Goodbye to Farsight and Highgear

We had a great time hiking and camping together! We covered about 47 miles of trail and had some great adventures. Farsight and Highgear are off to Kentucky today. Thanks to Pops and Grammy for driving over. See you up the trail next month!

Free range ponies on the AT

The Virginia Highlands were beautiful today. We met seven of the free range ponies that roam the region. Hikers Highgear and Farsight did great today. Tomorrow, we continue hiking the highlands and hope to get camp set up before the afternoon thunderstorms roll over Mt Rogers.
Mt Rogers was named in honor of Virginia's first geologist. William Barton Rogers also founded a school in Boston that is celebrating 150 years of life next year. Check out their website at http://www.mit.edu/.
;-)

Welcome to Virginia!

We've crossed the border from TN into VA. 3 states down; many to go. Trail progresses over 500 miles through VA. About 4 miles to trail town Damascus...

Big storm

A big storm blew in just as we were starting to fix dinner but our tent was up so were dry inside. We'll wait for it to blow over. Everyone is fine as we get ready to cross into Virginia and hike into Damascus tomorrow.

New hikers!

Great new hiking companions for the week! We'll keep you updated…

Watauga Dam

Trail crosses on a road across the top of this earthen dam. This dam is built from rock blasted from the mountainsides behind me. Like Fontana Dam in NC, it is part of the TVA system as well.
I'm looking forward to some new hiking partners in 2 days!

Mail at 5800 feet

There's a mailbox on top of Roan Mountain's Jane Bald. Check out baatanygoatproject.blogspot.com to find out why.

Cloudland

Behind me is Roan High Bluff. A luxury hotel and summer resort was here for 20 years but was dismantled in the early 1900's because the season was too short and the journey to the top of the mountain too difficult. Now, the mountain is a state park and has the world's largest natural rhodedendron garden.
Yes, it is as cold, wet, foggy, and rainy as you would expect from a place called Cloudland.

What's up? Are you stuck?

Nope. Just enjoying a break from the Trail for a couple of days courtesy of my inlaws who just returned to western North Carolina for the summer. After leaving Erwin, TN, we drove through Asheville, NC, and had dinner at www.earlygirleatery.com . (Excellent, by the way.) Then, back to Cherokee. I will be back on the trail later this week.

Tight squeeze!

From downhill looking up, the trail goes right through a tree....
The arch is only 2 feet tall, so I had to find a way around. (Just kkidding.)

Still on the TN/NC border

Pic from trail at Sam's Gap. I-26 crossing in the background. Trail goes through underpass.