April 21

Ducked into Pearisburg to resupply, but decided not to spend the night (false rumor that the hostel was closed) so I camped a couple miles out of town. Met up with a new group of hikers: Mellow Yellow, Cookie Monster, Sockburn (from Germany, he burns his worn out socks), Hobbot. The birds are singing around 6:15 in the morning, so I’m getting early starts. Lots of birds out, lots of flowers (trees and shrubs too), and high humidity. Dragons Tooth and McAfee Knob are highlights of the non-descript trail. After hiking miles along view-free ridges, large rocky outcrops are a welcome sight, especially when the trail goes over/through them. We spent an hour on McAfee knob, but some ominous thunderclouds sent us to the shelter before sunset.