Mount Rogers by Kenny & Kristen
Posted on 2016-11-27
The day started out early. Kristen and I set out around 6am to drive down to the grindstone campground outside of sugar grove Virginia. It’s about a 2-hour drive from Roanoke and we arrived around 10am on Saturday. After getting a bit ready and changing into some warmer hiking clothes and our last bathroom breaks, we set out down the road to hit the Appalachian trail. It was about a half mile down the road to start and we took a few random detours (I jumped the gun on a few turns =O). But once we hit the AT we were set.
The first few hours were rough. The early morning had weather in the upper 20’s and the sun was covered in the clouds. After an hour and a half, we started getting up in the mountains a bit as all the trees were starting to be covered in a dry ice. It was a beautiful site as the trees were white as snow!
We stopped and had lunch at a shelter where we about froze ourselves relaxing. The hike ahead from here was a long winding route through the forest. There were several roots from trees to keep the trail rough. But after an hour or so more we reached a beautiful site!
What I called the field of glass was an amazing site once we hit the crest of some of the rolling Appalachians. There were few trees in site and the shrubs that covered the top were all covered in white ice. The sun was still peaking around the clouds in and out causing it to stay pretty chilly, and the howling wind didn’t help us stay any warmer.
Along with the ice fields, we also ran into several wild ponies! We didn’t get to close as they were eating their food and we saw several signs saying not to pet or touch them as they will bite =] soo we followed their advice, took a few pictures and moved on.
After about 14 miles, we hit the wise shelter around 4 pm. We gathered some firewood and unpacked our night gear to prepare to handle the chilly night as the sun was starting to set and the weather only topped out at 28 degrees fahrenheit. As I got the first started we hung the hammock under the shelter and enjoyed the evening as we huddled together to stay warm. Since the darkness came so early we had quite a long night. BUT the sun rose early and at this point we started the trek to mount rogers.
This day turned out to be fantastic. The sun was up and we had very few clouds. We passed over several crests on stone mountain and even through a rock pass while traveling the AT. The hike became pretty tough at points as we started moving more and more up the mountain. The wind rarely died down and the terrain stayed rocky.
We did see the 500-mile mark from the start of the AT (or in this case the 500 to go mark heading south bound) which got us pretty excited. We then enjoyed an apple snack on a bench with some wild ponies before we continued on to mount rogers.
Approaching the base of Mount Rogers, we came upon the shelter that sits right at the foot. This is definitely a nice shelter and must see some traffic as the size would allow for several campers (it had an upstairs loft to help keep you out of the wind!). After some exploring here we headed up the Mount Rogers Summit trail. As you continue on this trail you start to see several red fir trees which are only found on the higher parts of the Appalachians (according to the sign we read) and they have been around since the ice age!
Once we hit the summit we enjoyed a lunch of smushed PBJ banana fluffer nutters and a banana. The summit was nothing like we expected, it was in the middle of the red furs on top of a rock – there is no great overlook but it is pretty much where I imagine reindeer live!
After enjoying lunch, we set out back for camp, at this point we had about 7 or so more miles to get back to the campground. This turned out to be one of my favorite parts as we passed through deep gap. The AT takes a hard right before you enter the field but we missed it – glad we did though as the view was/is spectacular! After finding our path back to the trail we continued forward until we reached the campground around 330pm.
At this time, we were worried as the campground was closing the next day (now today) and we were nervous the car would have been towed or locked in the gate as I had forgot to pay the campground fee! I had realized this about 8 or so miles into the hike so I figured we would pay as we left. Luckily the ranger was still present and he let us out after we explained what happened. He actually wasn’t upset at all and said it was no problem.
We were tired at this point so we took our two-hour drive back to Roanoke and once we arrived, we showered up and went to grab some real food at the local MACADO’s. This was an overall fantastic hike and there is nothing like spending a good few miles on the Appalachian trail – especially with good company. Highly recommended! =]
