Date: 2014-05-01
From: stream, campsite

To: old orchard shelter
Miles today: 21.8
Weather: broken clouds

May 1, happy may day to all. This day would be my first of the second month on the trail and possibly my favorite day this far. The biginning started out with big dark clouds, big wind, and cold temps. It didnt look good as we clumb up buzzard rock and looked over the valley below to the mountains in the distance. Bad weather was a movin in but it made for great scenery. After only a couple minutes to take photos and a snack it got cold. Time to step along and avoid the weather. The climb up whitetop mountain was the worst of the day. A steady long incline inducing much sweat. After summiting and of course going down the other side we came upon sap tubing for making maple syrup. Captain phillips had never seen such a thing so we investigated. I showed him how the taps worked and where the hoses went down to the big tank where they pick it up to take it and boil it down to syrup. He thought that was pretty cool and is now looking forward to buying real maple syrup before heading home. Next was mt rogers, virginias highest point. Not really a bad climb but with a wicked false summit that crushed yuor spirit. Just when you thought you were just about to the top you come over a crest and see the rest of the mountain, keep pushing! Its a wonderful viewless summit, sarcasm. While earing lunch at Lost spring mt shelter, capt phillips, machine, big foot (another warrior hiker), and i got approached by one of the wildest of wild ponies. So wild that it nearly licked my leg off! I must have been nice and salty. She was a fat ol momma that really just wanted a good scratching. It was pretty funny and we all took photos with her, even Machine who doesnt like horses. I was really happy to see at least one wild pony while we went through the area they live in. After narrowly escaping the wild pony we entered Grayson highland st park where most of the wild ponies roam. By this time the weather had turned perfect. Skies as blue as blue could be with perfect white clouds. Could not have been better timing for a beautiful place. It was like high praries with rocks scattered everywhere. Big rock outcroppings and rolling hills in the distance, an amazing place. The only thing i could say bad is that it was tricky walking on the rocks. You really had to pay attention to where you stepped or bust a foot. We did see a few more ponies grazing around and at one point passed a big group of kids on a field trip for school. They asked if we were thru hiking and cheered and yelled as we went passed. It was like we were rock stars! Pretty funny kids. Then the moment i dreaded, the Fatman squeeze rock tunnel. What if i got stuck? It wasnt as bad as the name, i cleared without having to take off my pack. I represented the chubby kids of america well on that one. Then the moment, another milestone, the 500 mile mark! Oh yeah. I celebrate at border crossings and every hundrit miles. Sometimes i celebrate when i fill my food bag if i need to boost morale. From there it would be another 6 miles to the shelter we would stay at. Honestly by the time we got there i was tired and feet were getting sore from the rocks so i was glad to see a nice grassy area to set up. Happy days. Also you get to appreciate a nice water source that is not down a ravine to get water for meals and hydration bladder. This camp had a nice spring nearby, again happy days. It looked like it would be cold out so i would be nice and cozy in my sleeping bag instead of boiling. Off to bed to dream of yet another perfect day with a smile on my face.