After enjoying the beautiful sunrise at McAfee I hurried along the five-mile ridge that swoops around the valley to Tinker Cliffs on it's North side. It was pretty cool to pop out on the opposite overlook where McAfee Knob was now just a spec of grey in the distance. I didn't stay too long because there was a hotel in Daleville with a swimming pool that was calling my name. It was a downward hike most of the day with a few crossings underneath powerlines which are much more intimidating when you're so close. The towers are truly massive but never seem like it when viewed from a highway miles away.
View of McAfee Knob from Tinker Cliffs
After a relaxing night in an actual hotel, instead of a hostel or crappy motel, and gorging on their continental breakfast I decided to take advantage of the pool again before returning to the woods. The gate handle seemed jammed so I just jumped over the fence, swam around, laid in the sun, and then started to swim some more when a grouchy old man approached the pool at 9:45am.
"How'd you get in there?!?"
The latch seemed jammed so I just jumped over the fence.
"Didn't you think it might be locked for a reason?"
Doesn't the pool open at 9?
"It does...and I forgot to unlock it...but that doesn't give you the right to be jumping fences!"
After checking out White (hiker buddy formerly known as Billy) and I headed over to the shopping center to go to the outfitters, resupply at Kroger, and get an all you can eat Chinese buffet to fill up on calories. I had a pair of snake skins sent to the outfitter and while I was setting them up on some trees on the side of the parking lot 4 kids approached me and had a myriad of questions: What's that for? Why do you sleep in a hammock? Why are you walking from Georgia to Maine? Where is your car? What do you mean you walked here from Georgia? Why? Their moms came put of the coffee shop and asked if they were bothering me, not at all I replied. It was funny how amused and confused they were.
At the end of the day a few of us set up camp right next to the Taylor's Mountain Overlook along the Blue Ridge Parkway and watched a stunning sunset from the side of the road.
Sunset from the Blue Ridge Parkway
Same sunset from the Blue Ridge Parkway
The next day we hiked down to Jennings Creek for some afternoon swimming before going up and over Fork Mountain where a bear walked 20 yards behind me. Pipes was hiking about 50 yards behind me and was surprised I didn't turn around to look at the rustling noise. I thought it was a squirrel! I completely missed out on having my first bear sighting. At least a little further down the trail I saw another snake.
I decided to take the long and downhill 1.1 mile side trail to the Apple Orchard Falls and I was not disappointed. It also was great to ditch my pack at the top and "slackpack" down with my small drawstring day pack containing just my camera, tripod, and snacks. I can see why slackpacking is so tempting, it felt like I was flying down the trail. About halfway down I crossed some smaller falls that had perfect lighting for long exposures and then continued to the bottom where I ran into Sandals who was having lunch. I ate my snacks before climbing up the side of the falls to take some photos and Sandals snuck some shots of me climbing up. Afterwards we hung out for a bit and when I went to leave I found a side trail + scramble to the top of the big rock.
I climbed back up to the AT which then itself climbs another 1000ft to the Apple Orchard summit where an evil looking FAA tower is perched. I made it halfway down the mountain and set up camp hoping tomorrow to quickly hitch into Glasgow, resupply, and get back on the trail. This day, I saw another snake, crossed the James River Foot Footbridge (not a typo, it is named after William Foot) and jumped off it, and ran into Sandals in town who rescued a baby racoon. He was going to raise it on the trail as he hiked north but the cashier knew a lady who takes in all sorts of foster critters so she happily adopted the little fella. And lastly...on June 5th I crossed the 800 mile marker!
The Virginia shrine to soccer! Just kidding, its another FAA Tower
The William Foot Footbridge
Sandals and the little fluffball he saved
What a cute little trash panda
800 miles down! Only 1389.3 miles left to go
I'm currently near Waynesboro, mile 862, at an awesome trail angel's chicken farm with some fellow hikers so I am a few miles behind on my blog timeline. I'll be heading into Shenandoah NP tomorrow and hope to catch the blog up soon!
Edit: broke my phone which further delayed an update