Chased off Another Summit By Rain
Day 69
Wednesday May 31, 2017
Miles: 702.4 - 718.7 Miles Completed 16.3
Time: 8:03am - 8:10pm
Tented at Lamberts Meadow Shelter
Weather: Partly sunny and hot
McAfee Knob is the most photographed spot on the Appalachian Trail. The iconic picturesque spot draws visitors from all around and today was no different. It was like a super hiker highway up to the summit. At one point I just wanted to stop and go hide behind one of the house sized rocks along the trail until rush hour was over. If I've said it once I have said it a thousand times, if you want peace and solitude don't hike the AT.
We have been having a stretch of great weather. Today marked a week without rain and we were loving it. We were so excited to have clear skies for our McAfee photo shoot.
That all changed by the time we reached the overhang where only the strongest willed souls dare sit. Angry clouds gathered over head as a dozen or so hikers patient waited their turn for selfies and pictures. Since I had my turn in 2015 I let Shortcake go first. Afterwards I went for mine. I skipped the sitting. I wanted to do something different so I copied another hikers "Strong Girl" pose on the edge. The forever view was shadowed by glooming ominous looking clouds with rain over the valley below but it hadn't reached us yet. We took in the panorama for a few more minutes then decided to have a quick snack since the rain was far off. Just as we retrieved our packs and gobbled a few bites the pitter-patter started and we were once again chased off another summit.
We gathered our packs and headed down. It was so hot we didn't bother with rain gear. Silently I welcomed a little shower to cool me off. It was over before we realized so not much cooling took place. We out sweated and rain drops that fell as we descended and then ascended Tinker Cliffs.
It was late in the afternoon, we were far from the hustle and bustle of the tourist attraction of McAfee but the sight that stretched out before us was more magnificent then the highly acclaimed knob. The sun was lowering and its rays were golden as it filled the horizon looking out from Tinker Cliffs and we had the spectacle all to ourselves with the exception of two deer we saw on the walk up. We could see McAfeefrom our view point and the ridge line we had just walked. No wonder we were tired and we weren't done yet. But we were in no hurry as we sat silently and alone warming our skin with those golden rays.
We hiked on to our scheduled destination then at 4:15pm made a decision to push on 6 more miles to the next shelter to make tomorrow's hike shorter. We arrived at 8:10pm and set up the tent just in time for the return of the pitter-patter. This time it stayed all night.
Happy Hiking.