Grayson Highlands - Trip Report

"A horse, a horse!  My kingdom for a horse!" - King Richard, in Richard III

After a record-breaking late-September/early-October heat wave in North Carolina, fall is finally in the air.  The leaves are turning, the weather is cooling off, and it is the perfect window for mountain backpacking where visual stimulation is maximized, daytime highs and the local insect populations are minimized, and decreasing nighttime lows are more than manageable when paired with a campfire, a mug of tea, and a flask full of whiskey.
 

Day 1

Four days before the increasingly controversial holiday of Canadian Thanksgiving, NC State's Fall Break begins, giving students a nice long weekend in early fall.  Being a grad student in my final year (knock on wood), I have no classes to take a break from, meaning these university holidays are sort of underwhelming.  However, as you may tell from my lack of posting, I have been supremely preoccupied with work since mid-July.  While my focus has been paying off, the unwelcome side-effect is the swelling feeling of needing to "get out" (one may call it wanderlust, but I would not say it's exactly that).  In fact, I impulsively bought plane tickets for a birthday trip to Big Bend National Park, but more on that in 3 months 😉.

With this being my last year in Raleigh, I am trying to branch out and see areas that I have not yet been.  Grayson Highlands has been on my radar since I moved to Raleigh, and despite being in southwestern Virginia, it is closer to Raleigh than most backpacking destinations in North Carolina (recall that the Appalachians run southwest to northeast).  Along with the Roan Highlands on the NC/TN border, the Grayson Highlands are renowned for their high elevation balds, wild horses, and Appalachian Trail (AT) sections.  I find that camping along the AT has its advantages and disadvantages.  The biggest advantage is the overall improved infrastructure.  Trail maintenance is never a worry on the AT.  Shelters are plentiful, trails are well-blazed, water sources are marked, and an ample amount of resources can be found online.  The primary disadvantage is a lack of wilderness character, which can be a significant detriment (my biggest complaint with Shenandoah).

On the AT

Originally the plan had been to park at Grayson Highlands State Park (GHSP) and hike to the Thomas Knob shelter, where we would camp nearby, possibly summiting Mt Rogers, the highest mountain in Virginia (but apparently short on views due to tree coverage; more of a box tick than a worthwhile endeavor in and of itself), then hiking over to the Wise Shelter area via Rhododendron Gap and the Crest Trail on Day 2, then hiking out via the AT on Day 3.  However, the aforementioned disadvantages of AT popularity reared their ugly head early on the morning of Day 1.  I woke up and decided to check the GHSP website to see what the nightly parking fee was, and discovered that, new in October 2019 (hence why I had not seen it in any trip reports), parking at the overnight backpacker lot in GHSP required a reservation, of which they had sold out.  I have never heard of needing a reservation to park, so this had me more than irked, but I can understand why it's necessary.  (RANT ALERT) There has been a lot of news in recent years about increased national park visitation, and I'm sure this extends to other public lands, i.e., state parks, national forests, etc.  Most of this is tied to social media culture, as frontcountry sites see the worst increase in usage (https://www.wsj.com/articles/instagram-turns-obscure-u-s-sights-into-social-media-destinations-11562410801), but the demand for parking, roadways, and resources strains backcountry usage as well.  I am of the belief that the public lands system in the U.S. has two tacit and mutually exclusive goals: conservation and visitation.  If visitation is the primary goal, then these places may as well be privatized for obvious reasons; so, as long as these places are to remain public lands, conservation should take precedence (although, ironically it is the private ranches which remain some of the wildest and best-conserved places in the continental U.S.).  What I'm taking a long time to say is, I agree with limiting the number of people who can park, and while it probably won't do enough, it will help with the flow of people.  The great irony of public lands is that it is the public that most endangers the land.

Cows at Scales

We chewed the fat with some locals at a gas station where we got lunch, and were warned of rattlesnake activity by some colorful characters.  Going off the cuff, we decided instead to park at the Fairwood area north of the highlands.  Had we more confidence in our vehicle, we would have driven the 4x4 road up to the Scales site, which would have reduced our total mileage by several miles.  The first ~3.25 miles were a droll uphill hike on forest road and horse trail to the Scales site, which acts mostly as a staging area for horse trips and cow grazing, but can also be a parking area for hiking trips or a campground.  At Scales, the trees started to hint at their fall colors.  While I did not judge it to be peak leaf-peeping season, the entire forest was a combination of red, orange, yellow, and green, with a slight wisp of gray from the trees which had already been bare of most of their leaves.  This visual pleasure was undercut with incessant moo-ing from a grazing herd of cows.

Looking back at a herd of cows Scales while climbing out

While on the topic of cows, there is more shit here than you will ever see in your life.  Every mile of trail seems to be covered in horse, wild or tame, cow, deer, or bear shit.  Try not to step in the fresh stuff.

We targeted our original night 2 campsite, north of Wise shelter off the Wilson Creek Trail, but opted to take the "long way" on the AT southbound over Stone Mountain to maximize views.

Looking at Rhododendron Gap from Stone Mountain

From Stone Mountain, the shape of the Grayson Highlands area really opens up, showing itself as a bowl with rims made of Stone Mountain in the east, Pine Mountain in the west, Scales in the north, and Wilburn Ridge in the south.  After moseying across Stone Mountain, the AT drops somewhat steeply into the forest in the Little Wilson Creek Wilderness.  I always love how primeval the forests in the Appalachians look, with an abundance of ferns and giant boulders set amid a humidity-induced haze that make one feel undersized, like a Hobbit, or perhaps lost in the Cretaceous Era.  Perhaps not incidentally, the Appalachians are one of the oldest mountain ranges in the world.  Despite the humidity, there was a noticeable lack of water, and while we were unaware of any Forest Service-issued fire warnings, the region was in drought conditions after an uncharacteristically dry September.  This weighed on our minds, and we were openly thinking of a plan of action in the event we made a dry camp.

View from camp

After meeting with the other trails that branch out from Scales to the south, we saw that the creek which was to be our water source for camp was running with no shortage of water.  We hiked north on the Wilson Creek Trail for about a quarter mile before picking an elevated pasture with a preexisting fire ring to be our campsite.  I made some "Kathmandu Curry", and we had a small fire.  While the region was technically in drought conditions, the recent rain made it very unlikely that there was any real fire danger, and in fact, we had great difficulty finding dry firewood with which to make the fire.  Since leaving Scales, we had seen no hikers, and, aside from a group that passed our campsite several times on the Wilson Creek Trail at dusk, evidently indecisive on where to camp, we were undisturbed by life, civilized or otherwise.  This would be short-lived.

Day 2

Though originally planned as a 3-day trip, we were not married to the idea.  While we considered backpacking to Thomas Knob, spending the night, and backpacking out the next day, we instead decided to do a day hike loop, going up the Wilburn Ridge Trail, to Rhododendron Gap, then down the Crest Trail to Scales, and back to our campsite.  The time we got back and our willingness to hike 5 miles out with full packs would determine whether we spent another night in the backcountry.

Massie Gap

Looking south

Rhododendron Gap, where we're going

Where we've been

Rugged features of the ancient Appalachians

The climb to Wilburn Ridge is continually flanked by rhododendrons, one of my favorite parts of hiking in the southern Appalachians, since it feels like walking in a hedgerow maze.  We followed the AT over Wilburn Ridge and Massie Gap, with no shortage of views to the south and overlooking the aforementioned bowl.  We could see the pasture where we made camp, but without binoculars had no hope of finding our campsite.  As we looked on Upper Wilburn Ridge, we could see the mass of people that let us know we were getting closer to the "meat" of GHSP.

"Do Not Pet or Feed the Horses" - Nearby Signs

Looking south into NC/TN

In addition to the throngs of people, we also finally saw our first glimpse of wild ponies.  I admittedly am not all that impressed by the wild ponies.  Calling them "wild" is somewhat misleading, in my opinion, as they are descended from stray horses.  This would be akin to calling an alley cat or stray dog "wild".  But regardless, they are great picture fodder if you care to get close enough, or one happens to be blocking the trail.  As we hiked up to Rhododendron Gap, the views, especially to the southwest, became spectacular.  The cloud coverage suggested the possibility of rain, but the skies were dry for now, and, aside from the constant cold wind pelting any westerly slope, the weather was good.

Rhododendron Gap

Trail flanked by the eponymous rhododendrons

Mount Rogers

The cloudy west area was much more evocative of fall, with the gloomy overcast sky, whose clouds would occasionally reach down to lap the treetops on Mt. Rogers to the west, waves on an inverted beach, while the east ridge could easily be mistaken for a summer day, were it not for the colorful hue of the trees.  I relished the literal and figurative atmosphere, since fall weather has been so sorely lacking in Raleigh until recently.  As an extra bonus, the pine scent was unmistakable, a perfect metaphysical representation of the lurking "holiday season" that immediately usurps fall starting November 1st.

Over a mile high at this point, an impressive feat on the East Coast

"The Lone Backpacker"

We continued north on the Crest Trail, dodging equestrians and Boy Scout troops, heading toward Scales.  Riding is popular in the Grayson Highlands area, and only the AT is restrictive of horse riding, for the most part.  These trails have been coated with gravel, which keeps them from being torn up by the horses.

Grazing wild horse on the Crest Trail

The loop complete, one last look at the fall colors

Going through Scales and heading back to camp, we finished our ~9 mile loop by about 2:00 PM.  With the sky darkening and some rain sprinkles hitting us, we decided that, given the early finish and possible oncoming rain (spending the next 16 hours in a tent sounded not fun), we packed up camp and hiked out, hitting the trailhead at 5:00 PM.  After stopping to eat at Fox Creek General Store, which had an excellent BBQ sandwich, baked beans, and Snickers pie, we drove back to Raleigh, and were home by 9:45 PM.

While lacking in wild character, the Grayson Highlands teemed with views, and by hiking a loop around the "bowl", like the one described here, you accumulate a full 360-degree panorama, with views into 3 states.  I would wholly recommend this hike, more so if you can go on weekdays or after peak season.  However, if your car is capable, I would stress on driving up to Scales.  Had we been prepared with the proper vehicle and able to cut out the hike up to Scales, I probably would have preferred to hike from Scales to Thomas Knob via the Crest Trail, summit Mount Rogers, hike down to Wise Shelter/Wilson Creek Trail via Wilburn Ridge, then hike back to the car, as either a 1 or 2 night trip.

Other Things

As I mentioned, I have not posted much, mostly because I've been busy.  I have not really had the chance to do many worthwhile overnight hikes.  Back in June, I did a one-night, after work trip to La Vega in the Pecos Wilderness, as a prelude to a Penitente/Lake Peak summit attempt that went nowhere because of late snow coverage.  However, I would recommend La Vega for anyone wanting to do a short trip or maybe to acclimate for a longer trip in the Pecos.  The solitude and beauty of this meadow was palpable, considering it was just over 3 miles from the Santa Fe Ski Area.

Santa Fe Baldy stands solemnly over La Vega

New Mexico views call for New Mexico brews (I'm so sorry)

Snowmelt-fed creek in the morning light

Late-season snow coverage on Santa Fe Baldy, as viewed from Puerto Nambe

I also managed to summit Lake Peak via the Raven's Ridge route in late-June, after a little more snow had melted.  However, the snow was still 4+ feet deep in places, and I had to posthole a bit once I got above ~11,600'.  This was the second time I did Lake Peak, but I preferred this to my first time.  I had the entire ridge to myself, only seeing one other person descending on my way up the trail.  This was also my first experiment with listening to music on the trail, something I virtually never do.  My verdict: listening to the appropriate music enhances the experience somewhat, but it has to be the right type of hike.  It's hard for me to describe my relationship with Lake Peak, but the best I can do is say it's dream-like, and that made it a good hike for listening to music.

Lake Peak's imposing beauty in the morning light

A clear day with views to the Chimayosos Divide

Penitente Peak with Hamilton Mesa peeking in at the left

My last major hike was Mt. Yale in Colorado, and it was my first 14er.  Aside from a family road trip when I was too young to remember, I have never been to central CO, so it was fun to get in the mountains and bag a 14er, though I had to wake up at 2:00 AM to do it.  At 8.4 miles round-trip, Mt. Yale was not too hard, but the elevation and constant climb wears on you.  I drank plenty of Colorado beer to make up for it.  However, this was my first experience with "crowded Colorado", and I remembered why I had such an appreciation of New Mexico.

Overall, the summer ended well.  I met a lot of new and awesome people, and found myself being far more "social" than I have in the past, which is more of a statement of the quality of people I had the pleasure to interact with than any amount of personal growth.  This summer, along with the others I've spent working at Los Alamos since moving to Raleigh, will always hold a special place in my heart.  I must confess that I have always found my summers to be an enlightening, almost religious, experience.  I've learned about myself, professionally, personally, and emotionally, and I've learned more about the world.  While I hate leaving home for 3+ months a year, part of me will miss the summer adventures: the bookend road trips in America's Heartland, the eccentric landladies, the sojourns into Colorado, the pilgrimage-esque visits to  religious and wilderness sites, not always mutually exclusive, the annual "New Mexico care package", full of all my favorite NM beers, chile, and other treats, and so on.  Even if I gain employment at Los Alamos after graduation, I am already nostalgic for this period of my life that can ever exist again, and while that makes me sad, it also makes me happy because it is a part of "me", and I'm grateful that I've been able to spend it with family and friends.

Postscript

As it stands, I will probably not do an overnight trip until December at the earliest, since my November is shaping up to be a busy one.  Obviously, December is cold in the mountains, so I'll probably be looking closer to home for some trips.  However, if the weather looks good, I may try to finish the Foothills Trail in early December if I've done my prelims by then.  If I don't do a trip in December, I will do a write-up on Big Bend, even though I doubt I will do any backpacking.  If that's the case, Happy Halloween, Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!