McAfee Hikes

Date Written: 10/20/2024 | AT Mile 1312.1 | Day Total: 22.0 miles | Gain: 4230 ft

Woke up early today again before sunrise. Made some breakfast and packed up. I began hiking around 7:30.

Wonderful trail this morning. I was cruising through the whole morning. Shenandoah is definitely top 3 sections of the trail so far. The fall colors are just amazing.

Had a nice view at Powell Gap. I crossed skyline drive for the first time today. Many more crossings to come.

I climbed over Weaver mountain. It’s got a wooded summit so no views. There was in fact a view shortly after at Ivy Creek Overlook. There were a couple of cars parked here and people taking social media pictures.

Had a beautiful view shortly after the overlook. I think I’ve said it before, but seeing the layers of ranges fade away in the distance is fascinating.

I pushed to Loft Mountain Camp Store for lunch. It’s only sloghtly off trail compared to the wayside that’s .8 off one way. I crossed over Ivy Creek. A beautiful little creek that flowing quite well.

Just before the camp store I walked over some cliffs and ledges with wonderful views. I took a pano of one of the because the view was so wide.

I got a Gatorade, Doritos and an ice cream sandwich to go along with my nutella/peanut butter wrap. I also made a reservation for a hostel in Waynesboro. It’s a hiker owned hostel called Stanimal’s. I’ll be getting there late tomorrow evening.

After lunch I pushed onto Blackrock Shelter. I would have liked to have gone a bit further so I didn’t have as much to hike tomorrow but there’s a 13 mile carry from here. So I’ll have to crush 20 miles into town. I’ve got a 5 o’clock est. pick up from the Stanimal’s hostel.

I had some fine views as I bordered Loft mountain campground. The campground would be a great spot for a fall weekend.

The trail following the campground was super cruzy. I was really soaking in where I was. I often think back to the year leading up to my hike. How I would dream about moments like this and having little to no obligations. It was often a thought during some of the more boring lectures.

Just before the shelter I walked through Blackrock. It’s a stunning view with a little rock scramble. It’s near a parking lot and there were probably 50 people here. I walked right through with a few glances at the view. It kinda takes away from the moment when there’s a ton of people in one place.

I walked down to the shelter shortly after.
There’s two hikers in the shelter that I briefly talked with before pitching my tent. I could see a deer munching on grass near the privy in the distance. So if I hear any animal noises tonight I’ll tell myself it’s just that deer and go back to bed…

Once I was setup at a small pad behind the shelter I headed down to eat dinner by the shelter on the table. Yardsale, a sobo hiker that began hiking in Vermont is here with his dog. We talked for a while and a few other section hikers joined us. Had some fun conversations. I had to force myself to not eat all my snakes for tomorrow. My stomach had been feeling like an bottomless pit lately.

The spring is flowing really well – filled my 2L Cnoc bag in 5 sec. Some of the hikers said they didn’t filter it. They say “if I can see where it’s coming from then I’m not gunna bother to filter it”. I see their point but I’d rather not risk it and filter it anyway.

Doc showed up just past sunset when I was journaling in my tent. He showed me another picture of the comet shortly after I left for bed yesterday and also of the sunset at Blackrock a few minutes ago. The comet had gotten brighter as time passed.

As I write in my journal I can’t help but overhear the conversation in the tent behind me. “It’s not me that stinks, it’s my feet. It’ll keep the animals away” – some section hikers

Looking forward to town tomorrow. Thinking a pizza or maybe a good self cooked meal could fill my bottomless pit of a stomach.