Date: 2016-04-04
From: Elk Garden 

To: Hurricane Mountain Shelter 
Miles today: 20.1

The morning was clear and lovely after yet another pretty cold night. The view out from the road was very nice, and I woke up and broke camp a little earlier than usual. Having a tent up only adds about 10 minutes to my time breaking camp, which surprised me. The walk just past the gate at Elk Garden was among the most beautiful parts of the day. The trail passed over green grassy knolls, and, unlike over most balds, did not have a defined and rutted path. It was very freeing. The climb up to Thomas Knob was pretty uneventful. It became windier and windier near the top. I decided to pass up the side trail to Mount Rogers, because I've heard it's pretty steep and pointless. I was enjoying the views off of the bald too much to do extra hiking. I took a break at Thomas Knob where a section hiker told me I was going to get hypothermia if I stayed out in the wind. I think his intentions were good, it's just kind of rude. Polar Bear later confirmed that he is "the most boring hiker" he'd ever met. The water source for the shelter is enclosed in a fence, and I looked at my phone and saw that they did that so that the wild ponies won't contaminate the source. Then I remembered: PONIES! That's what the Grayson Highlands are famous for. And sure enough, only about a quarter mile past the shelter, there were two ponies, both with deep brownish ochre hair, grazing away at the fields. I took a few pictures and passed on. The trail passed along gorgeous rock outcroppings and huge areas of scrub with views in all direction. The wind was blowing pretty hard, and though the grades were easy, it was rock hopping most of the way, which was tough. I passed through a little cave shimmy called the Fatman Squeeze, where a few patches of ice are still hanging around, and saw another set of two ponies. The area here is not very well marked and is so open that following the trail is difficult, especially with so many tent sites around. I stopped at a particularly nice outcropping and spoke with two day hikers, who suggested that we fund research into turning the ponies into wifi hotspots (I had no reception all day long). As I was passing along a ridge, I noticed a large group of ponies down below me, as well as one shape that was definitely a thru hiker. I decided that now was the time for a side trip, so I made my way over to the ponies. There were about seven, all different colors, grazing away. Polar Bear was there, a hiker I've run into once before, taking pictures with his tripod. The ponies are very gentle, and we found that if we held our hand out in a fist, they would come up and nuzzle it, and, in the case of one very young-looking pony, even lick it! His tongue was green from all the grass he ate. I took a lot of pictures and then pushed on. The trail moved into Grayson Highlands State Park proper, and dipped back into the woods. I stopped briefly at Wise Shelter, and was about to move on when I noticed something shiny in the rafters. It was a Mylar space blanket, and with all the cold nights I've dealt with, I decided it was time I had one. I put it in my pack and moved on. I ate some lunch at a river crossing and just after I moved on again, I heard just about the loudest whooshing I've ever heard in my life. It started like wind, and then just got to be unbearably loud, like a jet engine. I looked for a plane, but I'm sure it would've been long gone. Just a bit along the trail I found Blaze fixing his socks! He left Lost Mountain Shelter at 5:00 this morning and caught up the eight miles to me. He left Dr. Trails and Seal Tree behind him, as he was hoping to do a bunch of 30 mile days in a row to get to Pearisburg by Friday, where a package is waiting for him. We paced each other for the next set of miles until Old Orchard Shelter. He said that he saw the plane go over, and it was an impressive new looking fighter jet, flying extremely close to the ground. We talked about different hiking agendas and our homes and the long trail. He's hoping to finish at Katahdin, hitch to the northern terminus of the long trail, and then begin hiking south, all the way back to Pennsylvania, in a modified version of what's called a Yo-yo hike. We stopped in at Old Orchard shelter and Blaze cooked up a meal for himself. He decided that trying to get to Pearisburg before the PO closes for the weekend was silly, and he'll just take his time and get there for Monday. I pushed on a little before him with music playing and made my way over the last (and only) real climb of the day up Iron Mountain (about the third iron mountain we've seen. We also passed the like eighth deep gap today) soon enough I was at the turnoff for Hurricane Mountain Shelter. It's new, and gorgeous, with lots of space. I also had reception for the first time all day. I checked the weather, and thunderstorms were suddenly called for in the next couple of hours, and I thanked the powers that be that I was at a shelter already. Blaze showed up soon after and we cooked and talked for a while, he made a call home to his nieces in Pennsylvania. It sprinkled a little rain, but nothing serious. Polar Bear and Babbit (who both stayed at Thomas Knob) rolled up, and we all laid out gear out in the shelter. Blaze was pretty excited because both Polar Bear and Babbit have his same pack, the Gossamer Gear Mariposa, which is not common at all on the trail. I facetimed Ali as the rain turned on, got heavy, turned off, and back and forth. I can't believe I'll get to see her, my parents and my friends in just a few days' time! Tomorrow I'll almost certainly head 19 miles to Partnership Shelter, which is extremely close to a road crossing and visitor center, and from which you can apparently order pizza. Babbit says he can't wait for the pizza and had half a mind to push on five miles just to get there a little sooner tomorrow. Today marked 500 miles, but also one month on the trail for me! Frankly, it's flown by. The days are so routined and full that I feel like it was just yesterday I was pulling into the NOC, or in Asheville, or really anywhere else. I'm having a great time so far. The scenery and hiking have been incredible, and I've met some wonderful people and had some great laughs. Frankly, I'm keeping the pace I was expecting to have, I mean when my parents asked where I thought I'd be by the time I had to go home, I said "Damascus, even a little north of it, probably." Which is exactly true. The days off from the trail are going to be a very welcome break, physically and mentally. It will be so good to see everyone. And when I come back, I'll have just about 6 more weeks of hiking before I have to be back again for Commencement! I'm guessing my pace will pick up through Virginia, that I'll consistently go above 20 miles a day, and that should put me somewhere in Pennsylvania for when I've got to go home again. We'll see. Gnight!