Mount Rogers Trip Report, July 2012

 Mount Rogers National Recreation Area

And Grayson Highlands State Park

Virginia

July 26 & 27, 2012

Thursday, July 26

At 9:00 AM, I left Lagrange, Ohio for Grayson Highlands State Park.  Matt and Amy Raven departed from Columbus, Ohio about half an hour later.  Thanks to a disagreement between my Google Maps and their Garmin, I was able to make up a 40-mile deficit and catch up to Matt and Amy before arriving at Grayson Highlands.  After setting up camp, we decided to check out a few of the State Park’s trails, the first being the Cabin Creek Trail.  The trail starts through a thicket of rhododendrons and gradually descends to Cabin Creek, then follows the cascading creek to Cabin Creek Falls before climbing back along the ridge to the car.  The other trail we hiked before dark was the Rock House Ridge trail.  We quickly discovered that the Rock House was a large rock that they had put a picnic table next to at the trailhead.  The trail did take us to one view, the same view that could be seen from the overlook on the road.  At the end of the trail (or beginning, depending on your start) were a few replica 19^th century buildings that gave off a PBS-vibe, so we went back to the car.  Returning to the campground, we soon retired for the evening. 

Friday, July 27

Unbeknownst to us at the time, going to bed would not result in sleep.  The forestation at the campground is thick, and while we did not feel the full force of the wind on the ground, we could hear it ripping through the trees above like a freight train.  At various times throughout the night, each of us believed that would be meeting our maker or going to need a new car. 

With a potential threat of rain by early afternoon and nobody sleeping anyways, we got up shortly after 6:00AM, took down camp and made the short drive to the trailhead at Massie Gap.  As we began the 4-mile climb, it was still very windy and dark clouds were cruising by us and through us.  The first part of the trail was not very steep and well maintained and we made good time.  When we came to a large thicket of bushes, we encountered several of the wild ponies for which the Grayson Highlands and Mount Rogers are known.  There was little time for socializing as both parties were all business (us getting up and down that mountain as quickly as possible and breakfast for them).  From that point, the trail turned to the right and the trail became considerably more rocky.  The higher we climbed, visibilities decreased, both above and below us, depending on where the clouds were rolling through.  After accomplishing most the climbing we would have to do, the trail turned sharply and flattened out, and we were able to do this section in quick order.  We passed the Appalachian Trail shelter, where a few people had stayed the night before, and from there began the final climb to the summit (we could not see the rest of the mountain we were about to climb due to clouds and fog).  The summit of Mount Rogers is very different from the rest of the climb, it is completely wooded with no views.  It was very dark and wet, reminiscent of the kind of place something bad would be about to happen in the movies.  There are two summit markers, both are on large rocks and there is no sign designating that you’ve arrived.  After wandering around for a while, Amy spotted one of the markers and we sat on the rock and consumed snack cakes. 

As we began the descent down Mount Rogers, the skies gradually began to clear and by the time we had reached the boundary of the Grayson Highlands the sun was out in full force and it actually had warmed up considerably.  The return hike went quickly, but the rocky climb down the mountain had resulted in sore feet and knees.  We returned to the campground, showered, and departed Grayson (me for home, Matt and Amy for Virginia Beach).  The return drive for me was not an easy one, driving through storms in West Virginia, Akron-Canton, and the final stretch up Route 301 without the aid of AC or defrost.  I returned home at 9PM. 

Mount Rogers ranks as one of my favorite mountain summits.  The wide open views and climate were comparable to what you might expect in the Scottish Highlands rather than western Virginia.  In retrospect, we were blessed with the weather we experienced, with the wind and clouds on the ascent and clearing skies on the way back, we got to see Mount Rogers in different ways on the same hike.  Its reputation as one of the jewels of the Appalachians is confirmed.