October, 2017 Roadtrip Day 4...Highpointing in Virginia

Day 4 Wednesday 10/25

     There was just one thing on the schedule for the day, the hike up Mount Rogers, the highest point in the state of Virginia.  Unlike Mt. Mitchell a few days prior, there is only one way to bag this peak.  You have to walk.  There are longer routes, but most people do it via the ten mile trail through Massie Gap in Grayson Highlands State Park.  That’s the route I chose. 

     The free breakfast at the Rodeway Inn left a lot to be desired.  After a bowl of cereal, I simply grabbed a bagel and coffee to go, leaving the motel in the dark around 6:30A.  Hwy 58 took me most of the way. 

    The highway does a hard left in the town with the odd name Mouth of Wilson.  On the corner is a general store and a small café, the Log House Restaurant.  I walked in with another guy who was obviously a regular.  He was quickly joined by three others.  The talk over breakfast was “the storm” on Monday.  It sparked the first tornados in the county in thirty years and reeked havok through downtown Hickory.

     After breakfast it was a twisting mountain road up towards the park.  I found the entrance, paid my fee and worked my way to the backpackers parking lot and the trailhead.  The view from the park road...

    

     As I was packing my knapsack I contemplated wearing one more layer.  Sure it was cold and foggy.  It would wear off shortly and it was bound to warm up with the sun.  Or so I thought.  In hindsight, I was glad I did.  I had no way to of knowing just how cold it was, but when I reached for my water bottle halfway down the mountain, it was slush. 

     I saw other hikers in heavy winter jackets.  I had a few layers under a windbreaker(the hood was a blessing) and a denim jacket.  I was cold, but it felt really invigorating and I was loving it.  I did get a few weird looks and was asked if I was warm enough though.  Like I said, I was loving it.  

     I left the parking lot at 8:15A and took the .8 mile spur trail through the woods where it would connect to the Appalachian Trail.  Four and a half miles south is the half mile spur trail to the top of Mount Rogers at 5729 feet.  Not a bad day of hiking on a nice day.

     I’ll give the state park and the Appalachian Trail Conservancy credit.  There were plenty of blazes on the rocks, on the trees and tall painted posts in the more open areas.  You would have to try pretty hard to lose the trail.

      About a half mile up the trail I saw a small herd of ponies grazing in the fog.  There are warning signs to stay away as they bite and kick. They're managed by the Wilburn Ridge Pony Association.  Once a year they hold a roundup to check the pony's numbers and health.  Otherwise they're left to their own devices.  I was happy taking pictures.  Other than a few deer, this was the first sign of life I had seen.  

      Just beyond the ponies is the first of four gates to walk through. Beyond it is a sign in kiosk.  Inside is a clipboard and some worn down pencils.  Obviously no one has replaced the sheets in a while.  The last space was filled out in September of last year.

      The trail wasn’t too bad.  There were relatively flat sections as well as plenty of rocks to step over.  I just kept going, still expecting the fog to burn off.  It was fairly light at this elevation, but would get thicker as the climb progressed.  

      Eventually, I did meet a few backpackers heading down.  They warned me about ice in the trail.  I had seen some, but it was all thin and just crunched underfoot.  From the trail up...

   I met a group of five backpackers at the shelter further up.  They were taking a break for lunch before heading out again.  Underneath a corner of the shelter we saw this and thought there had to be a story here.  The boots were high end and the Jaegermeister bottle empty. 

     The shelter was the big landmark telling me I was getting very close.  Fifteen minutes further and I came to the spur trail for Mount Rogers. 

    I had come this far, I wasn’t turning back now.  The folks at the shelter told me exactly what I should expect.  After another stretch of rocky trail, I suddenly found myself in deep woods.  Suddenly the trail ended.  There was a large stone perhaps four feet tall in front of me.  The marker was atop the stone. 

     With high point number fifteen in the books, it was time to head back down.  Funny the stuff I missed just looking ahead on the hike up.  Sure, I had stopped plenty of times to shoot the foggy trail and had even taken a few of the ice on the trees.  But, I hadn’t notice the extent of the ice on the shrubs.  It had mostly been on the far side as I walked past.

      The trip back was mostly just getting down and taking note of all the landmarks I had past heading up.  Eventually, I just put the camera in my pack and walked.  There’s only so much fog you can photograph.

      I arrived back at the car at 3P and was humored by the snow flurries.  Much more important though, the car’s heater.  After zigzagging back down the mountain road, I stopped back into the Log House Restaurant. They made me a really nice chicken sandwich to go.  The heat of the coffee was even more welcome. 

     I asked about the best way back to I-81.  They asked how well I knew the area.  When I mentioned it was my first time there, they just suggested taking a left out of the parking lot and following that road all the way.  The scenic route would have been much more interesting, but without knowing their landmarks it would be way too easy to get turned around.  And I had some driving to do.

    Once on I-81, it as just a matter of burning through the miles and keeping a watch for an interesting colors as the day waned.  Eventually I did make it to the turn for I-64 West.  I took this when I stopped for gas.

     Another sixty miles and I was in Lewisburg, West Virginia.  It was a little further than I thought, but I would be grateful to have those miles behind me in the morning.  The staff at the Super 8 were great and the room quite comfortable.  I'd stay there again.