Date: 2013-05-14
From: around town of Damascus, VA

To: Near Mt Rogers
Miles today: 28.1
Weather: broken clouds

Just got cell service.   There is no/little coverage in the Mt Rogers Recreational Area. I will post 5/14,15,16 today..Damascus Is very hiker friendly and in fact Trail Days starts 5-17 with plenty of hikers hitching back or they shuttled ahead and hiked back to Damascus.   I plan to hike on & perhaps go next year.Tourism is big for Damascus and as you head north on the A T you start on the Virginia Creeper Trail.   A little history here:   At about 1900 some lumber companies decided to timber OFF the Mt Rogers area.   The problem was getting the lumber down the Mtns. Hence, it took TEN years to build a railroad from Damascus there (28 miles). From1910-1930 they CLEAR cut much of that area and harvested more lumber from that area alone than the whole state of Pennsylvania yearly!.Fast forward to the 1960's and the railroad was abandoned like many lines in PA. That line is now the Virginia Creeper Trail where 1000's & 1000's of bicycles ride it yearly.   WHY?   Because it is DOWN hill all 28 miles to Damascus with numerous railroad bridges & tressels still used. Folks get shuttled to the top and coast/ride their rented bikes 28 miles.   Now that's pretty cool stuff & someday I would like to return and do it..Out of Damascus the A T goes up & up toward Mt Rogers, the highest mountain in VA @ 5729, so a day of climbing was in tow. Straight Mtn was first @ 3500 (Damascus sub 2000). From there the A T Dips down to under 2700 and again joins the Creeper Trail for a short distance. Then over the next 7 miles up to Whitetop Mtn @ 5080 from where you can see up to Mt Rogers and the highlands. In fact, I got my picture taken atop Buzzard Rock by Rocky Squirrel.   Will post hopefully later today (5-16).   From Whitetop Mtn the trail dips again 700 feet before climbing to 5490 where the Mt Rogers spur trail heads for the viewless summit.   Didn't go up there (approaching a hard earned 28 mile day).   Tented in a secluded spot beyond the 5400 foot high Thomas Knob Shelter..On the way up Mt Rogers I met my first Ferral Pony just as I was leaving the grassy lower slopes and heading into the brush.   As he spied me coming, Mr Pony approached for his deserved FREE snack.   I was getting tired and would have had to remove my back to get hum something so I didn't. If I had it to do over I would have. Anyway, Mr Pony wasnt to go away without his snack and was follow very closely.   I couple mild warnings didn't deter him either so I raised my hiking stick to make sure Mr Pony wasn't biting my backpack searching for his snack.   They do exactly that too!   Anyway, spied a few groups of ponies further up and got some pictures.I tented just as the wind started to howl (at least what I thought was a howl ).   Quite challenging In 20-25 mph gusts.   Anyway, the wind picked up force thruout the nite & the tent shocked hard all nite. Tent stakes held & around 3am I start thinking-what if they DON'T?One last thing, no one told me those feral ponies spoke French which I was soon to learn..Plenty of climbing, but the views the last ten miles were awesome.A hard earned 28 mile day.. I will post weds hike in an hour or so.   18 miles in today (thurs) @ 1:30 & getting a room here at the I 81 interchanges to address very very sore feet.That 1 pound Angus burger sure was good too I just ate!