Didn’t end up with much sleep at all even though it felt a few degrees cooler than it had the last few nights. Mostly I think I was anticipating the morning ahead; I had set the alarm for 5:23am so that I could the mile back (uphill) to McAfee in time for a 6:02 sunrise. When my watch finally went off I considered ignoring it and going back to sleep. “I’m just out here to walk and get to Maine,” I thought – lack of sleep and going backwards on the trail don’t help achieve that goal, but I suspected this would be one of the few places worth the extra effort, so I got up, made instant coffee, grabbed my camera and headlamp, and started back up to the knob.
I probably could have walked without the headlamp but it made the path much brighter in the early morning light. I made good time without a pack and was back on the McAfee rocks minutes before 6. There’s no camping allowed up there but I found a pair of rule-breakers hammocking near the knob and their food bag hung off the rock cliff. They didn’t stir the entire time I was up there.
At first the view was unspectacular as low clouds obscured the first rays of light, but just minutes after the official sunrise time the sun rose above the clouds. Unquestionably the most awesome sight on the trail so far. I took a bunch of pictures, including some with me in them using my mini tripod. I had to full on sprint across the rocks to get back to the knob after pushing the shutter on a ten second delay located on the neighboring rock outcropping. No one else was there to see the sunrise at McAfee Knob on this morning. Strider had said he would most likely go the night before but didn’t take long to go back to sleep at 5:23; Wilderness was a maybe last night but just woke up long enough to murmur, “have fun” this morning. Within 20 minutes the golden light of sunrise had passed and the day had begun. I went back down to Campbell and started packing up.
This was the longest stretch between towns yet, and I was completely ready for a shower and food and a bed. Being already up for the sunrise made for an early start for the walk into Daleville. There were some surprisingly steep hills early on but they were short and led to another scenic spot – Tinker Cliffs. For about half a mile the trail parallels a fairly high rock cliff, similar to what McAfee Knob looks like. It kind of zigzags back and forth getting as near as a couple feet from the edge or as far as a few dozen yards. The whole half mile though overlooks the valley below and the towns beyond. After the cliffs all I could think about was getting to town, a though amplified by the increasing heat throughout the early afternoon. Near town the trail levels out and I started hearing the sounds of the city early on. A train went by, car engines roared; audibly it seemed like I was already in town, but it seemed like forever before I got there.
Staying at a Howard Johnson Express and it’s probably the best hotel deal so far. $50 a night hiker rate for a solid room, pool, wifi, hot breakfast, cable w/ HBO etc. Looks like the decision to hold out until here to take a zero day paid off. Totally ready to not do any walking tomorrow!