Date: 2018-09-29
From: Fox Creek VA Hwy 603

To: Trimpi Shelter
Miles today: 12.6
Weather: mist

Sat, Sept 29, 2018: VA Hwy 603 (510.6 AT) to Trimpi Shelter (523 AT) for 12.4 miles today. 103 miles total. CONT'D FROM YESTERDAY: FRI, SEPT 28I forgot to mention that we went over Mr Rogers Mountain. It is the highest mountain in VA at 5729 ft. Also last night we sat on the porch at the General Store and 3 ladies gave us the story on the wild ponies at Grayson Highland State Park. The ponies were actually put there in the 1940's to keep the brush in check. They are a managed herd but they are wild from the standpont that they do not go to a barn anytime over the winter months. The state checks them to make sure they are healthy. There are some ponies outside Grayson Highland State Park since some got through a broken fence. We saw some outside of the state park. The ponies range in size from as small as a big dog to a small quarter horse that you could ride. The prices for the ponies will range from $200 - $1000. The other interesting thing from yesterday, phone service was out to the General Store when we were finishing up our hike and we were concerned since we didn't have our full packs and it was getting late. But Dennis was waiting for us at Hwy 603 when we finished at 5:40. He explained that the phones or the electricity goes out when the heli-chopper (a small helicopter pulling a 40 foot buzz saw below it) comes out to clear the limbs from around the power lines. I had never seen one of these before. Apparently it is easier to fix the wires when they get snipped than to trim the trees from the ground. They clear 3 - 6 miles of power lines from both sides in a day. (I found a picture of one online and have included it in the pictures.)  TODAYWe were up at 6:45 AM just before sunrise. I went to the front of the General Store so I would have wifi connection to send Marilee my journal entries and photos. I am trying to write better. I went back to the room and Mike was up and packed. He went to get coffee and order breakfast for us while I packed. We had breakfast and I bought a few food items. We will need 4 days worth to the next restocking opportunity.Dennis, the store owner (and our driver and landlord), was ready to take us up to VA Hwy 603 at 9:10. We hit the trail at 9:40 AM and at 11:15, we got to Hurricane Mtn Shelter. Mike wanted to make a pit stop. Most of our walk today was through the woods with very few mountain views. We crossed over several roaring, I mean ROARING streams. A couple were hard to cross without being part of the stream. Rocks were slick and the water was moving at a fast pace. We met a couple of day hikers and 3 SoBoers. They were:Dingo - a late 20 year old young man from AustraliaRoadkill - a late 20 or early 30 year old young lady from Albuquerque NM. She had blue hair and a great looking tatoo on her knee that looked like a spider with the spider going over her legCalgary - a guy from... Calgary CANAt 3:10 we reached the peak of the mountain we were climbing and decided to stop and check for cell service. I had some so I sent the photos for today and called Marilee. Gordon Jr was there since he had stopped by after playing in a charity golf tournament this morning. He gave me the update that NC State beat VA today. It was great to talk with them. While I did, Mike went on to our shelter for the night. He arrived at 4:10 and I got there around 4:30. We are staying at the Trimpi Shelter for the night. We got water, fixed our bear bags, and had dinner. We are getting ready for bed at 7:45 PM.No one else is at the shelter currently but some could arrive later. After we passed 75 miles, I have now done 3 backpacking trips exceeding 75 miles. Only 68.5 miles left and we have 7 days left. It was a great day. Thanks for following.