Date: 2018-11-04
From: Elk Garden, VA 600

To: Fox Creek VA 603
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: scattered clouds

I've been looking forward to this day of my hike since I began May 1st, the Grayson Highlands. I had hiked through this area when I took my lightweight backpacking class in 2011. The area is comprised of several balds with wild ponies grazing along the way. The area was clear cut with extensive logging in the late 19th century. It was then used for cattle ranching before being turned into a state park in 1965. The ponies were brought in by the U.S. Forest Service in 1975 to control the growth of brush along the balds. The ponies have flourished in the area. The Wilburn Ridge Pony Association maintains the herd. The ponies are considered "wild" because they don't rely on humans for food, water, or shelter, but a many of them are friendly toward humans.  The morning started off in the low 30's with a wind chill to boot. There were sustained winds of 20 mph, with forecasted gusts of 37 mph. I had a rental car, which I dropped at Fox Creek/VA 603 and would hike to. My shuttle driver, Matt, picked my up and drove me to Elk Garden, where I started my 17 mile hike.  On the way to the trailhead, Matt asked me if I was interested in seeing rock that was 150 million years old, which I was. He pulled over and showed me a dark brown, rock mountainside. There was a hold drilled into the rock where a core sample had been taken for analysis. He explained how it was formed, and that he had met the geologist who was studying it. I enjoyed him sharing his knowledge of the geology in the area before he dropped me off.The snow and ice crunched below my feet as I hiked. The air was nippy, but the trees at the beginning of my hike helped shelter me from the wind. I hiked four miles to the Thomas Knob Shelter where I stopped for a quick break. It was cold sitting still, so I didn't stay long. There were a few hikers waiting for some others to get water. They were bundled up and walking in place to keep warm while waiting. The trees were covered with icy frost. After leaving Thomas Knob shelter, I started to feel the cold of the wind, easily putting the wind chills into the 20's. Before stepping out of the trees and onto the open balds, I made sure I had everything cinched down. It was sunny, but with the wind and the cold temps, it was still extremely cold. I would remain above treeline most of the day. It warmed slightly, but was never comfortable. As I made my way across the balds, throughout the day, I was able to see groups of ponies grazing along the way. They were beautiful animals in a variety of colors. Today was one of the biggest highlights of my hike. I stopped several times to take photos and admire the ponies. Toward the end of my day, I was able to get back into tree-line to give some protection from the wind, which felt like had picked up. As I passed Old Orchard Shelter, it was packed with hikers. There were a couple fires going, with hikers huddled around to keep warm. I spent a lot of time with the ponies during the day, which made it a late day with me arriving at my car in the dark. Even though it was cold and windy, I had a great day enjoying the ponies. This will be my last day on trail for a couple weeks due to previous commitments. I'll return the week of November 19th to finish the remaining 439 miles.