What a great day! I got up at 5 AM with Hippie’s alarm and hiked with Rockhound and Hoplite to McAfee Knob. It’s an overhanging rock outcropping that is one of the most photographed spot on the the trail. Up at the Knob we took our pictures just ½ hour past sunrise. Hoplite posed for what he calls a “Glory Hallelujah!” shot—stripping off all his clothes and posing with arms upraised for a photo from behind. In 45 degrees and a strong wind, Hoplite is a brave guy!

We walked along Tinker Cliffs a bit later, a beautiful stretch of trail with great views of the valley below. The cliffs have many windswept pines on their edge and ravens hung around the rocks, croaking their displeasure with our presence. We covered the 18+ miles by 3:30 in the afternoon, did laundry, got clean, and caught a hugely appreciated lift to the Troutville Post office from a local trail angle named Dell. Troutville and Daleville are twin towns, a few minutes apart.

I caught up on phone calls including my first one to my bro since he got off the the trail and happy ones with Heather and my parents – all visiting within two weeks.

At the Howard Johnson’s, we watched movies, killed a supreme pan pizza each, had a few beers and collapsed. Ok, truth be told, I did have to finish my pizza in the morning—I had too much of the great bread that Melicca’s Aunt Jerrie had sent in the mail drop!