What a last few days it's been. Lots to fill you in on, that's for sure.
First off, the Grayson Highlands were spectacular! It's impossible to pick a favorite spot on the trail, but they are in the running for sure. I thought that I was transported to African Savannah yesterday. It was unlike any land I've ever been to! The wind was whipping, probably a steady 40 with gusts over 50. But the sun was shining and it was warm, so the wind only made every step exciting. At some points, I was leaning at what felt like a 45 degree angle to keep myself upright, and then if the wind died down for a moment, I'd nearly fall over! The day was a blur, to be honest. Every turn had beauty like none other. I loved it!
That wasn't all, however. At Wise Shelter toward the end of the day I ran into a Boy Scout troop from Hopkinton, Mass. I took an extra long break there, and was treated to a game of setback, my favorite card game, and Miso soup! It was nice to be with some fellow New Englanders...and the food wasn't half bad either!
This morning I woke up to completely clear skies (I haven't seen a cloud all day) more intense wind, and bitter cold. It was probably in the 20s, as I crossed several frozen creeks early in the day. The cold and wind combined for a brutal first 3 miles above treeline at 8AM.
I had actually sent about half my cold weather gear home in Damascus, only holding onto my winter hat, leggings, and cold sleeping bag. Luckily, those articles combined with my windbreaker, fleece, and long pants were sufficient. The only part of me that suffered were my hands. I had to put my poles on my pack and bury my hands in my sleeves to keep them warm! But it was not too cold to take a few pictures of the wild ponies before I left the Grayson Highlands.
Interestingly, the ponies are not actually "wild." They were introduced to the area to keep the highlands bald and the views amazing.
I sure hope this good weather keeps up. Hiking is so much easier! Oh, that's the other thing. I've been making really good miles. Yesterday I hit 500! Wow! It must be the good food in my maildrop.
-Ted
4:47 p.m. 4/23/2015
Hey great game Scribbles, but that was Pitch! It was awesome hanging out with you and all of the other Thru Hikers we met. We really enjoyed the brief glimpse into The AT community all along the short segment we walked.
ReplyDeleteWe woke up real cold Friday morning up on Thomas Knob and got our second visit from Snoopy (our name for the pony that hangs out there). After we saw you we saw so many ponies! No idea how you missed them but I'm glad you ran into some.
We stopped off at Gettysburg real quick on our way home last night and now are almost back home. Awesome experience for everyone of us. Troop 1 wishes you a safe and journey.