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Grayson Highlands in January


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Viewing 11 posts - 1 through 11 (of 11 total)
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  • #1312600
    Ben C
    BPL Member

    @alexdrewreed

    Locale: Kentucky

    Let me first say, my winter backpacking is pretty limited. I live in the southeast, and there's really just not a winter culture like you have in a lot of northern and mountainous areas. But I see people here talking about winter trips, and I saw no reason not to do a winter trip in the higher elevations of the Appalachians, fairly near me.

    So I talked a couple of friends into doing a winter trip with me. They were a little skeptical because the last trip we did was better than 20 miles a day across the Smokies. That had been a little more than they wanted. I promised low miles and bad weather and they agreed to go.

    I've been wanting to go to Grayson Highlands for awhile and thought it would have a pretty good chance for a little bit of real winter. Mt. Rogers is there, and its the highest peak in Virginia. I talked a bit to Luke on the forums because I knew he had been to the area a lot. He gave me great advice.

    Its about a 6 hour drive for us, so we got out early and arrived at the trailhead a little after noon. We parked on the highway north of Mt. Rogers and went up about 4 miles on the Mt. Rogers Trail to the AT; then we had about 2 more miles to do on the AT. It started off foggy and damp.Fog

    As we hiked higher, we reached more snowy conditions.snow

    It was easy to tell the bears were still active.bear

    We arrived at the shelter before dark. By then, the wind was really picking up, so we were happy for the shelter. Two young guys were spread out low so we got the "penthouse" bunk.pent

    We made supper and shared our bourbon with the 2 hikers we met there. Later they told us they were 20 years old but I don't think we'll get in too much trouble.supper

    That night, the winds were ferocious. The morning was no better. We had sideways sleet and rain all day. We walked the AT for a ways until the Crest Trail split off. We took this trail eventually back to the AT and to our second shelter. Tough walk through what looked like it was a beautiful area in anything but the worst conditions, which we had. My one new piece of equipment was an eVent anorak; I was vey happy with it. I stayed dry all day. The rain quit when we arrived at our shelter.

    Near the shelter, we met ponies for the first of several times. They are small and seem to roam the area in herds of about 8-12. I would describe them as "wild" but habituated. They had little fear of us. We took lots of pictures of them.

    pony 1

    pony 2

    pony 3

    pony 4

    pony 5

    pony 6

    It was wet but we had time to make a big fire. The high winds stoked it up fast despite the moisture. The swirling winds made it hard to enjoy, though, because the sparks and smoke went from one side to the other constantly.

    Ponies walked into camp several times during the night. It was a cold night-bottles froze-but alternatively clear and foggy. We woke up with damp bags from the fog. Sleet started as we began to walk. We could see from low that the top of Mt. Rogers was white, but it was several miles away still.

    As we went up Wilburn Ridge, we saw a couple more herds of ponies. And the trees thinned out and the landscape opened up-something rarely seen in the southeast. Then the trees became icy for some really nice scenery.

    icy1

    icy2

    icy3

    icy4

    icy5

    icy6

    icy7

    icy8

    icy9

    Eventually, we made it up to the spur trail that goes up to the Mt. Rogers summit. I had heard that the summit is thick with firs and not too scenic. We decided to go anyway. It was only a mile. It turned out to be very nice. The snow and ice was thicker in the shade of the firs.

    mt1

    mt2

    mt3

    mt4

    mt5

    Ok, enough with the photos. The rest of the trip was a mellow walk down along the AT and Mt. Rogers Trail. We had perfect blue skies. We felt like we had earned them with the horrible sleet and rain and wind from the previous day. Beer and pizza and country/folk band at Barley's on the way home in Knoxville turned out to be the perfect stop for recovery.

    Reflecting on this trip, I really enjoyed the winter trip. I think it helped to go up a bit in elevation to avoid the cold rain we usually get down lower and enjoy a little of the colder, snowy weather up high. Winter tripping helped avoid the crowds too. This is a pretty popular spot most of the time, but we saw few people this time of year. The short days make shorter mileage a necessity, but it worked out fine. The longer nights gave us time to build fires, drink bourbon, and tell lies.

    #2067473
    Andrew F
    Member

    @andrew-f

    Locale: San Francisco Bay Area

    Looks like a great trip. You brought back some memories of hiking Mt. Rogers about ten years ago with my wife (then girlfriend) in college. It sure looks a lot different in the winter.

    #2067481
    Ike Jutkowitz
    BPL Member

    @ike

    Locale: Central Michigan

    Nice job. I love the frosted trees!

    #2067527
    Ben C
    BPL Member

    @alexdrewreed

    Locale: Kentucky

    I'm sure the place is beautiful in summer and fall. But the frosted trees on a bright blue day was pretty nice, too.

    #2067533
    Stephen M
    BPL Member

    @stephen-m

    Locale: Way up North

    Man, trip reports like make my cabin fever worse as had 2 trips canceled this month.

    #2067611
    Ben C
    BPL Member

    @alexdrewreed

    Locale: Kentucky

    There's nothing exotic about this trip report, but a nice reminder that it can be fun to get out anytime and anywhere.

    #2067615
    Stephen M
    BPL Member

    @stephen-m

    Locale: Way up North

    Most definitley Ben.

    #2067705
    Ryan Smith
    BPL Member

    @violentgreen

    Locale: East TN

    Great area for all seasons! Barley's is nice too, been there several times (I work in downtown Knoxvegas).

    Which shelter is that with the penthouse? I don't remember seeing that one when we went through.

    Ryan

    #2067722
    Alex H
    BPL Member

    @abhitt

    Locale: southern appalachians or desert SW

    Great report and choice for Barley's. We always stop at the original in Asheville after every trip that is with in reach.

    #2067864
    Ben C
    BPL Member

    @alexdrewreed

    Locale: Kentucky

    Ryan, the shelter was the Thomas Knob shelter. Its up near the spur trail to Mt. Rogers. It was really nasty up there that night. Its a really sturdy, enclosed shelter but we all felt like it could blow away at any time. Those were the strogest sustained winds I have been out in. We stayed at the Wise shelter the second night but its not pictured. The Wise shelter is much more open.

    Alex, I have been at the Asheville Barley's too. I think the Knoxville one is a little nicer. It's a big old brick warehouse with big exposed timbers. And they carried some nice ales.

    #2069536
    Ryan Smith
    BPL Member

    @violentgreen

    Locale: East TN

    Ben,

    That shows how much I pay attention. We stopped and ate lunch at Thomas Knob shelter. :)
    We went the opposite direction on our trip. 1st night at Wise Shelter, 2nd night at Saunders Shelter.

    Ryan

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