Taking advantage of the opportunity at McAfee Knob

Tuesday June 3, 2026

Ladies and gentlemen, the day has come. After a long day of incredible hiking and viewing points, I arrive at McAfee Knob. There I decide to make a last minute change of plans.

Casual morning before a big day

myEverything was ready for today to be one of the best so far on the trail. I had planned a light 20 mile itinerary. You would pass many incredible viewpoints, including two-thirds of Virginia’s Triple Crown; Tinker Cliffs and McAfee Knob. I had my backpack more or less ready to go. The weather for the next four days seemed to be ideal for early summer, sunny and warm. I would also put my new Altra Experience Wild 3+ shoes to the test. I allowed myself to get some sleep and then stopped by a gas station for an extra large coffee. Once at the Route 11 trailhead near Troutville Virginia, I was able to finish my preparations and get on the road before 9:30 a.m.

New propulsion

After just 1 mile of walking, I can tell some differences between the Altras and my old Topos. The fit around my foot feels comfortable, in a good way. The shape of the inside of the shoe is definitely closer to the shape of my foot. I feel simultaneously closer to the ground and more isolated from the terrain beneath my foot. Finally, to state the obvious, the grip and hold on the trail is several orders of magnitude better than with my worn-out Topos. So far I haven’t found any problems. My Altra gaiters fit much cleaner in these shoes. I don’t expect it to rain, but between the better coverage of the gaiters and the thinner mesh material, I think these shoes could be a big improvement when it comes to walking in the rain.

Happiness on the Appalachian Trail

The climb from Daleville was smooth and fast. Before long, I was crossing under some power lines and looking out over the city and the hill looming above it. The next section of the trail follows a pine-lined ridge and occasional views to the north and south. The trail had an incredible view of Carvin Cove Reservoir and northern Roanoke. I appreciated the gentle trail conditions along this stretch. It wasn’t rocky or angled and it allowed me to navigate. Even the few climbs were small and manageable.

I was really enjoying my walk today. I knew almost every NOBO hiker I came across. I was able to share some stories about them on my blog that brightened their days. There was a beautiful overlook at every mile with views towards Daleville and Troutville. I stopped at Lambert’s Meadow Shelter to filter the water and give myself a moment before the 1000 foot climb to the Tinker Cliffs.

Enjoying the view of Carvin Cove Reservoir from the AT.

The views stretched all the way to Roanoke.

Upper Daleville was visible from the ridge.

Upper Daleville was visible from the ridge.

Enjoying the views and beautiful weather from the trail!

It was a pleasure to walk today on a flat, rock-free trail.

Picturesque Daleville/Troutville.

Tinker Cliffs

The climb to Tinker Cliffs was steep, but I climbed it without hesitation. I didn’t feel any of the tiredness I experienced on Saturday or Sunday. My high-calorie day off had obviously done what it was intended to do. The view from the cliffs was extraordinary. Mountains cradle the valley that stretched to a point in the distance. The trail runs parallel to the cliffs for several tenths of a mile. Cliffs is definitely the right word, the drop from each of the rocks was about 40 to 80 feet everywhere. I was glad to have the extra grip of new shoes holding my feet on the rocks.

The Tinker Cliffs.

McAfee Knob rises above the rest of the valley.

Scooby and stretch

Two hikers, Scooby and Stretch, interrupted what was otherwise a somewhat boring descent from Tinker Cliffs. Today they are doing the “24 Challenge”. They have 24 hours to cover 24 miles of trail. It may not seem like a very difficult task, but there is a twist: they must do it while carrying 24 cans of beer. 12-ounce cans are equivalent to approximately 19 pounds of additional weight. Oh, I almost forgot, there is one more problem. They must also drink all beers within 24 hours. After two Powerade and 2 liters of water today, I had watered the trees enough. However, I don’t think I’m going to set a record for that today.

Stretch and Scooby seemed remarkably lucid given that they both had about a dozen beers full when I saw them. Scooby was obsessed with four holes next to the trail. She wasn’t sure what had caused them. Stretch was quick to suggest that the reason was the pigs. He seems smart, so I’m inclined to believe him.

4 mysterious holes next to the AT.

Scooby, See you tomorrow and Stretch enjoying the trail!

Approaching the McAfee command

Around 4:00 pm it started to look like rain was possible. I had decided not to bring my poncho to save a little weight over the four days. It seemed like that decision might bite me in the butt. I saw the highest chance of rain was in about 45 minutes, while the next shelter was 1.5 miles away. I reached the shelter at full speed, by which time the storm had already turned south.

I was safe from the rain, but after walking 17 miles in my new shoes, my heel hurt a little. I spent about 15 minutes at the shelter eating and giving my feet a rest. I then prepared for my final attack on McAfee Knob.

The last tenths of a mile were between rocks and patches of mountain laurel. You would never know you were about to reach one of the most iconic views on the AT.

Steps from McAfee Knob!

Clustering on McAfee Knob

Another thing I didn’t expect was meeting Diver. He had just left McAfee Knob and was going to stay at the Pig Farm campground near the Campbell Shelter. I showed him my blog from May 26, which included the story of his name change. He loved it and has shared my blog with his family. In fact, I was wrong about one fact in the story. He has a red cap but his tracking hat is tan. That was the hat he retrieved from the dumpster and continues to walk with it.

I wished him well and excitedly finished the last few steps to McAfee Knob. The view was epic, many hikers were soaking it up on the nearby rocks. One of them recognized me, it was the year 2000.

With him, as always, were Toby, Alpha and Trouble. They also planned to camp at the Pig Farm campground. But tomorrow morning they were going to walk back to McAfee Knob to see the sunrise. I decided to abandon my plans to walk another two miles to Johns Spring Shelter and join them. I was looking forward to camping and spending some extra time with the hikers I enjoy chatting with on the trail.

At McAfee Knob a rainbow appears in the distance.

See you tomorrow enjoy the view from the top of McAfee Knob.

See You Tomorrow arrives at the iconic McAfee Knob rock ledge.

The view from McAfee Knob.

In the foreground, from left to right: See you tomorrow, Toby, Y2K and Alpha. Who wouldn’t want to hang out with this amazing team?

Camping at Pig Farm Campground

After an hour at McAfee Knob we walked eight-tenths of a mile to camp. While setting up my tent, I heard the unmistakable sound of a hiker explaining how they set up their tent. I couldn’t resist the temptation of a good gear chat, especially as my Durston store has become very dear to me over the last month.

Y2K was showing how he sets up his shop for Alpha. It has exactly the same model as me. It had some useful tips on the field, as well as a simple rope to hang things inside the tent. My favorite trick was their method of hanging your backpack from a trekking pole inside the lobby. We had dinner together at the table, which made me think about how long it had been since I had been able to enjoy a meal at the same time as more than one person.

We chatted about teams, government names, and career fields over our dinners. The sky was glowing with the colors of sunset, casting a soothing light on the side of my tent. We all went to bed around 8:00 pm with an agreement to meet at the picnic table at 5:00 am and hike back to McAfee Knob in plenty of time for sunrise. I set my alarm for 4:45am believing I could take down my campsite and the road beyond in 15 minutes.

Diver, See you tomorrow, Y2K and Toby.

A fitted Durston catches the afternoon sun.

-See you tomorrow

Total: 17.6 miles, 43,615 steps

• Hiking type: backpacking
• Camp: Tent, Pig Farm Camping

Note: The mileage reported above includes only miles on the AT for one southbound and one northbound hike. Excludes miles completed on Spur Trails or miles on the AT that you complete more than twice.

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