AT Day 38: Mt Rogers & Grayson Highlands

Daily Miles: 21.4, Total Miles: 511.8

I slept pretty good considering some rain and how lumpy it was on the hillside. At least up to the point I heard a nearby animal making a loud blowing noise. After banging my tent and shouting, this animal was still moving around, blowing air through it’s nose(?), until finally moving away. My first thought was a bear, but more likely a startled deer.

I packed up and continued a climb in a heavy mist, spooking three whitetail near the top. I bypassed the side trail to Mt Rogers, the highest point in Virginia. I had heard from a few sources that there was no views to be had in the densely forested summit.

The mist/fog finally lifted and blew out as I continued through the Mt Rogers Recreation Area. A short time later I entered the Grayson Highlands State Park. Quite a crowd of day hikers, but I enjoyed the views and interesting rock formations. Also two herds of small, wild ponies, some with colts, introduced into this state park in the 1970’s. I got through the AT’s renowned Fatman Squeeze without getting stuck!

A couple of new birds heard in Virginia the last few days – hooded warbler and a winter wren.