Date: 2023-03-19
From: Damascus

To: Rural Retreat
Miles today: 60.5

On Wednesday, March 15, Prepper, Shades, Blaze, Wandering Monk and I were dropped off near Partnership Shelter so we could hike back to the Longneck Lair Hostel. It was in the upper 20¢s when we got on the trail and it stayed that way for an hour or so before the temperature got above freezing. We had a nice time hiking together and it was interesting watching Blaze work. Shades showed a lot of fortitude which she is going to have to have to complete this task as a blind person with a guide dog. Shades ended up getting off the trail at the Settlers Museum which was about 10 miles into about a 14 mile hike. On Thursday, March 16, Cyndie, the host at the Longneck Lair, dropped me off on Grassy Ridge Road, 15 miles up the trail from Damascus. I crossed up and over White Top Mountain and through most of Grayson Highlands state park. What an amazing and beautiful place. Even without the ponies, it is still an awe-inspiring place to visit. I visited there once last year for the first time but it is difficult to take it all in. I regret not taking many pictures that day but I had this weighing on me: I was doing nearly 19 miles and I wanted to get to my shelter before dark. If you have never been there, it is worth the visit. The terrain there is unlike anything I have ever seen in the eastern United States. I sheltered that night at Wise Shelter. The next morning wasn¢t especially cold, but it started out raining. Later in the day, the rain stopped, although it stayed overcast most of the day. I did not realize I would be doing this, but the trail zigzagged in and out of the park for several hours on Friday, March 17. I had been hiking for several hours that morning when I encountered a second group of wild ponies. Hiking across this park was pretty difficult. The ground is very rocky in most places and it is very hard on your feet and ankles. When I started out that morning, I had hoped to make it to Trimpi Shelter, which was 20 miles. However, coming on the heels of an almost 19 mile day the day before with 5500 feet of elevation gain, I was a little worn out and opted to cut my day short when I reached Dickey Gap. Even so, it was after 5 PM when I arrived at my campsite. It was fortunate that I stopped when I did, because pretty soon after I stopped, it started raining. I was able to get my tent, set up and stay dry though.The next morning, which was Saturday, March 18, the temperature was around 27°. The rain from the night before had frozen on my tent and I hurriedly packed up my things and got moving around 7:30. It stayed cold most of the day, although my water never completely froze. I was not able to shed any layers of clothing until around 11:15 that morning. It stayed pretty windy that day, and I am confident the temperature never got out of the 30s. My destination that day was the Partnership Shelter, although it was not my intention to stay there that night. I had previously arranged with Cyndie to be picked up at 3:30 but I arrived there at 2:30. So I waited around there for a while before being picked up.It was my intention to only spend that night at the hostel and get up the next morning heading north. However, the weather Sunday morning, March 19 was extremely cold. In fact, the forecast was once again for the temperature to barely get above freezing, even at lower elevations. So although I wanted to continue moving north, I decided to stay in place one more day.