This picture was taken on the last of my backpacking trips. This was September 23rd, 2005. It was a warm day and there a nice breeze up on McAfee Knob - one of the AT's most photographed spots. This was most definitely the longest backpacking trip I had taken - we hiked all day. I can't remember now how far we actually hiked - but we walked along a very long ridgeline to spend the night at Tinker Cliffs. You can see the ridgeline under the Knob - the cliffs are at the end. I don't know if it's good or bad when you can stand on a vista and see where you are going. I remember thinking "that looks really, really far away."
But Paul has hiked the entire AT before in one lump - so he's quite the expert. Paul and I had also done a lot of hiking before so he knew my limitations. Glenda is tough as rocks and had done far more backpacking and outdoor extremist activities than I had. Paul had originally planned for us to make this a 2 nighter trip, incorporating Dragon's Tooth into the mixture, but for some reason we decided on a 1 nighter. I'm really glad. It was hard.
Glenda is a nurse - and we set out on this adventure after she had worked an overnight 12 hour shift! No sleep for her - just a brutal work-out of a hiking day. She is so tough!
We had a feast of mac-n-cheese and tuna and then settled into our sleeping bags right there on the edges of Tinker Cliffs. No tent. No shelter. Just a sleeping bag on the ground with a freaked-out dog next to me. Neema and I again did not sleep that night - she kept growling at the deer and turkeys moving around behind us. When we got up for breakfast, she crawled into my sleeping bag and passed out.
We hiked down a different way than how we came - I remember crossing over barbed-wire fences via these cool wooden stairs. The AT winds through a lot of private land - and farmers seem ok with that as long as you don't mess anything up.
I also remember Paul's words "going up a trail is hard, but going down hurts." That really is true.
After a shower and a good meal - I also remember sleeping really, really well in my own bed. :)
So worth it, though.
But Paul has hiked the entire AT before in one lump - so he's quite the expert. Paul and I had also done a lot of hiking before so he knew my limitations. Glenda is tough as rocks and had done far more backpacking and outdoor extremist activities than I had. Paul had originally planned for us to make this a 2 nighter trip, incorporating Dragon's Tooth into the mixture, but for some reason we decided on a 1 nighter. I'm really glad. It was hard.
Glenda is a nurse - and we set out on this adventure after she had worked an overnight 12 hour shift! No sleep for her - just a brutal work-out of a hiking day. She is so tough!
We had a feast of mac-n-cheese and tuna and then settled into our sleeping bags right there on the edges of Tinker Cliffs. No tent. No shelter. Just a sleeping bag on the ground with a freaked-out dog next to me. Neema and I again did not sleep that night - she kept growling at the deer and turkeys moving around behind us. When we got up for breakfast, she crawled into my sleeping bag and passed out.
We hiked down a different way than how we came - I remember crossing over barbed-wire fences via these cool wooden stairs. The AT winds through a lot of private land - and farmers seem ok with that as long as you don't mess anything up.
I also remember Paul's words "going up a trail is hard, but going down hurts." That really is true.
After a shower and a good meal - I also remember sleeping really, really well in my own bed. :)
So worth it, though.
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