Date: 2010-04-23
From: Lost Mountain Shelter

To: Wise Shelter
Miles today: 17.3
Weather: overcast clouds

It was a slow moving group this morning, I was the second one out and I didn¢t leave the shelter until nine. The weather was somewhat iffy in the morning and its always annoying having to pack up a wet tent, but today was the day I was to see the wild ponies, so my spirits were up!The first climb was up Rock Mountain, although we climbed quite a bit up, it seems once you enter Virginia the switchbacks and straight up the mountain trails that were so common in Georgia, NC, and Tennessee change to a much milder walk around the mountain type of climb which is so much more enjoyable. I never really enjoyed switchbacks much, it seems as though I have to reset my pace every time I hit a switchback. This type of climbing is much more tolerable and the top of the mountain was open and beautiful. By the time we hit the top, the rain began to fall, Kelly and I aren¢t too thrilled with rain and I was worried the ponies would be seeking shelter and off the trail but when I arrived at Thomas Knob Shelter disappointed as I had not yet seen any ponies, the other hikers that had arrived before me pointed to a few colorful dots on a hill not .25 mile away, ponies!After lunch, Young One, Tumbleweed, Skyrocket, and I headed up the Mount Rogers trail to visit the ¢wild¢ ponies of the Grayson Highlands! Visiting the ponies was such an amazing experience. The ponies most certainly were not very wild! All of the ponies allowed us to approach them, in fact, they approached us! The ponies had a very difficult Winter this year with the heavy snows, and it showed, but there was a very healthy little foal on the ground and another mare ready to pop any day so there is hope for the ponies. The little foal was very spunky, I crouched down to film the baby and he decided I would be a great playmate and decided to jump in my lap ? Or maybe he wanted me to take him home? I would have done it, he was absolutely adorable! The band we found was made up of around a dozen ponies of every imaginable color, not one the same as another, they were beautiful but certainly had that spunky, naughty pony attitude! I wasn¢t sure how Kelly would do with the ponies, she was chased by a horse so she¢s a bit nervous with horses. I leashed her up and told her to lay down on the trail, she was very good and was laying exactly where I left her when we got back ?After a satisfying visit with the ponies, it was time to hike on. The Grayson Highlands were very beautiful, the temperature was still cool and it was breezy, although the hike was still very enjoyable and it was wonderful to have new terrain to hike on. There were some huge rock outcrops with some amazing views and after being in the trees for so long it was nice to be hiking in a more open area and amongst the scattered pines.The end of todays hike brought us to the Wise Shelter where I pitched my tent in a nearby field. Although we had all done longer days, our feet were sore from all the rocks in the highlands and it made me think about the rocks we will experience in Pennsylvania.Kelly was happy though, she made a friend today when Grom, another thru hiking dog arrived at the shelter for the night.