Date: 2010-05-27
From: Trout Creek

To: Lamberts Meadow Shelter
Miles today: 24.2
Weather: scattered clouds

Today was a stellar day with a number of highlights including perhaps the best view and photo spot on the entire trail. I start the day on a climb affectionately known as the 'Dragon's Spine', a long rock-hopping ridge that climbs 1200 feet over 4 miles to the peak of the 'Dragon's Tooth'. The Dragon's Tooth, perched at the peak of the climb, is a large narrow rock that juts straight into the air and requires a bit of rock climbing to reach to the top. The view is rewarding making the ascent (in this case) worth the effort. Another hiker, Yul the Mule, is already up here and was brazen enough to put his sleeping bag in a bowl-like depression about the size of a shallow bathtub on top of the The Tooth, tie himself down for a measure of safety and sleep atop, under the stars and light of a nearly full moon, awakening to the first light of the day. I doubt I could pull this off and even if I tried am pretty sure I'd find sleep elusive but I appreciate his act and would guess it to go down as a most memorable moment of his life.From Dragons Tooth I descend to a small town called Catawba which from Thursday through Sunday is the buzz of the hiker community in the nearby vicinity. This little hamlet is home to a restaurant called The Home Place, only open from 4-8 on Th-Sun, that features a southern smorgasborg of family style dining; fried chicken, bbq pulled pork, green beans, cole slaw, mashed potatoes, biscuits and apple butter, and cherry cobbler with ice cream for dessert...ALL YOU CAN EAT for $13. Hikers descend on this venue like a shark scenting blood in the water, speeding or slowing their pace to ensure their participation in the feeding frenzy. Passersby are warned to keep limbs and small children cautiously distant from the tables during this food orgy, and if you walk out hungry then it's your own dang fault!After The Home Place we have to decide whether to hike on or pull up and camp. A full 'all you can eat' stomach makes pushing on a challenging decision but we decide that with tomorrow being a town/motel day that every step we can cut into that mileage will make the next day that much easier, allowing more time spent relaxing in town. In addition there's a scenic overlook 3.5 miles ahead, McAfees Knob, and with the possibility of rain in the forecast for tomorrow this makes getting to the vista that much more urgent this evening. We press on.The climb to McAfees Knob isn't too taxing and I see a 4 foot black snake on the ascent. At the top McAfees Knob lives up to the hype. The knob is a flat piece of rock that juts straight out from the edge of a rock face, offering stunning views and even more stunning photos, the photos giving the appearance that the subject is perched on top of the world and mere inches from a plunge into oblivion. This is perhaps the most breathtaking photo of the entire trip and everyone has several photos taken before settling down to watch the sun fire the sky during its descent.As the sun sets a group of 5 of us decide that we will press on this evening for 6 more miles to the next shelter. The significance of this decision is that for the next 3.5 hours we will be hiking at night. In this group are Krispy Kritter, Timber, Draggin' Tail, Sherpa, and myself, and donning headlights we set out. A night hike is something many hikers want to do at least once and this is a first for most of the group, so with headlights angled down at the trail we set out. Adrenaline is pumping at this new experience and there's a lot chatter, Draggin' Tail breaking out into the Simon & Garfunkel tune 'Hello Darkness My Old Friend', but soon the merriment ebbs and everyone settles into a comfortable if not more attentive disposition. Twice on the hike we hear the sound of a large animal crashing through the woods and Sherpa is fairly certain he sees a bear on the second occasion. Another time we clearly see a pair of green, unblinking, translucent eyes looking up the hill into our headlights. The moon is full with a far distant thunderhead occasionally flashing the sky. Our pace is steady and direction true even by headlight and just after midnight we arrive to a fortunately empty shelter meaning we won't have to disturb anyone with our late evening arrival. Exhausted we roll out our bags for much needed sleep; mission accomplished we have just under 10 miles left in the morning before arriving in Daleville, the next major resupply town.