Christy's sister and her boyfriend, Megan and Jason, were visiting us this weekend from Pennsylvania. We originally planned to take them to Linville Gorge on Saturday, but the forecast called for rain. Sunday looked much better, but they had to drive back that night. Eventually we decided to go to Mt. Rogers Sunday, so they could head straight home from there. Joining us for the hike were Myron, Dorcas, Wayne, Linda, and the dogs, Sauconey and Izzak.
The forecast called for temperatures in the 30's, with a chance of flurries in the morning. We arrived at Massie Gap in Grayson Highlands State Park in a blizzard. The thermometer read 18 degrees, and the wind was blowing 30 to 40 miles per hour. It was snowing, and there's was an inch of snow on the ground already.
We met a group coming from Rhododendron Gap as we got our gear together. Conditions were brutal. An unprepared group of boy scouts had called 911 on their cell phone, and the rangers were preparing to get them. Another group had left their camp in the middle of the night, abandoning their gear. Did we really want to do this? Megan and Jason were outfitted with leftovers from our closet. Despite that, they were determined.
Before we left the parking lot, we saw a herd of wild ponies racing up the hill. We hiked up after them, fighting the blasts of wind that threatened to blow us off the trail. We wandered among several parallel trails, heading generally toward Wilburn Ridge and Rhododendron Gap. The snow picked up, and visibility dropped. Finally, we reached the relative shelter of a stand of spruce trees. Here, we encountered a single wild horse, who looked pitiful in the cold.
We continued the hike, following the AT around the east side of Wilburn Ridge. We found a neat boulder strewn tunnel, which provided shelter for lunch. Although we were out of the wind, it was still cold. We didn't stay long, but warm soup from a thermos may have been our best decision of the day.
We originally planned to hike back across the crest of the ridge. However, the trail was very icy, and we figured the ridge trail would be hazardous. Instead, a short bushwack brought us to the horse trail on the west side of the ridge. We followed it back to the AT, which returned us to the car.
Megan and Jason headed for home, as they had a long drive ahead of them. However, it was still early in the afternoon, and we decided one arctic hike wasn't enough. We decided that a valley hike might be more pleasant, so we drove to another trailhead along Big Wilson Creek. We were only 5 miles away, but we may as well have been on another planet. It was still fairly cold, with some flurries. But there was no wind, and the sun even came out.
We drove up a dirt road until it got rough, and parked in a turnaround. We hiked the rest of the way up the road, passing a hunting cabin along the way. Big Wilson Creek is a spectacular stream of powerful rapids and huge boulders. We enjoyed the creek side scenery, and even passed some Daffodils blooming in the snow.
The old road eventually dropped to ford the creek and head into the State Park. We decided to follow the Little Wilson Creek trail instead, heading into the Little Wilson Creek Wilderness. We hiked a pleasant streamside path through remote woods. Eventually, the trail died out. We searched for a connecting path to the Kabel Trail, but couldn't find it in the snow. That will be an adventure for another day.
By the time we returned, it almost seemed like a spring day. It was still cold, but the sun was out and the birds were singing. Grayson Highlands may get all the visitation, but on this day we preferred hiking along Wilson Creek.
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