| June 07, 2005 |
| Were leaving
Johns Springs 7:55am. First thing this morning we started
hiking up hill with big rocks/boulders that we have to go over. |
| We're now in
an open hardwood area with a lot of flat rocks, laying on the sides
of us, also on the trail. The morning is overcast and damp
going towards the trail McAfee Knob. Trail here has been
pretty, getting into a little bit of rocky clay, that has been
covered with pine needles, still a lot of boulders. We're
hearing turkeys this morning in a couple different places, once when
we stopped to get water at the spring and I'm hearing a turkey now..
We just had Steady Eddie and 2 companions just pass us, they were
slack packing 20 miles today. They strayed in the pole barn
behind the Catawba General Store. The there shuttled their
packs up to the motel where they were going to stay the night.
I wish I knew about this! |
|
The trail has been a steady incline up
towards McAfee Knob with a lot of rock steps and log steps, which
has pretty easy. Now I', overlooking a scenic view and I can
the little farms in the center of the valley. I can see 4
mountains off in the distance and they vary in color. It's
still hazy and yesterday it never really did lift. |
|
We must be getting real close to the top
now because we surrounded by large boulders. We're walking in
a little bit of a trail has been washed out, lot of sand, a lot of
little tiny rocks that look like river rocks, making it very
difficult to hike in. The big boulders that are very close to
the trail are flat on top. |
The surrounding woods is mostly oak trees,
pine trees, laurels, blueberries and
we're looking at a fringe tree. The trail up through here
looks like a river bed, it washed out overnight with the hard rains.
The elevation 1397' solid rock. Going out to see the view from
here. I'm sitting right on the point of McAfee Knob looking
out over the valley that is full of small farms, but yet it's
amazing how much woods and mountains that I'm seeing from up here.
It feels like I'm a airplane just sitting still. The farms
look like little cut out mode areas, but the rest of it is all woods
as far as you can see. I can the mountains miles and miles
away, but they are so faint that they blend in with the horizon.
This is one beautiful place! It's so peaceful! Scrub
pines are up on the rocks, rhododendron is blooming now, also scrub
oaks. |
|
Down hillside form McAfee Knob a trail
angel had left various kinds of candy in a ammunition box. It
was a strange place to put it because no one ever expect any trail
magic to be in this area. |
|
This McAfee is such a pristine area that
they do not allow open camp fires or camping anywhere in between
here and the next state route. That is because they want you
to camp in designated areas. |
|
The trail has been really smooth since we
cam from McAfee Knob. We're actually hiking on a ridge line .
What is interesting that everyone of these rocks, even if they are
diagonal they are flat on the top. We have several of those
witches peaks or witches baskets, or what ever they are called in
the trees. They look like Halloween baskets. |
|
We are scrambling our way through Tinker
Cliffs with huge big boulders. One really big overhang.
I'm seeing a lot of stint, Virginia blue bells, rattle snake plants
blooming, rocks crest is blooming, some fox gloves and cardinal
flowers. It looks like Tinker Cliffs a series of big rock
boulders that you can hike in between and around or up on. |
|
In several places I've seen what I call
spider plants, they have a real thin leaf a purple flower on top of
it. Seeing some white yarrow blooming in an open field. |
|
It's trying to rain every now and then.
This whole trail for a little while has been thick leaf covered.
It's like walking on big piles of moss, very soft to your feet.
The next part of the trail from Tinker Creek looks like it is
straight up. |
 This is a very interesting display! Someone has
cut an end of a log off, painted it yellow, and put a smiley face
one it and set it up by this big oak tree and sown below the rock is
this little plaque that says "Follow Your Dreams" and close to that
little plaque is a tiny little turtle. There is also a little
pinwheel stuck up in a branch on the back side of the tree, so the
wind can blow it. |
Tinkers rocks are very beautiful, grayish color, where
McAfee rocks were white. I way out here on the point and I can see
the rain coming.
 Simon
will go out on every one of these points, he likes them.
The AT goes right along the top of the cliff, very tricky through
here. |
|
Here comes the rain. I hoping that we are under
enough of a tree canopy that we won't get wet without putting our
pack covers on. We coming into Lamberts Meadow Shelter at
4:40pm, we actually getting in fairly early. We have done 11
miles today. The rain has stopped. The end of a work day
for the NIN. A great day of hiking, I'm glad we got here
before the hard rain set in. |
|
Swing'n Jane and
Simon |
|
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This is a very interesting display! Someone has
cut an end of a log off, painted it yellow, and put a smiley face
one it and set it up by this big oak tree and sown below the rock is
this little plaque that says "Follow Your Dreams" and close to that
little plaque is a tiny little turtle. There is also a little
pinwheel stuck up in a branch on the back side of the tree, so the
wind can blow it.