Date: 2009-05-07
From: Damascus Hikers Inn Hostel

To: Old Orchard Shelter
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: scattered clouds

We had a huge electrical show from the hostel last night, to go along with the heavy rain we received. Wondered if I was making a mistake to go hike in the rain we were getting when I woke. Lone Wolf was right on time and Ben and I left for the trail.Despite hiking in the rain for the morning, a trail full of water, and many blister from the new shoes, this was a really nice day. I'll get to the nice part in a moment, I'm not finished feeling miserable about the first couple of hours. The rain stopped a little before reaching the first shelter. I gave up trying to keep my feet dry about 10 minutes into todays hike. There was so much rain and runoff on the trail there was just no way to proceed except to slog down the trail in water that was up to and over my shoe tops in most places all day. I'm sure the wet shoes and socks contributed to my blister problem. The rain stopped and the ceiling lifted just before I got to Thomas Knob Shelter, the first of three I would see this day.For the bulk of the rest of the day the views and hiking were among the best I had seen. I really liked Grayson's Highlands a lot. At The first shelter there were still eight people asleep, or wishing they were asleep and it was about 10:30. They had a rough night from the storm and were not anxious to move on. In the Mount Rogers Area, Mt. Rogers is the highest point in Virginia, there are herds of wild horses. The horses extend their range into the Grayson's Highlands area as well. I saw the first horses shortly after leaving the shelter. Although they are wild, they have learned that if they badger the hikers enough they can get fed. This is why I brought the apple. As soon as they saw that apple they came running over to me. I sliced it into pieces and fed a few of the horses from my hand. I know, don't feed the wild animals. At least I had brought something good for them instead of the crackers many hikers give them. I passed many more horses grazing along the way for the next couple of hours.I absolutely loved the Grayson's Highlands section of the hike. I think it is as pretty a section as I have seen. First of all, I could see it. It was quite wide open, not many trees, with tremendous views. We were in a bowl ringed by beautiful mountains. You could see the green of spring creeping up the sides of the mountains. Trees fully leafed out at the bottom and barely budded out at the ridgelines. There were magnificent firework looking explosions of white blossoms interspaced with the green. I am not sure what the white blossoms were but they may have been a form of dogwood. At one end of the bowl there was an opening with some long views. Just a great place to take a day hike, and I met several people doing just that. There was a parking area just out of sight from the trail.In the middle of all the beauty was a rock formation through which the trail passed. The section called Fatman's Squeeze was right in the middle of it. A very narrow opening between two rock walls. I would have been a tight fit without my pack on and had to work a little to wedge myself through with the pack. There is a side trail you can take to go around the formation but the blazes go through the middle of it and so did I. I traded cameras with young Bill (hiking with his father also named Bill) and he took a picture of me trying to wiggle through from the front side and then I took a picture of him with his camera wiggling through from the backside. It was definitely interesting and not for the claustrophobic.In the highlands I flushed a turkey like it was a grouse. It came flapping and squawking out of some bushes right near my feet. Startled me pretty good in the process. Boy a turkey takes up a lot of sky up close. Saw a deer today also. The first up close wildlife I had seen since I began the hike.The rain held off until I got to my shelter, Old Orchard Shelter, and then the thunder and lightening and rain began in earnest again just as I finished dinner. Two more hikers scurried in soon after the lightening began as they had run the last mile to get there.My feet had been in water all day and they did not look good. Bleached white from all the water in which they had been soaking and all pruny looking filled with nasty looking blisters, they were downright unattractive. Got them cleaned and dried and I rubbed Purell hand sanitizer on them (that stung on the open blisters)then rubbed in some Gold Bond Powder to try and stave of trench foot. I don't expect the trail to dry out and tomorrow will not be easy on my feet either. Only three in the shelter with a smattering of tents to go with us.See you on the trail.Nice Lenses