April is such a great time for backpacking in Virginia and we certainly had a great weekend to backpack McAfee Knob (April 18-19, 2009). It is not quite a tradition yet but this is the 2nd backpack trip I have organized for my church, West End Presbyterian near Richmond, VA. We went to Cold Mountain/Mount Pleasant last Fall and I hope to continue leading one each Fall and Spring with friends from church.
At the top of McAfee Knob (Elev. 3197')
There were 13 of us who made the trip with 11 staying overnight and camping near the Campbell Shelter about 1/2 mile beyond McAfee Knob. The nearest town is Catawba, VA but on a clear day from the top you can see Roanoke. McAfee Knob is one of the most photographed places on the Appalachian Trail in Virginia. Part of the cliff at the top actually protrudes out beyond the rest of the cliff and that is where most people want to have their photo taken.
Steve "Fly like a" Byrd
It was about a 4 mile hike to the top of McAfee Knob which doesn’t sound too bad except we were also carrying our backpacks and the temps were in the low to mid 70’s. It was a very sunny day and being mid-April in the mountains there wasn’t much shade from the trees on the way up as they were still mostly bare. For those of us with a Celtic background (Doug, myself, and a few others), we paid the price for not having put on enough sunblock 5000!!! The summit was a great place to stop and have lunch and take in the beauty of the Catawba Valley in front of us.
"Lunch with a view" (Jim, Jeremy, Heather, & Abbie)
After lunch we parted ways with Gary and John and then headed for the Campbell Shelter to setup camp for the night.
Great Spots near Campbell Shelter
A few folks decided to take advantage of a nice breeze and proceeded to have an afternoon nap which felt great after the hike up. I do believe that is Doug in the green tent taking full advantage of an afternoon with no other distractions such as yard work!!! I proceeded to explore the area and mark the Campbell Shelter, Pig Farm Campsite, Privy, and the nearby water source on my GPS as waypoints to submit to my friend Tony’s hiking website for other hikers to use.
After Dinner, 7 of us hiked the 1/2 mile back up to McAfee Knob to view a sunset. It was a perfect night to watch the sun set over the Catawba Valley and North Mountain to the west:
McAfee Knob Sunset 1
McAfee Knob Sunset 2
The next morning we had our breakfast, Jim had his new backpacking coffee maker to try out and I of course had my morning tea. We leisurely packed up and headed down the fire road back to the Route 311 Parking area
Jim with coffee brewing to his right....
Rob & David starting to pack up their hammocks
Great shots Bryce! Thanks for putting this all together. This hike is an ideal one-nighter…plenty of workout, and a great payoff at the Nob!
By: Jim on April 22, 2009
at 10:54 pm
Hey, I’ve been there!
)
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this post, Bryce. It reminds me it’s time to take another hike up to the “Knob”.
)
By: Rach on April 24, 2009
at 5:46 pm
These are great shots Bryce. I am sure there must be signs that say “do not go beyond…..” at the Knob. That is a great shot, the second hike report from the Knob and just as impressive.
I assume the girls weren’t asking at each corner
” How much further Dad?”
Thanks for sharing your hiking experiences.
Don
By: Donald Allen on April 26, 2009
at 8:56 pm