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  1. #1
    Senior Member Twistytee's Avatar
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    Mount Rogers / Grayson Highlands Loop

    This will be a brief trip report as others have posted more detailed information on this route. I thought some might enjoy the photos of our weekend hammock excursion to the Virginia Highland Balds. El Gordo and I met Saturday morning at the Mount Rogers Trail Head off Route 603 in Smyth County VA near the border of Grayson County. We started off with aspirations to climb the Mount Rogers Loop Trail and connect to the Appalachian Trail on the way to Thomas Knob Shelter. We made it to the shelter around noon for lunch and decided to head from there to Rhododendron Gap for our first night. Unfortunately the site was packed with a Scouting Troop and multiple families so we continued along the AT until its intersection with the Virginia Highlands Trail on the south side of the loop. Day 1 was about 9.5 miles.

    DSC02335 by Twistytee, on Flickr


    DSC02333 by Twistytee, on Flickr

    DSC02267 by Twistytee, on Flickr

    Lots of rocks to navigate along the AT

    DSC02270 by Twistytee, on Flickr

    First sighting of the feral ponies that graze along both the Mount Rogers Wilderness area and the Grayson Highlands State Park

    DSC02279 by Twistytee, on Flickr

    DSC02315 by Twistytee, on Flickr



    Our path layed out along the AT on the way to Wilburn Ridge

    DSC02300 by Twistytee, on Flickr
    View out along the top of Wilburn Ridge

    DSC02306 by Twistytee, on Flickr

    Campsite #1 with El Gordo and me sporting porch mode

    DSC02310 by Twistytee, on Flickr

    DSC02311 by Twistytee, on Flickr

    Day #2 brought us more painted ponies as we circled the southern portion of our route on the way to Scales and then the Old Orchard Shelter where we planned to camp for the second night. We ended-up with another 9+ mile segment the second day.

    DSC02309 by Twistytee, on Flickr

    Rest stop on the way up the AT after crossing the Virgina Highlands Trail that leads to Massie Gap

    DSC02317 by Twistytee, on Flickr
    Cresting the Highland Balds on the way to Scales

    DSC02322 by Twistytee, on Flickr

    Escaping the warm sun at Scales we headed back into tree cover for the uphill climb to Old Orchard Shelter

    DSC02328 by Twistytee, on Flickr

    Unfortunately I realized I didn't capture any pics of the AT Shelters or our campsite for Night #2. El Gordo was sporting some fun party lights along the top of his CRL which entertained our neighboring campers at Old Orchard. I had to get back to work on Day #3 so we packed-up early and did about a 5 mile hike up the Lewis Spur Trail to connect with Mount Rogers Loop and back down to the cars. We finished about 10am on Monday for a total 23 mile hike on our loop. For those of you that haven't had a chance to visit the area, I highly recommend the trip. It was warmer and more humid than we had hoped, but good weather nevertheless. A park ranger was stationed at Scales warning us and other hikers of the pending hurricane/tropical storm coming up the Appalachian Mountain chain from Louisiana. We we're leaving the following day so no negative impact for us but we met a thru hiker at Old Orchard who was heading NOBO for a late season run at the AT. Hope he is weathering Ida's remnants safely as it brought scattered storms to NC today.

    DSC02330 by Twistytee, on Flickr
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  2. #2

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    That's always a great loop. Thomas Knob can get really busy at times and bears have been a problem around there for years. There are lots of places to tuck back in the woods once you pass the shelter, though. I'm not a big fan of the horse trail on the other side of 603 (can be a muddy poopy mess) so I head west on the Lewis fork trail at Old Orchard around the north side of Mt Rogers to connect with the Mt Rogers Trail instead. Looks like you had nice weather.

  3. #3
    Senior Member cmoulder's Avatar
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    Great loop and wonderful pics!

    And I'm so jealous because that's the same/similar to the loop my friends and I had planned but canceled, as I mentioned in another thread. We were really looking forward to seeing the ponies.
    Five Basic Principles of Going Lighter (not me... the great Cam Honan of OZ)
    “If everybody is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking.” ~ Gen. George S Patton

  4. #4
    Senior Member Twistytee's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dvankirk View Post
    That's always a great loop. Thomas Knob can get really busy at times and bears have been a problem around there for years. There are lots of places to tuck back in the woods once you pass the shelter, though. I'm not a big fan of the horse trail on the other side of 603 (can be a muddy poopy mess) so I head west on the Lewis fork trail at Old Orchard around the north side of Mt Rogers to connect with the Mt Rogers Trail instead. Looks like you had nice weather.
    Thanks, we roughly followed your trip report from May but started at Mt Rogers rather than Old Orchard so we got to Thomas Knob early. Did find some nice hanging spots but decided to test our luck further down the trail. Might have been a mistake since once we made Wilburn Ridge there weren’t many spots to hang, but it worked out. I think we took the western route along Lewis Fork too although parts of it look to be an old logging road. There was poop all over on this hike. Those ponies are like mountain goats and seem to get deep up the crannies of the AT. But the views are well worth the effort.
    Quote Originally Posted by cmoulder View Post
    Great loop and wonderful pics!

    And I'm so jealous because that's the same/similar to the loop my friends and I had planned but canceled, as I mentioned in another thread. We were really looking forward to seeing the ponies.
    Thanks! Reschedule your trip when you can. The scenery and ponies make it unique for sure!

  5. #5
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    Looks like a beautiful trip and a fun time. Grayson is already one of the most scenic places around, then add in the ponies and it is just special.

  6. #6
    ObdewlaX's Avatar
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    Looks like a fun trip & great pics! I think it's cool about the wild ponies roaming all over the area.

    Thanks for posting.

  7. #7
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    Great place, thanks for posting!

  8. #8
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    I wish that our paths had crossed, but my quick and short loop was exactly what I needed for an outdoors fix. Like you, I wish it had been a touch cooler but it was still 10-15 degrees cooler than upstate SC so I can't complain about that. Did a loop on the Mt Rogers trail to the AT, down the Crest trail to the Lewis Fork and Cliffside trails back to the Mt Rogers trail. I hung right across the trail from the Thomas Knob shelter, but no hammock pictures since I set up after sunset and packed up before sunrise. I decided to take a shortcut from the AT to the top of Mt Rogers, which may not have been the best decision. It started out in open forest but it wasn't long before I was swimming in Christmas trees!


    Looking back down Mt Rogers
    by Patrick Harris, on Flickr

    It may have shaved the better part of a mile off of the route, but it certainly didn't save any time. The top of Mt Rogers is broad and flat, but like most of the southern spruce/fir forests, it is a bit of a jungle gym.


    Flat summit of Mt Rogers
    by Patrick Harris, on Flickr

    After a little ham radio fun on the summit, I headed down to the shelter where I enjoyed a great sunset and talking with a guy finishing up his first 500 miles of the AT before starting a new job.


    MTR on Mt Rogers
    by Patrick Harris, on Flickr

    Got up the next morning and had breakfast with a view from the outcrop behind the shelter before making my way back to the car.

    Morning from Thomas Knob
    by Patrick Harris, on Flickr

    Short trip and I was back at the car less than 23 hours from when I hit the trail but it did the soul good. Man, I think I need another fix!
    There was a retired couple at the trailhead doing a national trail survey for the Forest Service and I was glad to provide my feedback.

    More pics - https://flic.kr/s/aHsmWAtf5b

  9. #9
    Senior Member Twistytee's Avatar
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    Thanks for adding your recap and pics to the thread Pat. Your photos are stunning, last one looks like a panoramic post card. Sorry we missed each other on the trail. A few of us are contemplating the Noland Divide/Deep Creek overnight loop in GSNP in a couple of weeks. Happy to have you join.

  10. #10
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    Thanks! It's cool that you got to see some of the ponies up there. It is always a bit hit or miss if you will run across them. I am definitely interested in the Noland Divide trip, so keep me posted.

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