Appalachian Trail Hike: Daleville, Tinker Cliffs and McAfee Knob.

A December Hike On The Appalachian Trail

McAfee Knob

I found myself about 2 weeks ago looking at my schedule and to my good fortune, noticed that I had the following weekend free of all responsibility.  Sitting at work and realizing that I had no plans for the weekend, it did not take long to begin thinking about a hiking weekend.  The weather reports appeared favorable with warmer temperatures and no snow forecast for the mountains so the choice was easy.  So, I ruled out local hikes and decided to hike the Appalachian Trail.

So, the general area to hike was selected, now to figure out where to actually hike.  I posted to an Internet board that specializes in the Appalachian Trail (www.whiteblaze.net) seeking a hiking partner for the weekend. Generally I hike alone but thought if there was a hiker that wanted company it might be fun.  I very quickly received a response from one hiker who was hiking the VA  portion of the trail on the weekends who was hiking around Daleville and he was willing to help shuttle me back to my truck on Sunday.  I also was contacted by a Trail Angel who lives in Daleville, who was willing to shuttle me to the trail Saturday and actually ended up going above and beyond transportation for me.  Thank you!  After several phone calls and emails, plans were made and the weekend was around the corner.

Trail Angels are special people.  A Trail Angel is someone who takes it upon themselves to make themselves, their time, their cars and sometimes their homes available for hikers hiking the Appalachian Trail.  These people are special people and deserve the respect and admiration of every hiker on the trail.  There is a special Trail Angel in Daleville and I was not only privileged to meet her and her husband, but they invited me into their home Friday night so I did not have to hit the trail after dark and hike until I found somewhere to camp. They were already allowing two thru hikers, Eagle Eye and ? to stay several days at their home and this Trail Angel was shuttling these two hikers so they could slack pack portions of the trail. On a side note, these two hikers were about 100 miles from completing the Appalachian trail.  They had been on the trail for about 8 months, started in Georgia, walked to Bland VA, jumped up to Maine and walked back down to Bland.  Over 2000 miles.  Good Job and Congrats.

So, this Trail Angel and her family put me up for the evening, fed me a wonderful dinner, and I was entertained with great conversations of hiking and the Appalachian trail. Once again, you know who you are and thank you.  If you are ever up this way, let me know and I will return the favor.

The Appalachian Trail extends through the towns of "merged" towns of Daleville and Troutdale Virgina and makes access to the trail easy.  There is an outfitter in town for gear, good grocery stores for supplies and one awesome Trail Angel, but we will get to her later. For those traveling to the trail for a weekend hike, the trail head is right off Interstate 81 with a Super 8 Motel and a Howard Johnsons right next to the trail head.  Note: I was able to park in the Super 8 parking lot overnight with their permission.  Props to them for allowing me to park in a safe place.

Early Morning at the Trail head.

I woke up early Saturday morning, grabbed a quick breakfast, loaded up the two thru hikers as they were headed to the same trail head as I was and prepared to begin my walk in the woods.  The hike was a 20 mile hike over two days and I had planned an easy 10 mile hike today ending up at a shelter for the evening.
Morning had not broke when I entered the woods. It was a bit chilly and I had on a base layer, shell and a light fleece to keep warm.  My headlight illuminated the way as the first light of dawn was still 20 minutes away.  It was good to be back in the woods.  I smiled to myself as I knew that this was where I needed to be this weekend.  The woods are a sanctuary, a place where the stresses of life sluff off your shoulders at the trail head and would not be thought of again until your hike is finished.  The smells and sounds of the woods are enticing and made me feel more alive than I had been for awhile.

I walked slowly, warming up my muscles for the days long hike.  I mentally prepared for a great day.  Ten miles is a short day of hiking and with such low miles, I had hours to meander the trail, to stop and listen to the forest, to watch the wildlife, to admire the views and maybe even read a book and nap along the trail.  Sweet.

Daleville VA now far below me.

Twenty minutes later, I had to stop to remove layers of clothing as I was getting very warm.  My muscles warmed up about the time I started up the first hills and I was enjoying the hike.  After a mile or two I come across a view of the town of Daleville now far below me. I take a moment to think about the people down there starting their Saturday morning, some getting ready for work, some feeding their children, some probably hung over after spending their paycheck at the the local watering hole and I realize that I would not trade places with any of them that day.  I was exactly where I needed to be.

Self Portrait at Hay Rock.

Hiker enjoying the views

The rest of the day was beautiful.  I spent time off the trail looking at the geology of the mountains.  I spent time sitting looking at the views, I read a book and yes, I took a nap.  I was in no hurry to get anywhere and I didn't get anywhere fast today.

I was able to watch the wildlife, deer, squirrels, turkey, cows, birds, and other assorted wildlife were seen.  Views were spectacular and the trail at times decided to be forgiving with soft dirt trails.  Other times, the trail decided it was time for me to work and would throw boulders, rocks, roots and other assorted obstacles in my way.  No matter, it was all good.  It was what I had come to seek out.

I arrived at the shelter about 3 pm.  No one was here and I set about my camp chores.  Blow up my mattress, get out my sleeping bag, stove and food. Change out of my stinky clothes and into a fresh shirt for camp.  I needed water so I headed towards the back of the shelter where there was supposed to be water.  Well, there was water, however it was from a dried up creek and the few pools of water available were stagnant looking.  So, I head back down the trail the way I came for about .3 miles where I was able to find a small stream with a trickle of running clear water.  I fill up my hydration bladder as well as my Gatorade bottle full of water and head back towards the shelter. I chemically sterilize my water with Aqua  Mira and collect firewood for a fire.  It was supposed to be chilly tonight and I had decided that while I cooked my gourmet dinner (right if instant noodles qualify) I was going to be warm.

As I was finishing gathering firewood a family walks down the trail and heads for the shelter.  I am a little disappointed as I was hoping to be the only one at the shelter.  However, they seem to be nice enough albeit noisy and as I cook dinner we talk about the trail and hiking. A fire was lit and we talked as the kids played Crazy Eights by the fire.  After an hour or so, I head off to the shelter and settle in for the night.  I fall asleep quickly listening to the fire crackling and popping and the quiet murmuring of the kids talking about bears.  Oh, lest I forget, the father decided to hang his bear bag next to the shelter instead of finding a tree several hundred yards away.  If I had of know that before I fell asleep, I would have made him move it away from the shelter.  Did he know I attract bears sometimes like flies to honey?

I woke up at 4:30, fixed a breakfast of oatmeal and pop tarts, packed my gear and was on the trail before 6 AM.  I love the early morning darkness and again hiked by headlamp until daybreak filtered down to the forest floor.  It was so peaceful.  That is until the forest decided I was enjoying the hike way to much and decided to put a slick rock under slick leaves that created a situation where I placed my foot on this hidden danger.  The foot slipped one way, my body and other leg went another and I felt the muscles in my right thigh scream "CCCCCCRRRRRRAAAAAAAPPPPPPPPP, that hurts"!  I now had a serious pulled muscle in my thigh and it hurt.  I tried to walk it off hoping it would loosen up.  Of course it didn't it only became more painful as I walked.  So I took a couple of Advil and continued on. What could I do?  I had to move on as I had a schedule to keep and I was hiking alone.

White Trail blaze and view from Tinker Cliff.

Well, I hiked slowly dreading the approach to Tinker Cliffs that was less than a mile away, It took me an hour to climb up to Tinker Cliffs limping along and nursing my sore leg.  However the views atop Tinker did make me forget the pain for a while.  Beautiful views were along every bit of the half mile cliff walk. I enjoyed the view but I was worried about my leg, the time it would take me to hike to the trail head and more importantly, I was wanted to enjoy some time at McAfee Knob, one of the best views on the Appalachian Trail.

As I continued hiking my thigh began to hurt even worse. Heck I could barely lift my leg and climbing uphill was very painful.  I dreaded having to lift my foot up where there was a need to "step up" and it seemed like I had to step up or over something every 10 feet. Ouch.  I was averaging less than one mile an hour on the trail.  It was going to be a long day.

Approach trail to McAfee
Knob.

I limped along still enjoying the day until I got to within about 3/4 of a mile of McAfee Knob. There is about a .8 mile steep ascent to the top of the knob that took me over an hour to climb.  My leg hurt so much that I was having to stop every 100 feet and rest or the pain was overpowering.  Eventually, the end of the ascent came close.  The trail changed from dirt and roots to rocks and boulders. Within .2 miles I made it to the top of McAfee Knob.  The Knob is one of those special places on the trail.  In fact most of you readers that are not familiar with the trail will recognize the picture of me on the knob.  This is on of the most photographed places on the trail and most people will recognize the scene even if they have not put a foot on the trail.  The knob has an elevation of over 3000 feet and the views are out of the world.

As I limped the last few feet of trail to the knob, the wind was gusty and strong and after the exertion and sweat of walking the approach trail, the wind was quite cold....however as I walked out onto the knob and took in the view, the cold and soreness no longer mattered.  I stood there in awe, the blue sky, the white clouds, the miles and miles of views has a way of making one forget about the hardship.  I was lucky, there were only 2 couples on the knob when I arrived.  I spent an hour up there, taking photographs and silently enjoying the afternoon.  This is what hiking is all about.  The struggle to reach a special place a place to commune with nature in your own way...almost a religious experience.  This is the payoff that one never forgets.

My Special Time On McAfee Knob

The afternoon was quickly fading into evening and I had 4 miles of strenuous downhill miles to get to the trail head before dark.  I bid my goodbyes to McAfee and was able to average 2 miles an hour downhill even though I was in pain. I actually made it out before nightfall, found the parking area and waited about 45 minutes for the hiker that I was meeting to come off the trail.  We quickly introduced ourselves, packed our gear into his car and headed off to the local watering hole where we each celebrated out individual hikes together as only hikers can do.

What a great weekend hike for the beginning of December.  The weather was perfect and I actually enjoyed the mental battle I had with myself to keep going even though I was in constant pain.  Thanks to my Trail Angle and the other hiker who gave of themselves allowing me this wonderful weekend.  It is true, AT hikers are friends even if they have never met before.

So, I now need to plan my next hike....I am thinking an out an back over Christmas since I do not have any particular plans.  I wonder if there is someone else who is single away from their family who would  like to celebrate Christmas on the trail.

Till next time keep hiking your own hike.