No rest for the weary, at least not last night. A couple of weekenders showed up at the shelter at 11:30pm and they decided they had to start a fire. After an hour if snapping twigs they succeeded. I finally fell asleep around 1am after they quieted down, but at 5am they got back up and started another twig-snapping fire. In the daylight I saw one of them had on baggy jeans and a dragon-print polyester tee. That's when I knew they had no idea what they were doing and wouldn't understand hiker etiquette, so just let it go.
After going back to sleep until around 8:15am, I got up and started into the last of my food stores. Mr. Fantastic and I chatted while eating for a while before we noticed that Shenanigans and Tapeworm had arrived while we were asleep. Apparently there wasn't any sleep to be had back at the hostel either, and they did a little night hiking to catch up with us.
With no more time to waste if we wanted to make it to town for dinner, Mr. Fantastic and I made tracks toward McAfee Knob. It was a relatively short hike up to the peak, and definitely one of the most gratifying views at the top. It's no wonder it's the most iconic image of the AT. We had our little photo shoot, as was obviously necessary, and made a few phone calls with all the glory of 3G on a mountaintop. Regardless, I would like to yet again say happy fathers day to all those dads out there, and happy birthday Mommom!
We took a long break up on McAfee, so it was time to make haste, and I think we did a pretty good job of it. The total distance for the day was 18.7 miles, and our feet felt every foot of it.
We came along a few of the best bits of hiking we've had, walking atop giant boulders along a sheer cliff face. It was all rather epic, but that is frequently the case.
Finally breaking through the tree line onto a busy highway brought on a rush of relief, and a rush to the local Mexican restaurant. Dinner was almost too good, and we both made faces of giddy joy throughout the meal.
Our post-hike walk to the hotel was an easy one, no hitching required. The last time we stayed in a nice hotel was all the way back in Georgia, and we appreciated the little comforts so much more this time around.
The shower was amazing, and I am happy to say that I still don't have any ticks. Others have found a few on them, but they seem to be avoiding me. Maybe word has finally gotten around in the tick community that my blood is 99 percent potato.
After some wifi, tv, and laundry, we walked down the street to the 24 hour Subway for a midnight snack. Thank capitalism for all 24 hour establishments, without them we would be lost.
Tomorrow won't be a big mile day, but we do plan on accomplishing other key things. Resupply is important if I want to eat in the next 2 days, the gear shop will help my war torn shoes and socks, and we found a sushi restaurant within walking distance! If sushi doesn't put a trail town on the map, nothing does.
