Yesterday my daughter, Kristina, plus three friends and I hiked to McAfee Knob. Yes, she made me very nervous getting so close to the edge.
The McAfee Knob (8-mile roundtrip) trail near Salem, Virginia is part of the Appalachian Trail (AT). Elevation at the trail head is 2,000 ft. There’s a 1,578 ft increase over the 4-mile hike to the peak which makes for a moderate hike accessible to almost everyone. My legs and butt are a little sore today but not bad; which is good. The last mile and a half is steeper than the rest but you know you’re near the end when it starts getting more difficult.
The weather was perfect–about 70 degrees. We were just a little early to see colored foliage but a few of the trees had orange leaves. We passed about a dozen rock climbers practicing their skills on the giant boulders as well as campers on their way down from spending the night wilderness camping (there is no proper campsite and access is strictly by foot). Everyone had a smile on his/her face and a lot of the hikers wore VA Tech shirts and hats reminding me that Blacksburg is only about 30 miles away. How long it takes start to finish depends, in part, on how long you stay at the destination point taking pictures and soaking in the majestic views, but we spent about 4 1/2 hours total.
We made a complete adventure out of the hike by adding a visit to Roanoke the night before. Dubbed the “Star City,” your first visit to Roanoke must include a drive up to the illuminated star that sits above the town like the “HOLLYWOOD” sign in Los Angeles.
Then we finished our trip with lunch at The Homeplace Restaurant only a mile from the McAfee trailhead parking area. For about $14 per person, the food is served family-style and they keep bringing fried chicken, Virginia ham, mashed potatoes and all the fixings washed down with sweat tea until you ask them to stop.
State parks provide a wonderful setting for sharing thoughts, renewing your spirit, and connecting with the bigger world around you. Nature doesn’t care what age or gender you are. And, it definitely shows no prejudice or preference based on your faith, financial status or country of origin. In fact, nature is neither good nor bad–it just is. Which is perfect. Except for the food, everything we did was free. There are no state park fees in this part of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Wherever you are, I suspect you won’t have to go far to get away from traffic and back to nature. Sometime this autumn, I challenge you to get outside and take a hike!
“The mountains are calling and I must go.” John Muir
“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.” Albert Einstein
Kathryn Byler, blog 