A real Tramily reunion – The Trek

Russell and Jessie stay at The Four Pines Hostel, reconnect with the tram and head to the famous McAfee Knob.

June 7 – 8, 2026

Our stay at Four Pines was absolutely impeccable. For a hostile donation, it had some of the best amenities yet. Not to mention it was also next to an all you can eat home style country restaurant. Donna was kind enough to take us and pick us up in the afternoon.

Good game of cornhole in the front yard.

The place was packed and there was a bit of a wait, so we played cornhole on the front patio until it was our turn to eat. For $25 a head, I certainly got my money’s worth. I think I must have eaten two whole fried chickens along with a lot of side dishes.

A table of tremendously good food.

We were too full of food to do anything else when we got back to the hostel, so we did our best to fall asleep. It was a pretty full house, which usually means there’s a snorer somewhere in the room. As cozy as the place was, it wasn’t the best night’s sleep I had.

There were many animals roaming the property.

The next morning more than made up for the lack of sleep. Donna had prepared a full breakfast for us with eggs, pancakes, and sausage. We sat around socializing with the breakfast group until we finally decided we should hit the road.

Sunset view of the mountains from Four Pines.

We made sure to thank Donna before heading out and then headed to the trailhead to wait for our friends. After a week of separation, we were officially free of the noro virus and had recovered.

It was a happy reunion, full of hugs and stories about our time apart. We seemed to agree that the trail is more fun as a group. And it’s especially fun when you’re not throwing up and pooping everywhere.

The entire team reconvenes and begins the walk to McAfee.

Today we addressed the last two characteristics of the triple crown. Since the McAfee command is such a prominent feature of the AT, we were going to cut the day short and hang out at the summit until sunset.

Honestly, the hike there was nice, but the main problem we’ve had in most of Virginia is the lack of drinking water. Most water sources make you have to go a mile out of your way just to get barely running spring water or manure runoff.

This usually means you have to do these climbs with a lot more water than you actually want to carry. It made a fairly gentle climb into a bit of a bigger obstacle. However, once we reached the top, we were met with such a beautiful view that one could not even think about the aches and pains in the body.

The view from McAfee Knob.

McAfee’s knob faces directly into a valley between two ridge lines. It’s one of the most photographed places on the entire Appalachian Trail and it was finally our turn to get our iconic images.

Jessie and I at the famous rock show. (I was a little scared of the edge).

Jessie and I went first, then Salamander, then the drip. Dripper had been planning to juggle command of McAfee for quite some time. This was a pretty important moment for him. (I don’t remember if I mentioned that he plans to take juggling balls to Maine.) I stood there with the camera ready as he started juggling.

It was exactly as expected. Three seconds later, a ball flew off the cliff to his right and into the brush below. It might be one of my favorite image sequences. I’ve captured it along the way so far.

Big Dripper starts juggling and so far it’s going well.

Dripper grabs the other two balls while the third meets a doomed fate.

Remorse. (Oil on canvas).

In order not to litter, I went down the cliff and spent some time looking for the missing juggling ball. To my surprise, I was able to find it. As Dripper sat at the top mourning the loss of his companion, a ball appeared from the edge and his whimsical luxury item was saved.

Me doing the flamenco pose on the edge. Jessie hated taking this photo (and I’m sorry mom in advance).

We sat on top of McAfee for a long time, taking it all in and feeling pretty satisfied with how far we’ve come. It was a nice, relaxing way to get back to enjoying consistent days of hiking.

The gang prepares to leave McAfee before the sun sets (camping is not allowed on the summit).

We kept the day short and only went about a half mile to camp with some weekend campers who didn’t quite understand the concept of keeping the volume down on their Bluetooth speaker. One of these days we will sleep well.

This website contains affiliate links, which means The Trek may receive a percentage of any products or services you purchase using links in articles or advertisements. The buyer pays the same price they would otherwise pay, and their purchase helps support The Trek’s ongoing goal of bringing you quality backpacking information and advice. Thank you for your support!

For more information, visit the About page of this site.