Lambert Meadow Shelter, Va., AT NOBO mile 714.6, Wednesday, March 18 — My dear friend in the Roanoke area dropped me off at the trail head around 11:30 am. A nice leisurely start freshly boosted by a Starbucks grande latte.

There I was, heavy of heart for having to say goodby and heavily fortified by some delicious home cooking and excellent conversation. So, into the low lying clouds I disappeared.

The hike to McAfee Knob, the most iconic of all the Virginia trail candy, was smooth as silk in spite of eight days worth of heavy chow bulging the seams of my food bag.

McAfee is the top trail attraction in the state, and it is maintained in hiker superhighway style. Put the hammer down good buddy and climb.

The substance formerly called snow is now in reality three inches of slush. Makes the going interesting at times. With 70F predicted by Sunday, ole white Christmas is going the way of Frosty the Snowman very soon. In fact, it’s now raining in spite of the sun’s valiant attempt to break through this afternoon.

At the shelter tonight is Kashmir, a 2010 thru hiker who’s trying to get in shape for an excellent AmeriCorps program called the Montana Conservation Corps. He’s a nice young man.