Date: 2008-06-08
From: Lost Mountain Shelter

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

Got up and on the trail pretty early today, its been really hot here lately - in the upper 90s at the hottest part of the day- so putting in miles in the morning is always better. Pretty hiking through some pastures and a good climb up to Buzzard Rock. Really pretty, grassy and rocky all around with great views. Kept hiking to a gushing water source (wish they were all this good). Looks kinda like being in Montana around here with all of the terrain. Kept climbing up to Mt. Rogers. I ran into two ladies, Marilyn and Jill, who had also stayed at the Hikers Inn while I was there, so I stopped to talk a bit with them. They told me that Wise shelter had a creek that was deep enough to get your whole body in, so this definitely brightened my day. Said goodbye to them and continued climbing up Mt. Rogers. Mt. Rogers is the highest point in Virginia, but offers absolutely no views. Luckily -and for the first time on the AT- we did not have to actually climb to the summit of this mountain. I stopped at Thomas Knob Shelter to have lunch, and Triforce and Smiley were already there. I don't ever think I've seen them so happy as when I told them about the swimming hole at the shelter tonight. They almost immediately sprinted off to the shelter. I filtered some water, had a tuna and mayo sandwich, and talked to some girls from Nashville doing a SOBO section hike. Then I packed up and kept going. It was beautiful hiking with wild ponies all along the trail past Thomas Knob. This turned into my new favorite day on the trail so far. We were moving through the Grayson Highlands, which followed along these high, rocky ridges flanked on both sides by the grassy highlands with wild ponies grazing. This really makes all the tough days and rough climbing utterly worth it. I wish we could hike through this everyday. Being such a beautiful area, and it being a weekend, there were throngs of dayhikers flowing up and down from the nearby parking lot. To me, this contrast makes these views that much more of an adventure, seeing people who have taken a short stroll to get here, juxtaposed against those of us who walked hundreds of miles to see the same views. Those people will return to their cars, drive off and most likely push that experience to the side. But for us, its the culmination of the most physically and mentally challenging obstacles we have ever faced that make this not just a quick photo opportunity, but rather a world to immerse ourselves in. Something to carry with us for the miles, and dream about as we fall asleep, far from the rest of the world. I enjoyed hiking along these highlands for a few more miles, as the trail finally descended back into the forest to head towards the shelter. I arrived at the shelter to find that the ENTIRE shelter had been taken over by a group of at least 10 overnighters. They had obviously walked in from the nearby parking lot, as their gear consisted mostly of wine bottles, cases of beer, and a buffet of food. Usually we would be pretty upset with a group like that overtaking a shelter, except that the campsite we found was absolutely beautiful, and right next to the water hole. I was the only one who actually got completely into the water (it was absolutely freezing), but it was so refreshing. The sky was absolutely clear, so I set up my hammock with no rain fly, hoping for a beautiful night of stars. It started getting a little chilly, but felt good in the sleeping bag. The starry night eventually came out and was absolutely beautiful to fall asleep to.