Date: 2006-05-14
From: Catawba

To: Angel Gap
Miles today: 12.7

Every day that starts with Fruity Pebbles is a good day even if it's raining. For once I was up and first one packed. I took the Pebbles and milk to the shelter eagerly awaiting the arrival of Parkay and Centipede. You can't eat pebbles alone. I talked to a couple from Ohio here to do some bouldering. After the other 2 hikers came in, the climbers watched us polish of the box in about 10 minutes. I'm not sure why they were so amazed. Climbers get hungry too.We weren't in a great hurry to get on trail. It was wet and foggy and we were all excited to get to McAfee Knob about 2 miles away. The Knob is a trail landmark and traditional photo op and we hoped to see it with sun and clear sky. Until then fun centered on watching Parkay pack. Centipede has dubbed him "The man with many sacks". Seems like everything he carries has its own bag. Bagged items are grouped with others of like purpose and stuffed into color coded stuff sacks. He lost count of all individual bags and sacks.We wandered slowly up to McAfee as the sky cleared. I like hiking with these 2. They are much less concerned with miles and destinations in a day. They do long and short days depending on what there is to see or an how to enjoy the day's hike. I get so caught up an worrying about doing too few miles or worrying about who's ahead and behind that I can lose track of the here and now. Today was easy. We knew we wanted to get to the Knob. That Centipede wanted to hang out there for a while and enjoy success was a revelation to me. What? After 45 minutes of hiking it's ok to throw down your pack and enjoy the view?The sky was blue and cloudless when we got to the top of the cliff. The ledge hanging over the green Virginia Valley looked exactly like all the pictures we'd seen. Time to take some pictures of our own. A party of day hikers to several group shots of us.I swallowed my fear and inched out on to the ledge to dangle my feet over for the traditional pose. Not esay. I was happy with mid-calf. I didn't really have to swing my feet. LIke me, Centipede had planned how to pose the night before so she could still look casual and daring but not hang off the edge of the world. Parkay got too close to the edge for my comfort. My inner drama queen was showing as I screamed at him for getting too close. Hard to watch both of us really.We spent the next half hour just relaxing and enjoying ourselves. We'd come a long way to see this and were in no rush to leave. Parkay carried up his last to beers and Centipede shared a slice of cherry pie. You have to have a little party on the Knob.Timing was perfect. Black clouds, lightening and thunder rolled in as we put our packs on to leave. Now Centipede had the power so we flew to the next shelter. Parkay and I lost track of her on the switchbacks. All we could see were bushes swaying where she'd been.The sky opened up when we flopped into the shelter. After just a 4 mile day I thought we'd be in for the night. I spread out my bag for my first mid-day nap on the trail. I woke up several hours later to a clear sky and we moved on.A little way up the trail, just before Snack Bar Rock, we hit mile 700, a big number. Our celebration at McAfee covered this event as well.The past 3 days have been beautiful stretches of trail. After mile 700 we walked along Tinker Cliffs. The views are as if not more dramatic at the view from McAfee Knob. The trail is just a foot or so from teh edge of the cliffs so there is no choice like there is at the Knob. You have to get up close and personal.Stopped briefly at Lambert's Meadow Shelter and ran into Irish for the first time in a long time. He was ready for bed after hiking through the thunderstorm. We'd had a long break so wanted a few more miles. I ate a quick dinner. Centipede tried to get pictures of the 10 or so deer in residence behind the shelter.We set out on another night hike. After moving slowly along for a couple of hours we pitched tents in a clearing where an old logging road crossed the trail. We weren't really sure where we were but it really didn't matter either. Four great hiking days end today. I'm pushing ahead to get to Lynchberg for my weekend at Lyn and Peter's and to see Andrew after 2 and a half minths. Centipede is taking a zero day in Daleville. Parkay is hitching from Daleville back to Damascus for the trail days. Amazing how the trail works.