The Spectacular McAfee Knob, near Roanoke, VA
Lloyd Hannula just got back from six weeks of hiking the Appalachian Trail in Virginia, finishing up on everything south of Grafton Notch in Maine. He writes, "Had a ball, the weather was not unkind, - not much rain, warm to hot during the day, sleepable temperatures at night." Lloyd did 10-13miles each day. His first treat was at the Bear's Den Hostel featuring Pizza, Ben & Jerrry's Ice Cream, shower, and bunk. From there it was on to Front Royal and a resupply of provisions. Lloyd says "The Shenandoah was a "walk in the park" with well-maintained trails near the Skyline Drive.
Lloyd is lookingforward to finishing up the Appalachian Trail this year. His plans are to head to Maine in August to do the 80 mile stretch betweeen Grafton Notch and Stratton. Then on Labor Day, to return to Maine to do the 100 miles from Monson to Baxter.
If you are not familiar with the terrain covered by the Appalachian Trail, you might look for Bill Bryson's book, A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail (NY: Anchor Books,1998) ISBN 978-0-307-27946-0
Way to go, Lloyd.
