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Once again I’m heading to the Grayson Highlands but this is the first time in 2015 I’m sorry to say.  Seems like every time I planned to go the weather was less than friendly and the last two times I was there it was raining the entire time.  So, I was prepared to hold out until it looked like good weather so I could experience some sunshine!

As the weekend crept closer and closer the weather held out and it turned out to be a beautiful the entire time we were there.

This trip was going to be a trial for some new gear I was testing for my John Muir Trail hike in August.  I just bought a Nemo Veda tent and couldn’t wait to test it out.  I also purchased a pair of Merrell Moab low hiking shoes and Drymax socks that I wanted to test out and see if they would end up working out okay for my big hike.

We started at Grindstone Campground and began our hike at the Mt. Rogers trailhead right off route 603.  It’s a nice climb from route 603 to Deep Gap and if you’re moving at a pretty good clip it will get your heart pumping.

I’ve hiked this section of trail several times now and I really like it.  It’s not steep by any means but it has some rocky sections that will give you a face plant.  Best to be careful on the way up this trail.

 

We ran across several mushrooms on this trail that were unique!

 

This purple mushroom was definitely the coolest I’ve ever seen!  It looked like something you might see in a cartoon.  We saw red mushrooms, white mushrooms and purple ones like this one.

 

 

We finally reached Deep Gap so we stepped out and enjoyed the view and the ponies for a bit before hiking onward to our first night campsite.

 

Deep Gap is approximately 4-4.25 miles from the Mt. Rogers Trailhead.

Unfortunately, they don’t allow camping in or near Deep Gap which is a bummer but probably the best thing to keep it as nice as possible.

There are a few nice campsites just North of here and in the woods.  I had camped at one of them on a prior trip and it’s very nice, though not very flat.  This time I wanted to get a little farther and camp so we kept hiking on past Thomas Knob shelter.

 

Our first night we ended up staying at a small campsite right off the Appalachian Trail located about 100 yards North of the Thomas Knob Shelter.  It wasn’t a giant area but it had a really nice flat site for my tent and a few trees for my nephews hammock.  Now, I have to say this side of the mountain is unprotected and I’ve camped in the Thomas Knob Shelter at times when the winds are gusting at 60 or 70 miles an hour and you can feel the shelter move.  Add rain and/or mist to the equation and you have a nice recipe for being cold and wet and possibly hypothermic.

They really frown on campfires anywhere in the general vicinity of the Thomas Knob Shelter.  I was told that it’s a protected salamander habitat.

 

 

 

These rocky outcroppings are located only about 1/4 mile North of Thomas Knob Shelter.  They are right off the Appalachian Trail and I just can’t resist climbing up on them to survey the surrounding hills.  There is an awesome campsite nestled in the middle of them that would give some protection from the winds that blow through here on a nightly basis.

I intend to camp here sometime soon.

 

We came across this momma and baby pony on the AT and I have to say this had to be the cutest baby pony I’ve seen yet in the Grayson Highlands.  It was really cool.

 

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We couldn’t resist climbing up several of the giant rock outcroppings and getting a view of our surroundings.

We hiked the AT on down to the Wise Shelter then on across Big Wilson Creek.  This is a beautiful area!

This is the small footbridge over Big Wilson creek that’s just North of the Wise Shelter.  Once you cross the bridge you take a right and head North.

There are a few more campsites along the way this section of trail.

 

There is a split where you can either take the AT or Wilson Creek Trail.  I’ve always taken the Wilson Creek Trail because it’s loaded with blueberries and blackberries.  One of these days I will take the AT to the Scales instead.

Decisions decisions…should I take the Wilson Creek Trail and dodge horse poop and eat berries or take the AT and enjoy the scenery.

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Once we got to the scales we jumped on the AT again and started hiking toward Old Orchard Shelter.  We started coming across some campsites along the AT that were looking pretty sweet because we were both tired and ready to take a break.

 

We got about a mile from the Scales when we found a very nice campsite just off the trail to the West that was just too nice to pass up.  It was clean and not too trashy and very dry.  There was a good flat area for my tent and lots of dry firewood right by our campsite so we decided this was going to be our campsite for the night.

I have to say that it ended being a great place to stay and I would camp there again no questions asked.

 

The only downside is the hike out would be a little longer in the morning on the way back to Grindstone Campground.  But as it turned out it wasn’t that far after all.

 

 

The next morning we got up and hiked back the AT to Route 603 – crossed it and then took the Fairwood valley Trail back to Route 603 then up 603 for a half mile or so to Grindstone Campground.

This was another awesome trip to the Grayson Highlands and Mt. Rogers!

 

Lowdown on new gear

Nemo Veda 1P Tent – This was the first time I camped with my new Veda tent and the second and third time I had set it up.  Until this trip I only set it up once in my back yard.

I’m very happy with it at this point – it sets up relatively quickly and is very sturdy once set up.  Like most non-freestanding tents it requires a little forethought when choosing a campsite because once set up it has to be taken down to be moved.  I staked out the four corners first then raised the tent with the long cord in front.  I stake this cord down as opposed to staking the door down because it gives me the option to leave the front totally wide open.  After that I go to the back and stake down the main center stake then the vent open stake.  I went ahead and staked out the additional pullouts at the ends to give better head and foot room but it’s roomy enough without it.  There is a ton of side to side room and foot and head room for a person like me at around 6’2″ and 230.

It misted heavily and everything was soaked in the morning but barely any condensation on the inside of my Veda tent.  It worked incredibly well to keep my dry and comfortable all night.  It was wet in the morning when I packed it away but had dried out by about 3 o’clock so that was definitely a good thing.

So far my overall feeling about my Veda is great and I can’t wait to use it again and again!

Drymax Trail Run 1/4 Crew socks – A friend of mine wears these socks and he mentioned that they are highly recommended by Andrew Skurka so I had to give them a try.  I’m glad I did because they are outstanding!

I took one pair with me on this trip in addition to a backup pair of Smartwool short socks.  These were everything he said they were and more.  Not once do I recall feeling like my feet were clammy or wet and it was downright hot most of the weekend.  Especially on Saturday, we hiked about 10 miles and my feet stayed totally dry and comfortable.  I totally forgot about them because they felt great.  Needless to say, I’ll be purchasing another pair in the very near future.

Merrell Moab Low Hiking Shoes – I’ve read about these just about everywhere on the internet and by word of mouth from fellow hikers.  They are reputed to be comfortable and very durable.  They are non-waterproof by choice because I will need them for the John Muir Trail in August so I bought them ahead of time so I could test them on a few hikes.

Well they worked out pretty well in all areas for me on this hike.  I dropped in a pair of Superfeet Green before I put them on so I would have some additional underfoot protection.  They held up very well to the numerous rocks encountered on this section of the Appalachian Trail which is loaded with many of them.  And I am not exaggerating because some sections you don’t even touch the ground for 20 or 30 yards and half of that time you’re walking on sharp edges of rocks.  By the end of the hike they had some scuffs to the midsole but nothing that was unexpected for hiking on fairly rough terrain.  Combined with the Drymax socks I think I have a winning combination.

 

FOOTWEAR/BACKPACKS/CONTENTS	WEIGHT OUNCES
SHOES/BOOTS NOT INCLUDED IN PACK WEIGHT
MERRELL MOAB VENTILATOR	30.00
TREKKING POLES NOT INCLUDED IN PACK WEIGHT
BLACK DIAMOND FL ULTRA DISTANCE TREKKING POLES	16.00
BACKPACKS
MOUNTAINSMITH LOOKOUT 45 BACKPACK NOW Mountainsmith Lookout 50 Backpack	66.00
PACK COVER
Equinox Stingray Ultralight Pack Cover	4.10
TENTS
NEMO VEDA 1P TENT W/FOOTPRINT	45.00
QUILTS
ENLIGHTENED EQUIPMENT REVELATION 40 DEGREE QUILT W/ STUFF SACK	17.78
SLEEPING PADS
THERMAREST RIDGEREST SOLITE REGULAR CUT DOWN TO 20X60	12.00
THERMAREST NEOAIR TREKKER LARGE	26.00
TARPS
Sea to Summit Ultra-Sil NanoTarp-Poncho	12.90
FOOD
2 NIGHT FOOD – LOKSAK ODORPROOF BAG/ZPACKS BLAST FOOD BAG	76.20
BASICS
BEAR BAG KIT-CORDAGE/BLACK DIAMOND NEUTRINO CARABINER	4.50
SAFETY LANYARD – BG COMPACT SCOUT KNIFE/ADVENTURE MEDICAL RESCUE HOWLER/COAST G10 FLASHLIGHT	2.80
MINI COMPASS AND TEMP GAUGE	0.70
ZPACKS CUBEN FIBER ZIP WALLET	2.00
SAWYER FILTER MINI(2OZ), ONE SQUEEZE POUCH(1.5OZ), SCOOP CUP(2OZ) MESH BAG	5.50
BODY GLIDE-REPEL LEMON EUCALYPTUS BUG REPELLENT-SUNTAN LOTION IN ZPACKS CUBEN FIBER BAG	2.90
TOILETRY/POTTY KIT – MEDICINE/TOOTHBRUSH/TOOTHPASTE/TP/TROWEL/HAND CLEANER	16.30
FIRE KIT: DRYER LINT/LIGHTER/LIGHT MY FIRE FIRESTEEL	2.80
CLOTHING
MARMOT DRICLIME WINDSHIRT	10.00
Vivobarefoot Men’s Ultra II Water Shoe	6.00
SUMMER CLOTHING BAG 2 NIGHT QUILT: WOOL SOCKS/SHORTS(2)/BOXERS/IN GARBAGE BAG	27.00
Frogg Toggs Men’s Ultra Lite Rain Suit	4.40
EDDIE BAUER FIRST ASCENT FLEECE PULLOVER	10.60
COOKING
SOLO STOVE W/ALCOHOL BURNER/ALCOHOL/SNOW PEAK TREK 900 TITANIUM POT W/4 DOG LID/VARGO TITANIUM FOLDING SPORK/SOBE CUP	22.20
WATER BOTTLES – BLADDERS
TWO SOBE BOTTLES FULL	58.00
PLATYPUS 1 LITER SOFT BOTTLE EMPTY	1.50
LIGHTING
BLACK DIAMOND IN HMG NANO CF8 CUBEN STUFF SACK	4.30
TOOLS
UDAP 7.9 OZ BEAR SPRAY	12.10
LEATHERMAN TOOL	5.30
MIRROR / COMPASS / MOUNTAIN LAUREL DESIGNS CUBEN FIBER BAG	1.50
Bahco 396-LAP Laplander Folding Saw, 9-Inch Blade, 7 TPI	6.70
EXTRAS
Klymit Cush Inflatable Pillow & Seat Cushion	3.10
MP3 PLAYER AND BLUETOOTH SPEAKER	5.50
RECHARGEABLE BATTERY IN HMG NANO CF11 CUBEN STUFF SACK	5.30
TOTAL SUM OF WEIGHT OUNCES	480.98
TOTAL SUM OF WEIGHT POUNDS	30.06