Date: 2015-11-25
From: Old Orchard Shelter 

To: Thomas Knob Shelter 
Miles today: 11.2

Today was phenomenal and one of my favorite days so far. The Grayson Highlands were unbelievable, and I have looked forward to seeing the wild ponies roaming near the trail for a long time. I was so focused on looking for the ponies that I didn't expect to be so overwhelmed by the incredible landscape.  It was IN-CREDIBLE! The trail on top of Stone Mountain opened up to rocky, grassy balds with views of rolling peaks and valleys that reminded me of Bonanza, one of my favorite TV shows when I was growing up. The views were stunning and went on for miles. Even though it was very windy on high elevation at 4800 feet I perched myself on a rock to gaze in child like wonder. I saw several groups of ponies from a distance and left my pack on the side of the trail to go after them with my camera but they scattered the closer I got. It was not easy finding where I had left my pack. Will not do that again. The trail went back into the forest again and finally reached Grayson Highlands State Park where I was rewarded with close up pony encounters and even more majestic sights. The ponies were all different colors and as cute as can be. These ponies were brought into the area to eat the vegetation to make it suitable for raising livestock.  What a novel concept. I spent much time taking pictures and admiring these beautiful creatures. There were many side trails in the Grayson Highlands that I would like to come back to explore another time. It was a popular destination for day hikers and rock climbers. I saw someone carrying a large rectangle contraption on his back and I asked him what it was. He said a crash pad for rock climbing.  I could have used one of these for sections of the Whites and Maine. This whole area took me back to the Whites because the views seemed to go on forever all around me, and it was rocky but in a gentler less abrasive way. There were many icy patches today, and I learned they are extremely slippery and treking poles slide too. I will definitely be investigating micro spikes for later.I was rewarded at the end of the day with one of my favorite sunsets so far. It was a combination of the jaw dropping open mountain views with the sun setting behind them and leaving layers of orange and yellow horizontal strokes that would have made an artist famous. I lingered until I noticed how cold it suddenly became with the sun gone. The trail went over rocks and boulders which was out of character for Virginia and added some extra dimension to a fantastic day. Soon it was completely dark but I trudged on to the shelter which was open to the wind. Mover and Rip Tide and Hope (It Doesn't Rain) were there. Hope shared some venison jerkey and some kind of snickers peanut butter desert she made. It sure was good. We are all in our bags because what else do you do when it is this cold and the fire is dying down. What a great, great day! Today had so much diversity which also included another rhododendron tunnel and a rock tunnel called the Fatman Squeeze. It reminded me of the Lemon Squeeze in Pennsylvania but easier to get through. Today is going to be a hard day to top!