Date: 2017-06-02
From: Elk Garden, VA 600

To: Fox Creek, VA 603
Miles today: 17.1

Today couldn't have been more different from yesterday.  It didn't start that way though.  I was up at 4:30 AM to be ready to leave at 5:00.  We left in the dark and, after shuttling cars to both ends of the section, started hiking at 6:40. Warren chastised me for trying to keep up with Rennie and Lizzie, saying that going too fast is the cause of injuries.  (He also lent me a double strap knee support to try on my left knee.)  I told Rennie I was uncomfortable hiking with him behind me, and he went ahead.   Lizzie left while I was in the bathroom (fancy trailhead parking lot!).  I set out up the hill through a pasture filled with cows and cow manure.  The day was quite cold , maybe 50, and I had not brought my fleece.  I looked in my backpack for any extra layers and found only my fingerless gloves that I use to prevent sunburn on my hands.  I was moving really slowly because I hadn't had enough sleep and hadn't had any coffee.  And I was cold.  After a while I caught up with Lizzie, who had waited for me.  At the end of an hour we had only gone 1.2 miles.  I stopped to rummage in the snack section of my backpack for the fruit gummies that have 50 milligrams of caffeine per serving but didn't find it.  We plodded on.There were nice views on the way to the shelter four miles in.  Right after the shelter we saw our first wild ponies.  The Grayson highlands were bald when the settlers arrived there, and they continued to keep the land open by burning and by grazing livestock there.  In the 1960s ponies were introduced in order to keep the vegetation down.  At six miles we entered Grayson Highlands State Park.  Everything in this park was well-marked and well-kept.  The next animals we saw were longhorn cattle -- quite a surprise.  Right across the trail from them were several mares with their foals.  They were handsome animals, much prettier and healthy-looking than I'd expected.  These ponies seemed indifferent to us, although one came close to the trail and allowed Lizzie to pet her.  They didn't seek food though.The highland was rolling hills with low vegetation, some rock formations, and lots of rhododendron just starting to bloom.  There were also dark stunted evergreens. On one hillside they were one-sided from the wind always blowing in the same direction.  There was some rock climbing, and we went  through a passage called Fatman Squeeze.  The park was a really lovely place with bright pink blooms contrasting against gray rock formations (see photo).  I stopped many times to take pictures.  Then we rounded a corner and came upon yet another group of ponies.  These were much more interested in people.  One of them approached me, smelling the snacks I had in my pocket, and started to bite through my jacket.  I backed away.  A group of Amish men and women were headed up in the other direction.  We saw quite a few family groups out hiking today.  We passed the 500 mile marker, and Lizzie and I sat down to have lunch in the sun.  We continued to see groups of ponies: mares and their foals under a tree, a stallion drinking from a stream in the woods.  The terrain also changed as we hiked on.  On the other side of the mountain there were a lot of cinnamon ferns and other low-growing vegetation.  Then we came upon a large thicket of flaming azalea (pinkster plant), glowing orange against the bright blue sky.  Although my left knee hurt some in the morning, it felt better as the day continued. I took ibuprofen and tried to use the knee cautiously.  By the end of the day I felt quite good.  This was an amazingly nice day - perhaps the best one of the hike so far.  Tonight we are at last camped in our own tents.  Tomorrow we head to Mt. Rogers Visitor Center, 21.4 miles away.  I'm hoping for another lovely day like today.