Today's miles 16.3. AT miles 714.6
Joe from Four Pines Hostel kindly drive us down to Catawba Grocery store about 8am this morning so we could by a few food bits for the next couple of days. We also managed to get a few food items from the hiker boxes at the Hostel, they had a big selection, tuna, oatmeal and some snacks. Most hostel's have 'Hiker boxes' where hikers can leave behind any unwanted/excess items they are carrying and leave it for other hikers. It could be food, clothing, fuel etc. Nigel also found a travel size 98% deet bug spray which came in very handy today. We sprayed some onto our caps and it kept the bugs away from our faces all day.
We walked the 0.4 miles from the store back to the trail. Donna had told us she'd left some soda cans in the creek just as we got back on the trail so we took a can each for later. The paths were nicer today, no rocks there were a few styles to get over though. We passed a large group of boy scouts out for a week of backpacking, its Spring break time again for Easter.
After about six miles we reached a very busy car park, the main car park for McAfee Knob. It being a very sunny and warm Sunday there were lots of people out for the 4 mile hike up to McAfee Knob, the iconic AT image of an overhanging rock with fantastic views. It would have been nicer to have arrived mid week when it would have been quieter but we can't plan these things, we arrive when our feet get there. We'll hit a lot more touristy weekend spots we're sure from now on.
We followed the crowds up the trail but luckily after a short distance the AT diverted off the main tourist trail, passing a couple of shelters about a mile apart, lots of rubbish had been left at them from weekend/day visitors. We stocked up with more water again before continuing uphill from a spring nearby Catawba shelter, it was getting very hot, the hottest day so far, in the mid twenties Celsius. Eventually the tourist path and AT merged again up to the summit. It was very busy on top but very impressive. We managed to get the traditional photo of us each on McAfees Knob around the crowds.
After the Knob we had the trail back to ourselves again, everyone else went back the same way they came up. It was downhill to Brickeys Gap via Campbell shelter where we stocked up on water again and bumped into Walrus again, one of the Hiawassee three section hiker guys who we'd not seen since the Smokies so it was nice to see him again. From the gap it was uphill again a couple of miles to Tinker Cliffs, an impressive half mile cliff walk with views back towards McAfee Knob. At the end of the cliffs it was down again just over a mile to Lamberts Meadow shelter where we are camping, it seemed a very long last mile. It was a lovely but tiring day again in the heat and with my aching knees, they held up well though, better than yesterday for some reason? Although I dont like it I had been using my walking pole which helped.
At the shelter were a couple of young lads, Matt and John, thru hiking who we've not met before, we've named them the 118 team from the UK TV ad for 118-118, or Starsky and Hutch - they're dressed very eighties! Uff-da who we met a few days ago was also at the shelter.
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