The Home Place

9-24-09 day 114
start: Lambert Meadow Shelter, VA
end: Catawba General Store, VA
daily mileage: 10.4
total mileage: 1479.5

Started with 23 miles to go, ugg, big day. It didn't help that we got a late start and the miles seemed to drag by slowly. The big landmark of the day was McKaffee Knob. Its an awesome undercut cliff, just like out of Wilee Coyote. Besides Mt. Katahdin its probably the biggest photo op of the entire trail. We'd heard about it for 1000 miles and were not disappointed, it was sweet.

After milling around the knob we re-evaluated our lofty 23 mile ambitions. Only 4 miles away was the small town of Catawba. Everyone had been talking about the amazing AYCE restaurant there and we decided to go after all. 23 miles turned into 10. As we moved along we somehow got off the trail and lost down a 4x4 road. We were loath to turn around so we said, "Screw it, adventure time". We continued down the road with no idea where the hell it was going. After about a 1/2 hour the road magically intersected the AT again and we got back on course, lucky us.

At lunch time we met up with Fiddler and 3 day hikers who gave us a ride into town. The Catawba General Store lets hikers camp out back so we got set up and read awhile before dinner time. The Home Place restaurant isn't your traditional AYCE buffet. It's family style, so your waitress brings you everything and just keeps refilling whatever you run out of. It was amazing country cookin' and lucky for us we went on BBQ night! The Professor, Curse, and Dipper were all in town too and after dinner Fiddler played us all a little bluegrass concert back at the general store. Short day, but the food was worth it.