Date: 2018-04-21
From: Saunders Shelter

To: Stealth Site At Base of Whitetop Mtn
Miles today: 13.5

Man did I sleep well last night. The temperature got down in the mid-30s, but I was comfy cozy under my quilt. I think Which Way slept well too. It was daylight before we started to stir in our tent and after 10:00 by the time we hit the trail. Part of the reason for the late start was because we were engaged in conversation with the other hikers overnighting at the same shelter. It was sunny and had already warmed into the 50¢s by the time we departed. It was easy hiking early on, as we hiked along a ridge with views of mountains to the east and west. By the time we reached Stagnant Pond our muscles were warmed up and ready for a good stretch. A few miles into our hike and guess who we see coming SOBO down the trail¢Heartburn, Butter Knife, Finn and Happy Feet. They were trying to get in a big chunk of miles slack packing so that they could catch up with us at Grayson Highlands SP tomorrow. Butter Knife told us that she picked up a new pack, tent, sleeping pad, and cook pot in Damascus yesterday. She was able to cut 10 pounds off of her base weight. Also, Happy Feet was able to see a doctor in Abingdon yesterday to find out why she has been feeling so sluggish lately. She received a diagnosis and was given some meds, so we are hoping she will be running on all cylinders soon. We all chatted in the middle of the trail for a few minutes before continuing in opposite directions. Butter Knife kindly took our trash before we parted ways. A little further along, the AT merged with the Virginia Creeper Trail, where we were greeted by dozens of oncoming bikers. The path surface for the next mile or so was comprised of crushed gravel. Sweet! The trail crossed a large trestle bridge and then the AT and Creeper Trail split again. Soon we were climbing Lost Mountain, crossing streams and passing through patches of Rhododendron along the way. At the top of the mountain stood another nice shelter, where we stopped for lunch. The varying condition of the shelters is determined in large part by who is maintaining a certain section of the trail. The Mount Rogers Trail Club oversees this section of the trail. Great work, team!After departing the shelter the trail began a slow descent down to 3,200 feet. At the bottom, we passed through a pasture, skirting around a lovely knoll. Then came the 2,000¢ climb up Whitetop Mountain. It was a steady and fairly steep ascent to Buzzard Rock, a secondary summit of Whitetop Mountain. On the way up, we started seeing little clusters of tiny pale lavender flowers called Spring Beauties. It amazes me how such a delicate looking species can thrive under such harsh mountain conditions. As we climbed, the flowers became more plentiful, at some points completely speckling the hillside in all directions. It has been bugging me that I do not know the names of most of the flowers and trees we have been encountering along our journey. I have tried unsuccessfully to use an app to help sort out what we are seeing. A couple of days ago I reached out to a friend, Theresa, who has some experience with these things. I sent her several pictures and she gave me a good description of what I was looking at...thank you Theresa. I will be posting some of the pics of flowers (with names) when I get the opportunity. A big thanks to ¢Halfway¢ for helping me with the name of the flowers we saw today. She left me a note on the guest book that read, ¢The flower photo is a carpet of spring beauties.  The root is edible and the flowers are everywhere like you said.¢Buzzard Rock was worth the climb. It sits on an open grassy ridge with spectacular views in all directions. We hung out a few minutes soaking up the late afternoon rays and enjoying the awesome scenery.It was after 5:30 now and time to start looking for a tent site. We ended up stealth camping towards the bottom of Whitetop Mountain, about a mile north of VA 600. By the time we finished our evening routine, it was dark outside. The weather should be perfect for a good night¢s sleep.Peace & Blessings - Next StepElevation Data:               Weather:Ascent ~ 3,800                  Day ¢ 60 degrees / SunnyDescent ~ 2,260                Night ¢ 42 degrees / Partly CloudyGrade ~ 8.3Over the Horizon: Mount Rogers