Day 64: 700 miles, McAfee Knob

What a day! We started out with two options this morning: either do 17 miles today and 15 tomorrow, or do 14 miles today and 18 tomorrow. We have a room tomorrow night in Daleville, and we will zero there on Friday. Paul has new shoes waiting for him there, but over the past few days I’ve come to realize that my shoes are about spent and I need a new pair. Fortunately this town has an outfitter, and if I can’t find what I need I can order online and have it shipped ahead. The past few days of hiking have been along some rocky ridges that have really started to wear on the feet, so we are both ready for a rest day. Today looked like another tough day with a big climb at the end if we choose the longer option, but in the end we did. Getting into town earlier just always sounds like the better idea! It was a tough day, but with great rewards. In the morning we passed Dragons Tooth, a huge rock monolith with great views and a crazy scramble up and down from it, passing mile 700. In the afternoon we stopped for lunch and resupply at a small grocery store. In the evening we went up McAfee Knob, the most photographed spot on the AT for obvious reasons. Tomorrow we have 15.5 miles to hike into town. Did I mentioned it rained in the night? Don’t worry, it was hot and humid today!