Sunday, June 21 6:05 pm 16.4 mi
AT 704.5 Four Pines Hostel → AT 720.9 Lambert’s Meadow Shelter
Weather: Incredible day for McAfee Knob and Tinker Cliffs! Sunny until last 1.6 mi – I sat at Tinker Cliffs and watched the weather slowly roll in
Trail Conditions: Jam packed parking area at McAfee Knob. LOTS of people up there – dogs, kids, people just sitting on the iconic picture cliff. Tinker Cliffs was just as great a view, and I had it all to myself
My Condition: On top of the world today. Physically I felt as good as I have in a long time, and felt superhuman flying past day hikers on the climb up to the knob. McAfee’s Knob and Tinker Cliffs totally lived up to the hype – there’s a reason they’re so iconic
Hikers Met: Section hikers (and soon-to-be Long Trail thru hikers) Maggie and Jacob
Hit the trail at 7:40 am today – I was stoked for such a big, exciting day. The weather was totally cooperative. I had no problem finding someone to take my picture at McAfee’s Knob – unfortunately I have folks sitting in the back of it, but it’s a weekend, Father’s Day, this section of trail just reopened, and people are still stir crazy from pandemic and itching to get outside. I wasn’t going to ask them to move just for the sake of a picture, however iconic. I’m just glad I got a picture, and that it’s not completely shrouded in fog! Past the knob, the crowds essentially vanished – just thru and section hikers. I had Tinker Cliffs totally to myself for about an hour and a half. I was DRENCHED in sweat today. Watched the clouds start to roll in, and the rain fall way off in the distance. Can’t believe how many great pictures I got today, and even those pictures don’t quite do it justice. Can very much understand the hype surrounding the VA triple crown – feel so lucky to have experienced it!
Post Trail Analysis
What a great day! I was able to call my Dad to wish him a happy Father’s Day walking across some of the day’s early meadows. Not long after I finished talking with him, I had a bathroom emergency courtesy of the greasy gas station food from the night before. Feeling relieved and having lightened my base-weight, I crushed the hills leading down to the parking area for McAfee’s Knob. When I think about the most crowded places from the trail, this was one of them – parking lot overflowing, cars parked in the grass, people doing their best to direct traffic. I saw my first park rangers of the whole trip, one on the trail up to McAfee’s Knob and the other mingling with some of the crowds just past the knob. With this spot just having opened back up, plus being a holiday weekend, it doesn’t surprise me that they would want to establish a presence here to maintain an orderly, pristine environment. I was a little bit overwhelmed by the size of the crowds atop this picturesque spot, which included dogs and small children running around. I sent my classic thru hike photo to my Mom, who had Andy Photoshop the people out of the background. They did a wonderful job of doing so, but I kind of prefer the real thing – I don’t want to mischaracterize or romanticize this experience and prefer to remember things the way they were, even if there are two unaware strangers posted up in the background of my iconic picture. Tinker Cliffs was my favorite of the three Virginia Triple Crown spots, and I basked in the beauty and solitude of this incredible location. Shared the shelter with LOBO and Joe Hikes, and spent a good portion of the evening chatting with Maggie and Jacob, section hikers who were knocking out the VA triple crown as they prepared for a thru hike of the Long Trail later on in the year which they would successfully complete. Though this would be our only meeting on the trail, they continued to follow along with my journey and I would continue to follow along with theirs, and they made quite the impression on me. Really enjoyed our interactions, albeit brief!
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