst I seen. I ended up loading up on the snacks. I was even finally able to pick up 4 hostess pies and some cream soda to drink I've been craving. Not to mention a pint of cookie dough ice cream. All in all a geat stop. All done in under 45 minutes. Today I also finally went over a fun rock scramble. The next bump before the shelter was dragons tooth. A nice little climb. Probibly the best little one since definitly the one into Palmerton, PA. Maybe since the whites. The trail has been really chill lately. It was fun to get back to climbing with a full pack. There was also another trail maintainer taking his work to heart. Over a little up I saw southboud 10 blazes in about 20 feet. It looked with a road line. Northbound there was 12 counting the turn blaze. No way to get lost here. Probibly could have been done with 2 or 3, but why stop there. It was fun walking all the way on the ridge than getting on a switchback tht ran at leat .3 back the direction we came. But it is what it is. I think Torque is rubbing off on me. He is always complaining when there is no switchbacks or too many. I almost made it to the sheter trail without using my headlamp. I was worried about missing it. They seem to like dark blue paint for the side trails here. I end up rolling in just after Troque. I decided once again to shelter it. Mainly because of all the dead trees laying around. I am a little skiddish when it comes to trees falling on me. I got there in the dark, so it was hard to look aound to make sure nothing was going to fall on me. Plus I just felt like throwing my stuff in the shelter and laying on something firm tonight. I love my hammock don't get me wrong. I am just learning that I like to mix it up. I'm thinking about after I get back insulating with a down air mattress underneath. That would give me great padding on the ground.