Date: 2003-10-11
From: Lost Mountain Shelter

To: Just north of Thomas Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: broken clouds

I said goodbye to the brothers and continued north. The day was cool and foggy as I went into summit cut and then ascended White Top Mountain. On the way up, I saw some of the wild ponies that this area is noted for. They were small and shaggy. I was hopeful about the view at buzzard rocks, but it was completely fogged in the entire climb. As I reached the top of the ridge, this deer was just standing there, staring at me. Neither one of us moved for the longest time, I finally moved closer, and closer to the deer(it was on the trail) and it decided I was too close and it walked off. The closer I got to Buzzard rocks, the more windy and wetter it got. I met a guy from Vermont descending from the rocks, he said hello, and just kept on going. I got to the rocks and I crouched down, bundled up and had a snack. At Elk Garden, I was crossing the road and the wind was blowing intensely, the rain was drizzle, but blowing into me, and you couldn't see very far. This local was heading out for a hike over wilburn ridge. He looked at me and said...are you prepared for this. I told him my gear, and he said...oh, ok. We hiked together to Deep Gap, and then I continued on the AT ascending to the side trail that leads to Mt. Rogers, the highest point in Virginia. The rain let up, and the fog and wind wasn't as bad as I got closer to the top. I finally made it to Thomas Knob shelter. I was looking forward to the rest, and this was where I planned to stop for the night. The closer I got to the shelter, the more people I heard. It was fall break for a lot of colleges, and the area was crawling with people. A lot of people were camping just before the shelter and the shelter was full of couples. There was room for me, but the idea of being solo with around six couples just didn't excite me. The brothers I had talked to back at Lost Mountain shelter had told me of some great campsites north of Thomas Knob shelter, so I filtered some water from behind the shelter and trudged on north for about .4 miles. Off to the right are some great campsites with beautiful views. It's like a continuous bald, being above the tree line. I set up my tent and explored a little, made dinner, and decided to call it a night.I was pretty cold, but my sleeping bag was warm enough, and I was looking forward to the next day. I was starting to drift off to sleep when I heard noise outside my tent. Something big was coming toward me. I was scared stiff, it just got closer and closer. Suddenly, my tent is being shaken back and forth, something is trying to come into the side of my tent. My sticks are outside, I don't have anything to defend myself with inside the tent. I'm thinking, they'll be reading in the newspaper about the hiking teacher who was eaten by a bear. This is it! The shaking subsides some, but something is still pushing at the side of my tent. I have no choice, I have to see what is going to eat me. I put my headlamp on, and unzip my tent. I poke my head out and what do I see? A brown pony with a shaggy white mane is trying to eat my green tent. I am relieved, and then pissed, finally I just have to laugh. I get my sticks and start beating the ground...get away horse, go away. The horse looks up, trots away into the distance, beyond the light of my headlamp. I close up the tent, chuckling to myself and turn off my light. A minute later, clip clop, clip clop. I unzip my tent, turn my light on, the horse is staring at me. I fuss at him, encourage him to leave. He goes away. Five minutes later, clip clop, clip clop. HE'S BACK! I finally give up, and he decides that maybe the tent isn't that good for eating. The next morning I wake up and see his whole family in my campsite. It's good to be alive.