Cold and windy all day with sleet mixed with a little light rain andf snow flurries in the afternoon. High in the 40s but mostly in the 30s.
Spent the night at the HoJo in Daleville. This is where we ended our hike in June 2008 because of heat and draught. Ironic that if we had been able to continue then, our hike this year would have been completed in Pearisburg.
The HoJo is just off the trail so we hiked from our room up into the mountains and onto the ridge that took us by Hay rocks, over Tinker Cliffs, and finally, over McAfee Knob to 311 near Catawba. McAfee Knob is said to have the best views in Virginia from the AT. A picture of yourself on McAfee Knob is one of the iconic symbols of an AT thru-hike.
We hiked just over 20 miles - that will be the last time. The days are getting too short. It was dark by the time we got to the car and we had hiked almost 45 minutes using our headlamps.
The weather was tough too. It was cold most of the day and the wind chill made it worse. In the late afternoon, as we climbed toward McAfee Knob, it began to sleet. It lasted for 30+ minutes. At times it changed to snow or worse, cold rain. Fortunately it cleared for part of our time on top and we were able to get some nice pictures.
The hike itself was terrific. Hay Rocks has some interesting rock formations and Tinker Cliffs does as well but with some dramatic views. And McAfee Knob has a great view as you can see in the picture.
Next weekend we will go out for three or four days and we will be done (as in through hiking).
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