Date: 2003-06-26
From: Lost Mountain Shelter

To: Wise Shelter
Miles today: 17.4
Weather: few clouds

I awoke to the sun peeking over the hillside through the trees. This is a very nice shelter - kind of a log cabin feel. Reminiscent of those in Georgia. It faces east, so I'm watching as the sun climbs higher and higher.It's not quite 7:30am; I'm the only one stirring yet. I miss my buddy Hal being up and around by 6! It's harder to be the first one to drag myself out of my sleeping bag.I left around 8:45 and hiked alone for about two hours. Anticipating (or dreading...) the "big climb" of the morning, I emerged from the woods, passed through a fence and found myself faced with a hillside pasture in the foreground and Whitetop Mountain in the background. The Trail led through the pasture, past an old house I pictured as a potential hostel, back into the woods, then it skirted the base of the mountain, heightening my anticipation of the climb.I climbed well through today and yesterday. Either the grade is more gradual or I'm finally getting stronger, but I'm pleased to notice I'm stopping to rest less.Toby caught up just about the time I reached the top. What a great day! Magnificent views, sunshine, etc. I see now why everyone raves about this area.We lunched at Elk Garden with a group of ladies from Adventures for Women or something like that - adventure.com or something, can't remember the website for sure but I'll like to look it up someday. They take trips like this, or up into the Boundary Waters, dogsledding, etc., all just for women. Stopped again around 3:15 and basked in the view over a fence of an open meadow while I waited for Toby for a half hour. He'd stopped for water, and then I heard him yakking with some SOBOS just up the Trail. When he caught up we sat for a bit longer. By this time it was 4pm and we still had about six miles to go.Photo opps stopped us again around Thomas Knob and just past; then we came upon our first wild ponies! How cute - the little babies are too precious. We went straight for our cameras and as soon as they heard the plastic bags they headed towards us - must be used to being fed! There were probably about ten or 12 grazing in a grove of trees beside the Trail. They got a little aggressive, licking our packs, then chewing on Toby's trekking pole, and one even nipped my arm! So we moved on.At the big rock outcrops just past Thomas Knob Shetler we climbed up to see the view; I suggested dinner there, so we cooked and perched on the edge to eat. I like the idea of eating like that before getting to the shelter because then I don't go straight to bed on a full stomach; I think I'll be hungrier for breakfast. I think the trick is to stop two or three miles shy of your evening stop - today we ended up with about four miles to go at 6:15pm. I was tired, my energy waning. And when I got to camp I felt like I should eat again...The scenery was great though, the last climb a short and gradual one, then mostly flat and downhill. Very rocky, though. We saw a few more ponies, as well as lots of people! This is a popular spot, and with good reason. It is beautiful. Toby and I both fell in love with the Grayson Highlands, too.Arrived at "home" at last about 8pm to find the Sierra Club group our lunchmates had told us about. Some characters in this group, as well as some very nice people. One said, "You look tired." I was, I said. "How far did you come today?" We were the stars for having done 17.4 miles - until a SOBO pulled in at dark who'd come all the way from Partnership - 30 miles!One guy led us down to the river to get water and when the coast was clear I returned with my warm clothes and got in. Cold - but boy did it feel good to wash off all the sweat and grime! I felt a little vulnerable out there, scanning the banks for oncoming traffic...I will sleep good tonight. Wish I had more energy to talk to these people, but it sounds like we may end up in the same place again with their short mile days and my zero on Saturday, so I am bundling up in my bag and drifting off...