Date: 2011-05-31
From: Lost Spectacle

To: McAfee Knob
Miles today: 10.9
Weather: clear sky

Day 71 - This promised to be a great day, as I will break the 700 mile mark since my journey started. There were 2 hikers that set up camp last night around 10:00pm, I have no idea how they were able to come down off Cove Mt in the dark but they did. I am seeing (or hearing) a lot more night hikers these days. The temperatures are certainly cooler to hike in but part of the adventure of doing this is seeing the landscape and God's numerous made vistas, so I am not ready to do that yet.The sun is rising earlier and earlier and that means the birds start their day earlier too, about an hour before sun rise. I was awake at 5:55am and up at 6:30am. I had laid my wet, sweaty clothes on some tree branches over night and for the first time they were actually dry in the morning. Normally, it is so humid, or rainy that the clothes do not dry. Plus, I opened up my rain fly on my tent, so it would be cooler inside the tent. I was on the trail at 7:20am, headed for a shelter just north of McAfee Knob. On this section of the trail one is supposed to stay or camp at the shelters and the shelter I was headed to, Campbell, was only 11.9 miles away. The shelter beyond Campbell was Lambert Meadow and it was 6.0 additional miles so I had no desire to go that far in the heat. I knew the day was going to be hot so I purposely took it easy, again keeping hydrated and drinking my NUUN fluid. I arrived at U.S. 311 at 11:30am which is also the 700 mile marker from Springer. This 7.4 miles hike had taken me 4 hours, so I was moving at a fairly slow pace. Now the dilemma, what to do next. I could go on to Campbell which was 4.5 miles up the trail or I could attempt to hitch hike into Catawba and get something to eat. The issue in going on to Campbell now was I wanted to spend some time at McAfee Knob. This rock structure is alleged to be the most photographed spot on the entire trail, so I did not want to rush through it and I also did not want to be there in the hottest part of the day. So, my stomach won again. I was able to hitch a ride fairly quick from a captain on the security guard force at the hospital in Catawba. Again, "road magic" found favor with me, as he actually turned around and took me the 2 miles or so down the road to the Catawba Quik Stop. This is an old country store and filling station. I bought me a freshly made bologna/cheese sandwich, 2 bags of chips, a Dr. Pepper and a quart of Gatorade. This was soon followed by a ham and cheese sandwich, another bag of chips, an Arnold Palmer lemonade/tea drink, a honey bun and then a small bag of Nutty peanut butter cookies. I had arrived at the Quick Stop at 11:50 and decided it would be prudent just to sit there a while and enjoy the air conditioning and the shade in the back room. I read for awhile and then Roadie and Shotgun showed up. I had not seen them in a week, they had taken some time off in Blacksburg. Around 3:00pm, I decided it was probably time to head back up the road and get started. As soon as I walked out the front door, I thought otherwise, the heat was terrific even in the shade. I very quickly reasoned that I was actually in no hurry, that with daylight up to 8:00pm I could take my time. So, I sat back down and read for awhile. At 4:30pm I got a ride with Gary, who shuttles hikers around, back to the trail head and I was on my way to McAfee Knob at 4:45pm. Since McAfee Knob is so widely known and visited the Roanoke Hiking club has done a great job in making this vista accessible to all people, so the trail is very gradual and well maintained. I arrived at McAfee at 6:30pm and understood very quickly why this was such a renowned photographic spot. It was breathtaking to look over Virginia's mountains and be in awe of God's creation. The panoramic view from north to east to the south is quite phenomenal. It is 3,197 feet high and extends over on a rock ledge. I took a few pictures and tried to do some self portraits but there was nothing to hold my camera on. Soon, Roadie, Shotgun and Cog showed up. I had not seen Cog in several weeks either, I first met him long ago in Franklin. We all traded cameras and took pictures as the sun began to set behind us. I decided to go ahead and eat dinner and sometime during this I decided to camp out on the ledge. While one is supposed to camp at shelters, I reasoned that they did this to prevent fires from being built and from trampling the ground. Since I was on the rock ledge, it was no more harmful then spreading out a picnic blanket. Cog left for the shelter and Roadie and Shotgun left soon after to hike a little in the dark. I blew up my sleeping pad, laid out my bag and gathered all my stuff as close to me as possible. The one thing I was unsure of, would snakes come out and lay on the warm rocks after the temperature dropped a little ?? As soon as the sun set, the breeze died and the bugs came alive. I very quickly set up my tent, just free standing it without any stakes and loaded everything into it. It was a most comfortable night, under the stars. The stars were not as bright as I would have thought but it was hazy and Roanoke lit up the sky south of me. It had been a good day as I had traveled 10.9 miles and had sat on my fanny for 4 hours. As much as I hated to lose that much time without moving I knew it was a wise thing to have done due to the heat. My total miles are now at 703.5.