Damascus to Marion

Day 47 – Damascus to Lost Mountain Shelter: mile 471.0 to mile 486.7

It was good weather for hiking. We had three major climbs for the day but they didn’t seem too bad.

About mid morning we met a couple, Donna and Alan, hiking the other way and I noticed the lady had a Nikon D850, a big expensive professional camera. I commented on it and told her I owned the Nikon D750, a high end amateur camera. She replied with “I have that one too”. Her husband said you won’t keep up.  I then noticed she had a phone case the attaches to the strap of your backpack. I’d been casually looking for one so I said “I’m jealous of your phone case too.” She said, “Here, take it. I’ve been wanting to help out a thru hiker so take it.”  She was adamant and explained that her husband had thru hiked in 2019 and got so much help from people that she was itching to help someone. How could I refuse!  I now have a phone case I can attach to my backpack strap.

Later in the day, the Appalachian Trail merged with the Virginia Creeper bike trail and shared the same path for awhile. The Virginia Creeper is a very popular bike path that we have ridden a couple times in the past.

After leaving the bike trail behind we had just a few more miles to our camping spot for the night.  It was supposed to rain in the early morning hours but it decided to start shortly after we entered our tent for the night. Maybe this means it would end early!

Day 48 – Lost Mountain Shelter to Elk Garden: mile 486.7 to mile 494.9

It rained more overnight than expected and everything was very wet. The rain continued into the morning so we got very wet packing up. We started hiking with the plan of doing about 17 miles. The rain continued and began to mix with snow. As we started up our days biggest climb to over 5000 feet, the rain had turned to freezing rain and the trees were covered in a coat of ice. The scenery was very beautiful as a result but we were getting colder.

As we approached a road crossing with a parking lot, Amy suggested we get off the trail if we could get a room at the nearby inn. The only room available was a two room suite so we took it, hoping to warm up, dry off, and sleep well before getting back on the trail in the morning.

Day 49 – Elk Garden to Old Orchard Shelter: mile 494.9 to mile 510.2

It snowed more overnight and morning temperatures were below freezing. As we got the shuttle to the trailhead, Amy saw the mountain forecast that said windchills would be -2 degrees.  The first half of the day was cold and overcast. Later it cleared and the sun felt good.

Scenery at the higher elevations before the day warmed up were spectacular. The overnight snow and cold weather coated the bushes in ice and snow. This, coupled with frost on rocks and other surfaces, made for a surreal scene.

The Grayson Highlands are famous for the wild ponies that live there. All thru hikers are anxious to interact with the ponies. We almost got all the way through Grayson Highlands without seeing the famous wild ponies but managed to see a few near the end.

Icy terrain early in the day made for slow travel. We didn’t get to our destination until almost 6:00 pm, one of our latest days on the trail so far.

Day 50 – Old Orchard Shelter to an Unofficial Campsite: mile 510.2 to mile 527.9

A long of hiking that was highlighted by a crossing near a waterfall.  The bridge that used to cross the steam near the falls was no longer present so we had to traverse the stream using rocks and logs.

We did meet Tim on the trail today. He is the retired Navy officer that we met in Franklin. When we got off trail to stay at the inn, a fellow hiker we had gotten to know by the name of Special K, was also there. When we ended our day at an unofficial campsite, Special K was camping there as well.

Day 51 – Unofficial Campsite to Mount Rogers Visitor Center: mile 527.9 to mile 534.3

We got up early to make sure we made it to the Mount Rogers visitor center in time to catch the 11:00 am shuttle into Marion. We resupplied in town and will spend the night at the Travel Inn before getting back on the trail in the morning.

While waiting at the visitor center, we met a family consisting of the mom and her three daughters. I recognized them from a YouTube video we watched shortly before hitting the trail.  They are sharing their experiences on YouTube and has started back in early February.

Day	Miles	Total Asc	Total Desc	Steps
47	15.7	3930	2509	41619
48	8.2	2383	1414	23851
49	15.3	2979	3307	41963
50	17.7	3087	4301	46727
51	6.4	1338	954	31918