Date: 2008-05-23
From: Homestead Restaurant

To: Random Campsite
Miles today: 18.7

The lawn of the restaurant was so full and fluffy and soft and perfect to sleep on. There where some other factors however that made it a bit difficult to sleep. The trash guy came to empty the dumpster at 3:30 in the morning! The truck itself was loud but the forceful banging of the dumpster was jarring. We were tenting pretty close to them (10 feet) so we all think the driver may have given it a few extra whacks just for our pleasure. Then there were the geese that squawked all night, I swear they were right outside our tent! And lastly the tractor trailers going through town hammered on the jake brake all night long. Very, very different noises than we are used to in the woods.We pack up and walk to the general store for breakfast sandwiches. We are offered a ride back to the Trail from a woman pumping gas, Kelly and her toddler son, Silas. Brad, myself, Blues, Catfish, Stubbs and Mr. Bones all pile into the bed of her Explorer truck (short bed, too). We must be quite the sight crammed in there!We hit the Trail and slowly work our way upwards. There are several shelters only one mile apart. The first is built by a Boy Scout troop, Johns Spring Shelter. The troop also built a bunch of bridges over the jagged rock sections that are a bit tricky to walk over. Their work is very helpful and much appreciated. We stop at Catawba Mountain Shelter and relax for a bit. Then we set off to climb to one of the most photographed spots on the whole AT. The climb to McAfee Knob is not bad at all. The view is breathtaking, literally staggering. It is the spot that is featured on the cover of the Thru Hiker's Handbook. You can see the whole valley below; the houses and farms and fields. Off in the distance are the mountains and ridges and the city of Roanoke. You can sit on the cliff's edge and dangle your feet over and it makes for the most amazing photo. I inch over to the edge on my butt while my belly is doing flip flops and I think I may throw up. My whole body is actually tingling with fear! I sit on the edge several times until I get the photo just right (well, someone standing on a nearby cliff takes the photos). During one sitting a bee swarms me and lands on my leg. I'm afraid to swat at it and try to curse it away instead. It hangs around, but thankfully does not sting me. Brad sits for one photo only. I don't think he cares for this little adventure at all. A guy up there on a day hike takes a group photo for us, and then I videotape the scene. Its blue sky and sunshine, a perfect day to be up there. We hang out for quite a bit enjoying the scene. Just as we are leaving it starts to sprinkle. We race to stay ahead of the rain cloud but it catches up for a little bit. No big deal though because it is sunny and warm. We stop at Campbell Shelter for a snack and privy break, (not simultaneously). Then we head on to Tinker Cliffs. This is a 1/2 mile of the Trail that follows a ridgeline. The special thing about it is that there are rocks jutting out from the edge, cliffs, and the whole 1/2 mile long. We stop along the way and lay in the sunshine enjoying the views. We move on to Lamberts Meadow Shelter and get our water for the rest of the day as we won't cross anymore water sources. We are really digging our new water filter; it works like a charm. While we are at the shelter we see a button buck deer (a deer with one little nub, or antler, starting on each side). He wasn't afraid of us at all and came about ten feet close to us. We move on to get as close to town tonight as we can. We continue along the ridgeline, looking down on the town. We can see the school and playing field and we can actually see and hear a lacrosse game going on. They were using a loud-speaker to announce the exciting happenings. We see our first copperhead snake, just on the edge of the Trail in the pine needles. It is about 12 inches long, gray base color with brown diamonds all along it and a brown spot on its head. I am so mesmerized by it that I forget to take a picture. Hopefully we will see more from a safe distance.We start making the downhill off the ridge. My feet are toast. We crash at the next tenting spot we come to. My feet are the most torn up they have been the entire trip: raw spots on both heels, blood blisters on the edges of both heels, raw spots on both 4th toes, and a raw spot on the arch of my right foot. Plus lots of calluses. My feet are pretty nasty, I can admit it.We have been out for 7 nights now, our longest outing yet, I think. We smell so bad - it even makes us sick. It is absolutely disgusting. Brad sprays Lysol in the tent because it is nearly unbearable. We eat a quick dinner of salmon wraps. Salmon from a packet is nothing like a salmon steak and we will probably not be having this meal again. Ever.We crash hard and have sweet dreams of clean laundry...