As I mentioned in my last update, I was about to hike through the
Grayson Highlands State Park and over Mt. Rogers, the tallest in VA. I
must say that the environment of the Grayson Highlands is as pretty as
anything I have seen thus far. The views were outstanding as the
tallest hills in the park are mostly free of trees and more like what is
commonly called a "bald." The balds were covered with blueberry bushes
but they had already come and gone before I arrived.
The
area is famous because there is a small herd of wild ponies which
inhabit the area. I got to see a few of them, and also a few of the
cows which also roam free. If you are looking for a section of the AT
to hike over a weekend, I would highly suggest the Grayson Highlands.
After hiking through the Highlands, I spent the night at the Thomas
Knob Shelter. My intent was
to press on to Massie Gap and get off the
trail and spend the night and resupply at the Grayson Highlands Country
Store and Inn. I was under the impression I could camp there. When I
got to the shelter, a 67 year old man by the trail name of Moses walked
in. His phone had enough coverage for me to call the store and confirm
they could pick me up at the trail head, and that I could stay there.
The proprietor of the store told me they closed at 7:00 p.m. and pointed
out there was no way I would make it to the Massie Gap trail head
before that hour. So I had to change my plans and stay where I was. A
fellow from the Winston Salem area, Carl, also stayed at the shelter
that night, and the next morning he agreed to take me to the store and
return me to the trail. My, but how God provides!
The
next day I climbed both Mt. Rogers and White Top Mountain. At around
5:30 I decided to
pitch my tent near a gravel road just under the crest
of White Top. That night a big time thunder and lightning storm hit the
area around 10:00. Since I was near the top of the mountain, the sound
of the thunder as it echoed off the surrounding hills was awesome. It
reminded me of how the sound of thunder rolled over Lake Victoria when
Renee and I lived in Entebbe. The lightning kept my tent lit up for
hours. When I was in Damascus, a local told me that thunderstorm was
the worst they had experienced in 2017.
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