Date: 2018-05-26
From: Lost Mountain Shelter

To: Wise Shelter
Miles today: 17.5
Weather: overcast clouds

No rain overnight and nothing in the morning when breaking down camp and having breakfast. Shelter was full last night and a lot tenting, maybe 15-20 people in total.  Made it an hour into my hike before the rain began to pick up. Nothing serious just a shower but it kept on for awhile. That was until around 11:00am when it let loose. Completely drenched again. Bummer because I put on dry socks this morning too. The rain has been relentless but you slog on regardless. Trudging through puddles and mud. Hiking in clouds makes for bad views too when you make it up high enough to get a look. Good views are a hikers reward for the work they put in climbing the mountain. The rain seemed to get worse when I made it to Elk Garden Gap 8 miles into the hike for lunch. It¢s a trail head with a parking lot and a bathroom. As is typical with a trail head there was one of those large wooden informational signs and map of the area. This one was about 6 feet wide and 10 feet tall with a little ¢A¢ shaped roof. By the time I got there it was almost packed with hikers trying to find any kind of protection from the rain while they ate. There were other thru hikers I recognized and then day hikers and weekend hikers. Lunch for today was a pepperoni and cheddar cheese wrap. Too big to be able to make beforehand so it makes for quite a sight prepping this meal under a tiny haven from the rain. But I¢m not the only one. The rain today was especially a bummer because I would be hiking through Grayson Highland State Park. It¢s supposed to be beautiful. In addition to the park¢s beauty it is also famous for the wild ponies that live in the park. Ponies!!! I¢ve seen quite a lot of animals so far on the trail (no bears yet) and I hoped to add ponies to the list. And in the usual AT fashion after battering rain for three hours the rain began to let up by 2:00 in the afternoon. The clouds began to part just a I started to enter the southern boundary of Grayson Highlands. The three miles of the park was certainly one of the most unique and beautiful that I¢ve experienced on this trip. Rolling green hills but with the large rock formations jutting out of them like miniature mountains. And yes, there were ponies. Grazing in the field that the trail passes directly through. Amazing. I made my way to Wise Shelter which was technically still inside the park. A group of hikers had already filled the shelter, others tenting down the trail another 50 yards so I setup my tent in the shelter grounds. Mademoiselle was there too and a few other hikers I recently met. The hikers in the shelter had started a fire so I used that opportunity to dry both pairs of my socks. Oh yes, since we were still in the park there were ponies that walked through our camp after we had eaten dinner. Just grazing and walking along. Some of us even pet them! There was one young pony that was especially friendly. Overall I¢d say this is a well rounded day of what it¢s like to be on the Appalachian Trail. Breakfast at a shelter surrounded by other thru hikers. Chatting and joking, getting ready for the day. Then it rains and you get soaking wet. You eat a lot of food all day. And are then left in awe by the beauty of both Mother Earth and Mother Nature. A fire and warm meal to finish out the evening only to then fall asleep in the same tent you were in the night before but now in a different place.