- Miles 705.4-721.0 (15.6 mi.)
- Total ascent 4626’; descent 4390’
For the first time today, we’re going to hike past dinner. We’re doing so not to make miles, but because 1.4 miles south of our campsite is Tinker Cliffs.
The northernmost of Virginia’s “Triple Crown” natural wonders, Tinker Cliffs is a series of eight or ten rock pedestals that look southwest over a hazy valley. In the valley are a sprinkle of homes and barns surrounded by cattle pasture.
We stopped at Tinker Cliffs about 5 p.m., when not another soul (except for the rattlesnakes, if they qualify) was here. At first, it was just for a look, but we realized we’d get neither a sunset or sunrise at any of Virginia’s top attractions if we did not stay.
Spending a few hours meant making dinner and writing, but in a way that appeared pregnant with mobility, per the ban on camping.
So here Rachel and I lean, legs on the rocks and backs against our packs. We’re taking a break, just with our stove and stuff out on the ground.
We did earn our break today: Although the elevation figures on this post don’t reflect it, our maps app insisted the hike of McAfee Knob–probably the single most famous attraction on the AT–was nearly flat.
We decided, puffing up the mountain, that it must have been a developer’s practical joke: Of course a hike up one of the top views from a valley floor wasn’t going to be flat.
McAfee Knob, about five miles by trail south of Tinker Cliffs, was spectacular but crowded. On the way up, we met two parents visiting from Kansas City to see their collegiate daughter’s lacrosse match at nearby Virginia Tech. We answered some FAQs (“What are the white marks on the trees?” “Where do you use the bathroom and shower?”) and talked about a few of our favorite spots in Kansas City.
Two other events spiced up our McAfee Knob hike: We found a small red pepper laying on the trail, which we unashamedly scooped up to season our dinner, and we saw a rattlesnake (which we did not scoop up, and gave the widest berth possible).
We’d been warned about the snake a quarter mile back, a walk that felt like hours. We examined every stick for a rattle and diamond patterning until we found it, facing away from the trail on a sunny red rock.
We lingered at McAfee Knob proper only long enough to share a bag of Muddy Buddies and to pose at the cliffside view shown on the film poster for “A Walk in the Woods.” Green, the metallurgist we met a few days ago, offered to take our photo.
The hike from McAfee Knob to Tinker Cliffs was empty of other hikers, except two day hikers who looked absolutely miserable. We bet they got a late start at the Tinker Cliffs parking area, a supposedly devilish hike. One man in the first group to arrive after we did at Tinker Cliffs insisted on hugging in the nude the pedestal we were sitting on, so we moved while mouthing “WTF” at each other.
Once we see the dregs of the sunset, fast approaching, we need to hike another 45 minutes, set up our sleep gear, and hide the bear cans before we turn in. We hope to finish the remaining 10 miles to Daleville by 2 p.m. tomorrow.
Beautiful as that will be, this sunset is worth my attention right now. Only my eyes can record the pinks and purples, first lording and now receding, over the navy ridge.
