THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL (AT) TO MT. ROGERS

Labor Day weekend and three days off, what should I do? Hiking a section of the AT from Massie Gap to Mt. Rogers sounds pretty good. My friend Jorge and Bailey, my dog, agrees. Just pass the NC/VA border is Grayson Highland State Park. My daughter Cassie and I made a day trip to the park months ago to see the wild ponies and hiked up to Wilburn Ridge for the 360' panoramic views. Ever sense I wanted to come back and hike the AT to Mt. Rogers. The park charges $2 - $3 per day parking fee. We parked at the backpacking parking lot, loaded up and disappeared down the trail to Massie Gap. At the trailhead of Rhododendron Trail is a kiosk and wooden gate. Ascending up the trail to where the AT intersects the Rhododendron Trail and where a pair of wild ponies were hanging out to greet us. We took a left onto AT Northbound toward Mt. Rogers. About a 1/2 mile is another Kiosk and a turnstile to enter the Mt. Rogers Recreational Area. Following the white blaze markers to the top of Wilburn Ridge and beyond. The trail saddles a rock outcrop and descends to a small gap where a herd of cattle were grazing. The blue skies were spotted with  non-threatening white clouds when we first started. But the gray clouds are slowly rollin our way. Passing a few more outcrops we come upon the AT and Horse Pasture Trail junction. The clouds starts dribbling so we find a hidden campsite at the junction and set up our tents quickly. At the moment we get everything situated the rain releases so we hunker down into our tents listening to the rain pelting our tents. About an hour after the drizzle started two hikers strolls into camp and with a voice of desperation they asks if they can share our campsite. I get out of the tent to investigate. With only about 10 feet of visibility through the fog, I see a young professional couple drenched from head to toe frantically trying to get their tent up. Once the rain and fog subsides and the sky clears a little our new neighbors and I both prepare our dinner. Jorge and I had some re-hydrated rice and chicken while they made some lintel beans. The couple was from Cary, NC with ties to Asheville. The friendly couple then pulls up camp and presses on. We hike up a large outthrust to watch the sun set over distance mountain ranges while another group of young campers shouts out snippets from Lion King on a nearby outcrop. The temperature dropped to around 65' overnight. Great weather for sleeping. When the sun rises again we wake up to a few cows mooing. About 12-15 cows and calves stroll pass our campsite along the trail. After breakfast we jump back on the trail towards Mt. Rogers. The drenching rain made the trail even more challenging. Blackberries are abundant along the trail. The next mile or so consisted of spruce-fur trees, open field, panoramic views, a turnstile, spruce-fur trees, open field, panoramic views, another turnstile, and more spruce-fur trees. Around a bend and out of nowhere was the Thomas Knob Shelter. There we chatted with a guy from Tega Cay, just south of Charlotte. Thomas Knob Shelter is unique with a second floor, a water source, and a pivy nearby. Just pass the shelter was an open field where deer are frequently spotted. Less than a mile further was the summit of Mt. Rogers. Disappointed with the lack of view but satisfied with the accomplishment of reaching the highest point in Virginia at 5729 ft. Heading back down from the summit and a mossy tunnel of dark Spruce trees the unexpected raincloud burst. The closest place to retreat is the Thomas Knob Shelter. With six hikers already there we find our spot out of the rain. Over the next 1/2 hour more hikers pile in adding the total in and around the shelter to 18 hikers. Being wet, dirty, cold, and hungry, Bailey wasn't feeling the love for outdoors at this point. A local hiker stated that it always rain for short spurts around this area. Most of the hikers used this down time to have lunch. Once the rain subsides enough we jump back onto AT Southbound back through the spruce trees, open field, a turnstile, and another open field to a spot near some spruce trees. With the tents back up and dinner eaten ( mac and cheese ), we eventually call it a night. Sometime throughout the night Bailey and I popped out of our tent to take a wiz under the starry sky. The first shooting star I've seen in years. Morning brings the clouds and fog back so no breakfast until after we hike out. On our way out, the rain slams us as we hide in some bushes underneath Jorges' tent tarp. Only lasting 30 minutes this time we hiked out with some intensity.

Hike: 10 Miles