Sprout Day 182 (Sunday, September 25, 2016)

We got to the campsite late last night and I didn't sleep the best. Our tent was on an incline and the people at the shelter were loud. On the weekend a lot of people go out and camp around McAfee Knob because it is such an iconic place and because it's only about 4 miles from the trailhead parking lot.

We woke up early today. My alarm went off at 4:45 and I got up and started to pack my things. The whole game plan was to get up to Mcafee Knob for the sunrise. We didn't get much of a sunrise because the fog was so heavy. We had a great time but there were so many people up at the Knob by the time it was light it was a little crazy. Someone got engaged up there and a lot of their friends hiked up for that and also a lot of day hikers were there. The weather was perfect for hiking so I couldn't blame them for wanting to get out for a hike.

Once we got down to the parking lot at Route 311 we called the Four Pines Hostel and they sent the dragon wagon to come get us. Blank, the driver, was at the hostel doing work for stay. The dragon wagon is an old astro van with a huge dragon painted on the side. Blank was nice he took us through the gas station before we went to the hostel.

Four pines has been great.  When we first got there we got our laundry together and took showers, it felt great to take a shower and we really needed one after the hot and humid week.

We went to a restaurant called Home Place and it was the best food I've had in a long time (probably one of the best restaurants I’ve ever been to). I wasn’t sure what to expect because it just looked like a huge house with a parking lot. It was an all you can eat southern cooking family style restaurant. I heard the fried chicken was the best around. We didn't have to wait too long for a table. We all had to decide what to get - the choices were two meats and a bunch of different sides to choose from. We ended up getting fried chicken and ham for the meat and mashed potatoes with gravy, green beans, biscuits, apple butter, and an apple cinnamon side. Everything was delicious but I will never forget the fried chicken, The fried chicken was so good it melted in your mouth and the sides were delicious. We also got cobbler and iv cream for dessert it was so good.

Day: 182
Miles hiked: 4.4
Total Miles hiked on the trail: 1486.6
Baby Bear: 1
Bald Eagle: 1
Bluegill: 2
Butterflies: 8
Chipmunks: 3
Cows: 24
Crawfish: 1
Deer: 20
Donkeys: 2
Grouse: 1
Horses: 15
Hummingbird: 1
Inchworm: 1
Really Big Dog: 1
Mice: 2
Moose: 2
Nest of bugs: 2
Newts: 2
Owl: 1
Rabbit: 1
Red Squirrel: 1
Skunk: 1
Snail: 1
Snake: 3
Squirrels: 12
Toads: 3
Trout: 2
Turkeys: 4
Turtles: 107
Vultures: 6
Woodpecker: 1

Sprout Day 181 (Saturday, September 24, 2016)

We had another great day and hiked 14.8 miles to Campbell's Shelter tonight. It’s only 0.7 miles to McAfee Knob.

It was really hot and humid today and it’s been difficult to find water. A lot of the water sources are dried up or its just a nasty puddle. You take what you can get when it’s this bad but I hate when the water has a white film on the top.

We hiked to Tinkers Cliffs and waited on the sun to set and had dinner. It was a beautiful sunset so we couldn't pass up the opportunity. We had 5 miles to walk after the cliffs to get to Campbell's Shelter. We wanted to get as close to McAfee knob as we could. Our plan is to wake up around 445 and pack up and go up to McAfee knob and wait on the sunrise. It'll only be a few miles after that to get to the road where the hostel will come pick us up. I'm excited to get to the hostel and get a shower and wash my clothes.

I saw a huge black snake on trail this afternoon. There were a lot of big boulders and different cliffs on the way up here it was a great section the only thing that would've made it better would have been more water!

While hiking into the Lamberts Meadow shelter we ran into an older couple from the area. They were from the area and were going to the campsite to see a tree. When we got there we saw what they meant. A huge tree fell last Wednesday and crushed the picnic table! After talking to them they told us that the tree fell on a tent last Wednesday with a mom and daughter inside. The daughter was ok but the mom had a punctured lung, broken ribs, and a few other problems. It was definitely a huge reminder of how important it is to check the trees before we set up our tent. A dead tree is something to stay away from!

We can't wait to see Mcafee Knob in the morning, there's going to be a bunch of people up there since it's a weekend. Oh well, I'm still excited!

Tinker's Cliff at sunset

Day: 181
Miles hiked: 15.4

Total Miles hiked on the trail: 1482.4
Baby Bear: 1
Bald Eagle: 1
Bluegill: 2
Butterflies: 8
Chipmunks: 3
Cows: 24
Crawfish: 1
Deer: 20
Donkeys: 2
Grouse: 1
Horses: 15
Hummingbird: 1
Inchworm: 1
Really Big Dog: 1
Mice: 2
Moose: 2
Nest of bugs: 2
Newts: 2
Owl: 1
Rabbit: 1
Red Squirrel: 1
Skunk: 1
Snail: 1
Snake: 3
Squirrels: 12
Toads: 3
Trout: 2
Turkeys: 4
Turtles: 107
Vultures: 6
Woodpecker: 1