when an unexpected wide open weekend presented itself to me, i wasted no time planning my escape. it’s a busy time of year for hiking and camping in the south and the government shutdown further complicated matters, with national park service campsites all closing up and sending campers scurrying into state and private campgrounds. i even scoured hipcamp and was ready to resign myself to a less than ideal location, when i happened upon huckleberry’s hostel in catawba virginia.
it’s basically a chill little hostel, owned and operated by a class of ’24 AT hiker, called huck. (duh). it’s nestled between the trailheads mcafee’s knob and dragons tooth, two of three scenic spots on virginia’s epic triple crown loop hike. and!! they had a shuttle service to said trailheads, alleviating the stress of getting to the trailhead in time to secure parking, which is especially difficult for mcafee’s knob.
with AT season nearing an end, there were no thru hikers, and on the first night, i was the only camper. i set up and settled in. huck got a campfire started and he and his partner and i chatted for a bit, before they retired and left me to enjoy the quiet peaceful night by myself.
while it’s no secret that at least 47% of what i love about hiking is my early morning, extra strong, jetboil and aeropress coffee, it was quite nice to just stroll into the kitchen and pour hot coffee straight from the coffee maker. and heat up my oatmeal in a microwave. haha. i got fueled up and then dropped off at the trailhead.
i opted for mcafees knob for my first hike. it was almost one year ago that i did this same exact hike, and it’s been quite a wild and hard and strange year of growth and life stuff, so it felt a little full circle-y or whatever. and then i decided that i will turn this into an annual pilgrimage.
the hike up was uneventful. i made good time. it’s a decent enough climb. and about four miles. some lovely views along the way. and, very little joint and plantar fasciitis pain, which is something i have been dealing with lately, so i was encouraged at this point.
at the top, i took all of the cool pics. mcafee’s is one of the most photogenic spots on the AT.
some with my tripod. some with nice folks who offered as i was setting up my tripod. :). then i wandered further along the trail to find a quiet spot to chill a bit. eat some snacks. take in the view. rest up for the descent. the usuals. as i was walking back past the most iconic spot, i noticed this couple, who set up shop right there, on the actual knob, making it impossible for folks to get their epic pics. and, then, out here in nature, on the appalachian trail, they lit up cigarettes and had themselves a little smoky smoke. so gross and terrible. i did not shove them off the cliff, but i think legally, i would have been allowed.
on my descent, i stopped several times to take some faux candid hiking shots. not having a built in photographer is one downside to all these solo hikes. haha.
i also started to have some pain relapse on the way down and struggled quite a bit. and. then there was some muscle cramping. so. it was definitely discouraging. and i scrapped plans to hit up the other hike in the afternoon. back at the parking lot, i stuffed my sandwich in my face, while i waited for my shuttle. back at camp, i had a nice hot shower, laid around in the sunshine for a bit, and then made the executive decision to head into town for some delicious fall coffee and exploring. and then i bought a bills mug. obviously.
night two was uneventful. i got a great night’s sleep. but i DID wake up quite early, long before coffee was available in the hostel kitchen, so i set up my little coffee station in the dark, and sat in my car (warmth), slowly sipping until i could get topped off with hostel coffee, which we savored by a morning campfire. there was another camper on this night, so it was a lot of fun sitting around and chatting.
huck saw me trying to take cool shots for insta and jumped in to take some expertly composed shots himself. another hostel amenity that i don’t get camping solo in the woods.
so. the foot pain was still pretty brutal, and even though i have a general “push through the pain” and “your already here”, i decided not to do the other hike and to just get on the road home. i bid farewell to the lovely hosts of huckleberry’s hostel and started back to reality.
i will definitely come back to this spot. it was a different camping experience for sure, and didn’t scratch the alone in the woods itch, but it had likeminded folks, and coffee, and campfires, and laughs, and cookies (that i brought because i like to win people over with sugar), and hot showers, and dog friends, and the shuttle (that alone wins the day). five stars.