Date: 2022-09-29
From: Big Wilson Creek Established Campsite Mile 505.5

To: Lost Mountain Shelter Mile 487.9
Miles today: 17.6
Weather: clear sky

Overnight didn¢t seem any worse than last night. I did have to put the puffy on around 1:15, but I didn¢t have to zip it up to get warm. Slept pretty good again and this time I got up with the alarm. It wasn¢t any easier getting out of bed though and it was definitely cold packing up. We got going and entered into Grayson Highlands State Park and immediately saw ponies- just kidding of course there were none and given our luck I¢m not sure if we¢ll see some or just pony poop. The ponies are managed by the Wilburn Ridge Pony Association but it¢s not clear exactly what that means. There are definitely fences and gates all over the park. We started climbing through the meadows and were soon above 5000 feet. It¢s still in the upper 30¢s, hazy with a stiff wind blowing. I¢ve got long pants, fleece and rain mitts on and just barely staying warm enough while moving. We are getting some partial views and they are quite impressive with the blowing fog, meadows and changing leaves on the mountainsides. We passed Float and Kidding (Hi and thanks!) who are also making the push to Damascus to beat the Storm. We went through the ¢Fatman Squeeze¢ which was more open than the Lemon Squeezer. Up at the top we did see one pony and four cows. Also spotted several small groups of ponies off in the distance. Apparently ponies don¢t like 40 and windy either. Stopped at the Thomas Knob Shelter to get water and then shortly afterwards we dropped back into the woods. Much of the rest of the day was rocky and rooty when we weren¢t walking through meadows. Had a long gradual uneventful downhill that eventually came out on a meadow and then the Elk Garden parking area where we stopped for lunch and to dry some of the damp gear. The climb out on paper wasn¢t too bad but with the congestion lingering and Orchid feeling a bit worse felt like a long climb. We did hit the 1700 mile mark as we neared the top. Didn¢t see a mile marker so we made one and took some photos. Had been planning to sing but neither of us was really in the mood. So imagine ¢I have walked 1700 miles and I will walk 500 more¢ with walking antics sung to I¢m Gonna Be by the Proclaimers.On the way down we came out to a series of meadows with great views looking out towards Tennessee and possibly North Carolina as well as back into Virginia. At one point we were walking along the hillside and it felt like I was on a trail out west and not just 5 minutes from a deciduous forest. All good things must come to an end and eventually we entered the woods again for the last miles to camp. We were back into Rhododendron Glen¢s and it almost felt like we were heading back up to Pine Swamp Shelter. We were the only ones when we arrived and we picked some nice tent sites and got setup. Just as we were about to head to the picnic table two other hikers rolled up so we ended up staying by the tents and eating on a small log. There¢s a big oak tree over the shelter and eat acorn that hits the metal roof sounds like a shot going off. I am very glad we¢re not in the shelter although it¢s still pretty loud where we are. At one point we heard the acorn fall, one of the other hikers make a startled noise and the other started laughing. Clearly it¢s not just us. Steps 35300Weather Forecast: 59/41