McAfee Hikes

Date Written: 10/03/2024 | AT Mile 962.0 | Day Total: 24.9 miles | Gain: 2815 ft

No bear activity last night and I slept better than I would’ve expected. Began to pack and eat breakfast a little after 6. Was hiking around 7:30. Big day ahead of me today to Eckville Shelter. It’s got some nice amenities.

I loaded up with water this morning. The next 20ish miles have no on water sources directly on trail. Meaning I’d have to walk .6 miles down hill to get to a water source – no fun.

The climb up this morning wasn’t bad at all it was clear of rocks and smooth rolling. Once I was at the top the dew on the grass soaked through my shoes. The fog is just starting of burn away but there’s nice views to my right.

After the views it got pretty rocky. I eventually got to Ashfield Road where a water cache was conveniently located! I downed a bottle and refilled it to hopefully avoid the long walk to water downhill.

I continued along the ridge and up to Bake Oven Knob. Last time I was here there was a ton of day hikers, some of which were blasting music on a Bluetooth speaker. So I approach it with low expectations. As I climbed up the super bouldery trail I could hear voices in the distance. When I got to the top there were about 50 kids, probably 4th grade, at the Knob sitting and listening to the teacher talking about people coming here to count birds… I decided to just continue hiking without the view…

The parking area is just under a half mile and there was a school bus in the parking lot- wonder who that’s for? I couldn’t imagine trying to manage that many kids in the middle of the woods near a cliff…

The next 4ish miles of trail were really nice. It must’ve been an old road because it’s clear of rocks and there are two “ruts” that people tend to walk in. There was also another water cache at the parking lot that I filled up at!

I eventually made it to Bear Rocks. There were not any day hikers or school field trips here so I made the rocky climb off trail to the top. It had a really nice view.

After Bear rocks I came to a section/view called Knifes edge. Not to be confused with Katahdin’s Knifes Edge. This was much less treacherous.

I ate lunch at a random campsite with some nice rock benches and a good view. It was nice to get some weight off my feet for a bit and eat at a view.

After lunch the trail was still as rocky as it can be. There was a section that had a ton of blowdowns (blown down trees) that I stepped over and around. Most of them seemed to be dead then fallen once their root structure had weakened. Had the occasional view as well.

I also spotted a stick bug. I initially passed it but glanced back to confirm my suspicions. It took me a second to find it again.

I nearly stepped on a black rat snake today. He was mostly off trail but my right food came within 6 inches of his head. He didn’t move but I frantically stepped by once I realized he was there. He was a big fellow, 4-5ft long

Just before the downhill to the shelter tonight I walked past Dans Pullpit with a nice view.

The last three miles today were nearly rock free and cruzy. I briefly talked with a gentleman doing a section hike at a campsite just before the shelter. He hopes to thru hike the AT next year. There was a nice bridge with good water just before I saw him.

The shelter is a short .1 mile road walk. There’s a caretaker that lives at the house on site. He was very kind and offered us popsicles while we ate dinner! The bunkhouse is inside a shed and enclosed from any bears. There’s a solar shower, flushing toilet and running water here which is a huge plus.

Stopping into Hamburg tomorrow to do a resupply. Not sure if I’ll hike out of town or not. There’s a pavilion for hikers to spend the night at there. Going to play it by year.