I've really been looking forward to this section of the AT called the "Crest
Zone." It includes Virginia's three highest mountains (Mt. Rogers, Whitetop, and
Pine Mountain) and the Grayson Highlands State Park.
Friends and hikers I've met on the Trail have been telling me about the great
scenery and the feral ponies that roam the Highlands. I was hoping for clear
weather to see the views, and lots of ponies, preferably close up.
I got both!
The "high lands" between Mt. Rogers and Grayson are my new
second-favorite part of the Appalachian Trail in the 500+ miles I've covered so
far (second only to the 70-mile section through the Smokies). If you haven't
been here, come see what I'm talking about.
I've already mentioned how much I love the southern balds, especially those
that have either been mowed or grazed to keep the views open. Even though the
balds are at an elevation between 4,500 feet and 6,500 feet, they remind me of
Western mountains that are just above tree-line at a much higher elevation. I
love the low shrubs, grass, and sub-alpine looking plants, the inevitable rocks,
and the views.
Most of all, the views.
The mountains in this area aren't as high as in the Smokies, but you can see
the Smokies from here. In fact, from Pine Mountain it is said you can see four
states. I looked, but couldn't tell which was which!
I was in and out of woods and on top of balds the whole first fifteen miles
today. Below 4,700 feet are hardwood forests composed of mostly beech and maple
trees. Fraser firs and red spruce grow higher up, even at the summits of
Whitetop and Mt. Rogers above 5,500 feet. Blueberries and other deciduous and
evergreen shrubs are common on the balds.
I started off at Elk Garden at 4,500 feet, starting a 1,000 foot climb up Mt.
Rogers through a bald grazed by cattle. The AT doesn't go all the way to the top
of Mt. Rogers, but traverses maybe 400 feet below it in open country so the
views are better (the top is treed). I was between 4,500 and 5,500 feet the
whole first fifteen miles, and every bit of it was very rocky. I had on my
newest Hardrocks for the cushioning and grip; they did well and my feet weren't
sore afterwards.
THE WILD PONIES
I saw my first two hikers soon after passing under the summit of Mt. Rogers
at the Thomas Knob shelter. This shelter has to have one of the best views of
any on the whole Trail. Getting ready to leave about 9 AM were GQ, a thru-hiker
who I met yesterday, and a friend who is hiking with him this summer. They were
busy trying to capture a mouse in the shelter, and had lured him into a trap by
the time I signed the shelter register. We discussed where to find the "wild"
ponies, and I left.
I mentioned in one of my prep pages several months ago that I was hoping to
see at least one bear and one feral pony on this adventure run. My bear count is
up to three, and my pony count is at about thirty!
I saw the first herd of about fifteen ponies in a valley after I'd climbed
the boulders on Wilburn Ridge (below Mt. Rogers). I was disappointed, because
they weren't that far from the Trail I'd just hiked (not much running in the
first fifteen miles today - 'way too many rocks to run) but I didn't want to
waste time going back down to where they were grazing.
So I kept moving forward up and over boulders, through Fatman's Squeeze (very
narrow rock walls), admiring the gorgeous views in every direction. I knew it
would be a "PR" photo day. I ended up taking 97 photos with my digital camera
today!!
I stopped on top of the ridge to eat a harvest muffin and soak in the
scenery. Then I spotted another herd of ponies down below. They were very close
to the Trail, too. I didn't know if they'd run when I approached, so I walked
slowly toward them in hopes they wouldn't rush off before I could get some photos.
MY BUDDY
As I clamored cautiously over the nasty rocks, all the ponies but one kept on
grazing. The fella in the third photo above immediately walked toward me. He
quickly became my buddy.
These guys are not only not "wild," they are very tame and friendly. I think
a better term for them would be "free" ponies because they forage on their own
without being fed. They are fenced in but their territory is
very large. I went over and through more fence stiles than I could count today.
The fences keep the ponies in their designated areas.
Anyway, My Buddy wanted more than being petted. He wanted food. And
when I didn't give him any, he became insistent, starting to lick my arms and
legs and nip at me. Meanwhile, I'm trying my best to stay far enough away to
take the perfect "head shot" with my camera. I never did get a really good photo
of him close up, so the one above will have to do.
Soon a mare and her foal came over (photo #2 above). That surprised me,
because I'd heard a hiker say he tried to pet a foal and the mother charged at
him. But this mom must have been hopeful she'd get a handout. She wasn't as
persistent as My Buddy. Soon she was grazing next to me and her foal was
nursing. Moms are good at multi-tasking!
I hated to leave, but had to lose the pony that was starting to nip more than
lick my arm. I couldn't move very fast down the rocky trail, so he was able to
keep up with me for maybe 200 feet. Then he decided to return to his herd and
graze, giving up the idea that I might give him a snack.
I soon came to one of the equestrain trails at the fence on the
border of Grayson Highlands State Park. Two men and a boy came by, riding their
horses. I climbed the stile over the fence and came to a nice, smooth trail
heading into the park - and another herd of ponies! Even though I could run, I
chose to walk so I didn't startle them. Several were right on the trail as I
walked by, petting each in turn. None of them were as aggressive as My Buddy.
BALD MAINTAINERS
(No, I'm not talking about retired folks who keep the trails maintained!)
These Virginia Highland ponies have proven very successful as "bald
maintainers" for the forest service the last thirty years. Sheep, goats, and
cattle all have their disadvantages, especially at the higher elevations during
the winter. The ponies are rounded up in the fall and given veterinarian exams
and shots. The herd is maintained at 125; any more are sold to horse lovers, and
the rest are returned to the state park and the Mt. Rogers NRA.
What a great way to keep the balds clear and the tourists happy!
I can heartily recommend all or part of the "Crest" section of Trail for a
solo or family vacation, but not for a training run. You're doing yourself a
disfavor if you rush through it. Not only do the rocks make it impossible to do
any good running, but you'll miss what makes the area so special - the
magnificent views and the ponies. Kids would go nuts here, hiking, camping, and
making friends with the ponies.
And if you're a kid at heart like me, you'll have a blast, too! I can't wait
to return sometime with Jim. Now that we live near Roanoke, it's not that far of
a trip. I think the highlands will remind him of some of our training runs in
the Beartooth Mountains of Montana and of Yellowstone - without the problems of
high altitude.
[Note from 2007: After completing the AT, I rank this section as
"Most Fun" on the whole trek because of the ponies. This past spring I was able
to share the fun with Jim and our section-hiking friend from Maine, Eric Rathbun.
We saw LOTS of ponies again.]
LOST PANTS LEG
While I was still in Grayson Highlands SP, three young women and a young man
were hiking in the opposite direction. One woman pointed to her shorts, which
she'd unzipped from the legs, and said she'd lost one leg. If I found it, could
I please put it on her car?
I said, "Sure!" but didn't think to ask her where she was parked or what she
was driving! She didn't volunteer the information, either. She sounded pretty
frustrated with the loss. I didn't think much of it, and kept going.
Lo and behold, about four miles later I found the pants leg hanging on a tall
shrub next to the Trail! I took a photo, then put it in my waist band and ran
on. I didn't know where she'd come from, but the next road crossing was about
three miles away.
When I got there, I saw two cars. Four hikers were using one and said they
didn't know who the other one belonged to. So I tied the pants leg to the
antenna and noted that the VA tag was "SCOTTEE."
Sure hope that was her car! I did my best to honor her request. If it's her
car, she's gonna be one happy lady. From the feel of the fabric, those were
high-end zip-off pants, not moderately priced ones like I have.
LAST TEN MILES
Shortly before I got to the third shelter in this section, Old Orchard, the
Trail dropped down to about 4,000 feet and became much smoother. I was so happy
to be able to RUN again! Although I still had to climb up Iron Mountain, most of
the remainder of the Trail was downhill to my end point, Dickey Gap, at 3,313
feet.
The last eight miles of the Trail from VA 603 to Dickey Gap were very
interesting, with several creeks and falls. There were some flame azaleas
blooming before and after VA 603. Although there were no rhododendrons in bloom
at Rhododendron Gap near Mt. Rogers, there were many blooming in the last
mile. I felt like Queen for A Day going through the floral arches.
I was surprised there were so few wildflowers in either section today. I
didn't see many animals either, except for the ponies.
I was terribly slow the first fifteen miles. The rocks were just awful, I
took a gazillion photos, gazed at the scenery a lot, and played with ponies.
What a great day! Then I ran a lot the last ten miles, and ended up at our
rendezvous point before Jim expected me. That was nice. He worries if I'm very
late. It took me 9:20 hours to do this section (told you I'm slow!).
Jim was busy installing a new brake control for the camper (the Binford 3000, he
joked). He spent most of the day in Bristol getting the brake pads replaced on
the truck (the ones the dealer put on Saturday were after-market duds and were
squealing) and in Johnson City getting the brake control for the camper. If it's
not one thing, it's another . . .
GQ, the thru-hiker, asked me this morning what Jim does all day while I'm out
running/hiking. He assumed he just sits around waiting for me all day. Ha! Poor
Jim is always busy with something going wrong or doing routine
chores. He's pretty well decided to withdraw from the Vermont 100 in July
because of inadequate training. I'm sorry about that, but he seems less stressed
about the situation now. He plans to do a 100 in the fall, probably Arkansas, to
qualify to enter Western States.
MORE MILESTONES
Sunday, I hit my fourth state and began using the third set of maps and guide
books. Progress.
Today, I went over 500 miles and ended my first month on the Trail. Progress.
In a couple of days, I'll hit 544 miles, one-fourth of the total distance to
Katahdin. Progress!
I'm gaining a little confidence each day that I'm gonna make it.