Date: 2008-05-24
From: Va. 311, Catawba, VA

To: 2.7 miles north of Lambert Meadow Shelter, VA
Miles today: 13.1

I slept upstairs at Hokey Pokey's home in Roanoke last night. He has a waterbed up there....and I couldn't get comfortable, so about 2am, I laid down on the floor and slept great till 6am.I only got 5 1/2 hours of sleep....and that's not nearly enough for me.Hokey Pokey surprised me, he was already up and packing his car for the 200 mile bicycle ride he's going on this weekend.He also made some coffee, so that helped! :-)Carl, a friend of Hokey Pokey's showed up at 7am.We all went to Cracker Barrel and had a good sit-down breakfast and much more coffee.Hokey Pokey took me back to the trailhead at Catawba.Sky Surfer and Uphill came out of the Trail and headed down to Catawba.I started walking at 9am after thanking Hokey Pokey for rescuing me for the night! :-)I also have to thank Jeff one more time. He picked up the tab for all of us last night and wouldn't take any money....Thanks Jeff! :-)I was walking north on the Appalachian Trail and feeling great!The weather was perfect...slightly breezy, sunny and about 50 degrees. It had rained some overnight, but it's a beautiful day for a walk in the woods.I stopped at Johns Spring Shelter about a mile in and signed the register and used a smiley face sticker, then walked on.I stopped at the second shelter a mile later...Catawba Mtn Shelter, but there wasn't any register to sign. :-(I walked on to McAfee Knob after about a 1,300 foot climb. I took a bunch of pictures, sat up there and enjoyed the view and ate some beef sticks, Fritos, cheese and nuts.I sat there for about half an hour enjoying the perfect day.I walked on and stopped at Campbell Shelter and took a picture of it. I signed the register and used another smiley face. :-)I was walking along at 12:30pm and heard something you almost never hear out here during the day....some coyotes yippin' off to my right. There must have been some pups.I came up to Auntie Mame and V8 who were sitting down eating lunch.They were just south of Brickey's Gap.We talked for a few minutes, but I wanted to eat my second lunch on Tinker Cliffs, so I walked on.I got to Tinker Cliffs and found a great spot in the shade with an awesome view.I aired out my feet, ate lunch...beef sticks, tuna salad and crackers, Fritos, cheese and nuts.I sat there for 1 1/2 hours and sent in 36 pictures I had taken today of this beautiful part of the AT and I almost fell asleep.I avoided that though because my feet were hanging over the cliff. :-)Mrs Gorp gets to post all those pictures. I know that's going to cost me BIG! :-)Auntie Mame and V8 walked by while I was eating and Brown Bag came up just as I was leaving.I got down to Lambert Meadow Shelter and Liberty was laying there taking a nap.I signed the register and used another smiley face sticker, filled up two water bottles out of the stream for the night, then walked on.I came up to V8 and Auntie Mame again! They were tenting a 1/4 mile north of the shelter.I stopped and talked a bit, then walked on.I came up to an excellent small spring, so I dumped the two water bottles full of stream water and filled them up with cold mountain spring water.I started looking for a flat spot for my tent early...about 5pm. I found a great spot well off the Trail, but when I looked up; I saw a big dead branch in the tree, so I walked on another half mile and found the spot I'm tenting at now.It's right on the edge of the ridge and is nice and flat with soft pine needles to lay on. :-)It's just 6:30pm, I'm in the tent for the night....gonna read for a while till I fall asleep.What a fantastic day this was.....Another great day on the Appalachian Trail! :-)