Date: 2013-04-23
From: Route 785

To: Lambert's Meadow Campground
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: overcast clouds

I woke up early and excited because today was the day I would summit McAfee Knob. Blue Moon and I were packed up quickly and on the trail. Four miles into our hike, we reached a crossroads. Blue Moon knew of a quaint store about a mile down the road where we could get a good up of coffee and some breakfast, so we put out our thumb to hitch-hike. Almost immediately, we got a ride from Homer, whose license plate said, "GA-ME" (A great plate for a thru hiker). He quickly took us the one mile to the store, but it was closed and didn't even have hours posted on the door. Homer says they open when they feel like it. Homer then took us to the post office to get a package for Blue Moon, but it wasn't open either. It didn't open until 9:00 am. Then he offered to take us four miles to another store. I began to regret this detour. I feared that we would end up stuck far from the trail, but Homer made it clear that he had no other plans except to help us. He'd make sure we got back to the trail. Then he told his story. He was married on McAfee Knob. He thru-hiked the A.T. with his wife and then 11 year old daughter and 8 year old son. He showed us the colorful educational book that is still being published for grade school students that features his family and especially his then 4th grade daughter. Homer now volunteers, working nearly full time, maintaining a large section of Appalachian Trail and 16 shelters. His daughter is now 22, and will be married on McAfee Knob in September. It was a great treat to meet Homer. True to his word, he got us breakfast and then took me immediately to the trail. After dropping me off, he took Blue Moon back to the post office where they had to wait over an hour before he could get Blue Moon back to the trail. When I left Homer, I was grinning ear to ear. What a great guy!!!The four mile hike up to McAfee Knob was gradual and perhaps the easiest climb of the trip. When I got to the Knob I was not disappointed. INCREDIBLE! I took lots of pictures.It was so good to see Bull Dog there. He is from London. I met him last week at Woods Hole Hostel. Bull Dog is 49 and is a massage therapist to a very elite celebrity and high ranking clientele. Bulldog and his wife, who is a yoga instructor, lead retreats for small groups at exotic locations around the world. We had a really good conversation while sitting there taking in the view. Then Patriot and True Blue arrived, along with their Pastor's son, Kyle. They were doing a short section hike this week. Kyle is a very sharp teenage boy who is excited about being on his first backpacking trip. This was the first rock covered summit that he had hiked up to. Then Blue Moon finally made it to the Knob after his post office delay, and we took even more pictures. I cooked a hot meal, and spent over two hours relaxing and enjoying the view from the Knob. Blue Moon and I then hiked another 6.5 miles along a ridge line to Tinker Cliffs. This climb was much steeper than the morning climb. We were committed to not worrying about how many miles we did today. Neither of us was in a rush. I'm afraid that we miss a lot of things in life when we are in a rush to get to the next thing. Today we just wanted to take it all in. At Tinker Cliffs we sat on a large ledge and had a good talk. We are very compatible and soaked in the good weather and great view. The mountains we were looking at were lined with the multi-hues of green that signal spring's arrival. We both liked Tinker Cliffs even more than McAfee Knob.Blue Moon and I were very pleased (after hiking several more miles) to find the campsite recommended by Homer that is right on the banks of a creek. It was great that Bull Dog was already here. We had a delightful conversation that lasted into the evening. It was a really special time. So even on this day that was supposed to be all about the scenery (and it was spectacular), the highlight of the day, for me, was the people I met and spent time with. To be here alone would have been kind of sad. Life was not meant to be done alone. It is richer when friends share it with us. I did not put the rain fly on my tent tonight so I can look up and see the moon and stars and listen to the creek.