Mount Rogers

I did a road trip through the Smokies, trying to hit up 6 state high points in 2.5 days. Unfortunately I wasn’t prepared for the weather at elevation, and we just didn’t have the proper gear to do the 8 mile hike to reach the summit. The warmest thing we had were hoodies, and it was 30-some degrees with snow. We were both wearing minimalist shoes too which, while we had worn them for the 8 mile hike to summit Handey Peak in South Dakota no problem, would not work for snowy, wet trails.

Next time I’ll plan better!

So normally, me being from Asheville in the middle of the Appalachian Mountains, seeing another mountain view (bleh!) wouldn’t be high on my to do list. But when I got up to the top it was amazing and it literally took my breath away. There is such a dramatic contrast of landscapes up there….you can see for miles into dramatic smooth blue peaks on one side……rocky outcrops and a brush plain filled with wild horses that make you think you’re in Scotland on another, and an abrupt jagged coniferous mountain on the other. It was an amazing experience, especially with the wild horses! Completely picturesque.

This hike is a real sleeper. The rolling hills are just awesome! Best time of day is sunrise for a start. Easy trail, there are a couple of interesting side trails too. It touches on the A.T. for a bit. Not much of a summit, however it too is interesting in that there’s no vista, but the woods get so thick the temperature drops a good ten or fifteen degrees the final half mile.

See my trip report at: http://houstonguy.blogspot.com/2005/09/mt-rogers-va.html