Date: 2018-05-25
From: Massey Gap, Grayson Highlands

To: Elk Garden, VA 600
Miles today: 7.2

To prepare for today¢s hike, we ordered a large two-topping Dominoes pizza for supper last night. We ate all but two slices, which we saved for breakfast this morning. With Woofie¢s glasses repaired, today¢s shuttle already scheduled, and the alarm set, we went to bed thinking everything was ready. What could possibly go wrong?Sound asleep we were when someone opened our motel room door at 1:30am and peeked in. The noise he made woke Woofie up. We then heard a ¢Sorry!¢ and the door closing again. I even remember seeing light shining into the room from the hallway as I roused myself to wakeful awareness.  We both asked each other if what we thought we just saw had really happened. I got up, went to the door, and checked that it was secured and that nothing was missing from the room. This morning before we checked out, we asked the desk clerk how secure the locks were and mentioned our intrusion. She immediately apologized and confessed it was her fault. She had sent someone to see what a room looked like before they decided to take one, but she either misread the computer or the computer listing wasn¢t right, because she thought our room was unoccupied. So much for getting a good night¢s rest before hiking. Neither of us slept well the rest of the night. But from the moment our alarm went off, everything went like clockwork just as planned. We made it to the outfitter in Damascus just as they opened their doors, and were shuttling north to Massie Gap in the Grayson Highlands by 8:15. By 9:15 we were hiking. The weather was perfect. The scenery was breathtaking. And the wild ponies were both plentiful and beautiful to watch. Our shuttle driver told us to look for the pony with the long flowing blonde hair. He calls it Fabio. But, unfortunately, we didn¢t see Fabio. We took our time, walking even slower than usual, and took more pictures in one morning than we have over past four-day hikes.  Another point of interest was the recent addition of a few bear boxes placed near Thomas Knob Shelter and the tent sites along the trail in both directions. Bears have been stealing food bags and even backpacks recently in that area. The large steal lockable boxes are a place for campers to safely store their food and scented toiletries over night. But the bears are smart. They know why the boxes are there and what¢s in them.  Bears have reportedly already attacked the bear boxes a couple times, leaving them overturned, but unopened. So just a couple days ago the rangers added another layer of defense. They installed an electrified fense around the bear box. Anyone needing put something in the box or take something out just needs to turn off the juice first and then turn it back on again when finished. To me this seems a very expensive and high maintenance solution.  And I also wonder how long it will take the bears to learn how to turn off the power on the electrified fence. But it¢s more likely that they¢ll learn to watch the box from a distance and wait for someone to open it before charging in for their free meal.  A better solution would be to install bear cables like the ones installed at all of the shelters in the Smokey Mountains. They work fine and need no power to operate. We had a great time. And at the end of the day Woofie especially liked seeing flocks of gold finches flitting through the yellow flowers in the last meadow we crossed. But the terrain had been very rocky and difficult. So we only managed to go a little over seven miles and were glad to stop for the day by 5:30.  And a surprise for us, also camping here tonight is Diamond Blue Eyes, whom we met the day we hiked into Damascus. A very good day on the trail.