Grayson Highlands Fall Pt. 2

The day things got REALLY good

The 4th day of our little section hike through Grayson Highlands was when we started to hit the stuff we came for, and my wife accordingly took a ton of beautiful photos. So many in fact that this day is going to get its own entry. This day and the one that followed remain two of my favorite days on the trail. Ever.

However, the day started by once again proving one of my “laws” of the trail- whenever you depart a shelter, you’re going to hike uphill. And today’s hike started with a rock-hopping jaunt that gained a few hundred feet.

1.7 miles into the day we reached the intersection with the Pine Mountain Trail, and somewhere around there or shortly after we hit the edge of the “Crest Zone,” which is where things started to actually look like The Highlands.

From that point we started a gentle descent, and through breaks in the trees we started to see that some really beautiful terrain was ahead.

We then passed through a stile. Thankfully the kind that you don’t have to climb over.

We then continued our descent to what is known as The Scales.

The Scales is a horse corral. I think this is where they round up some of the nearby longhorn cattle and possibly some of the wild ponies. How they then transport them wasn’t immediately apparent. The small roofed building turned out to be a very nice pit toilet. Even better, it had a place for garbage. I off-loaded about 3 lbs. of garbage, including an empty chutney jar. My pack immediately felt much lighter.

The views of the nearby hills/mountains in fall color were spectacular. We lounged around The Scales for a while taking it all in. While we were there, we saw a pair of ravens, as well as what I’m positive was a peregrine falcon. There is apparently an ongoing relocation effort somewhere nearby, so it WAS possible.

As we left The Scales, we ran into what looked like trouble.

That guy made me about as nervous as I would’ve been if he’d been a bear. I had always figured that if I met my demise on trail due to a bear, my obituary would at least look heroic. I’m not sure “foolishly met his end through the horns of a deranged bull” would’ve had the same effect. Fortunately, he wasn’t aggressive and just watched us as we hiked past. There were more incredible views along the way.

As we hiked along Grassy Ridge we noticed some activity along a dirt road in the distance….seems like I remember some horseback riders down there.

After passing through that saddle of sorts we began a gentle rocky, exposed climb. It was pretty warm, and being at elevation I got some sunburn before I realized it.

And then, we finally spied our first wild pony, hiding in the shade under a nearby tree.

The trail then went through a stretch where small groves of trees alternated with pastures. We eventually reached Big Wilson Creek.

Even though it was only 0.1 miles from here to Wise Shelter- our destination for the evening- I stupidly elected not to camel up since the shelter was supposed to have a nearby water source. LOL, right. Note to self- never pass up water before a shelter. The footbridge over the creek was slanted more than just a little bit.

We reached Wise Shelter with plenty of light left in the day. Not long after, another couple came by, but very kindly decided to let us have the place to ourselves (our 3rd night in a row with nobody else in the shelter!) while they pitched a tent nearby.

This shelter was special- it had not one but TWO privies! Apparently an Eagle Scout thought that the first one sucked and built another one.

I went looking for water. And not only did I not find it (I think I took the wrong side trail), I darn near got lost. I ended up in a thicket, and only through my natural sense of direction did I manage to get back to the shelter. Of course, I then had to walk back to Big Wilson Creek for the water I could’ve gotten earlier.

Even with my water misadventures, we still had plenty of daylight, so I gathered some firewood and we built a small fire before I prepared dinner. This whole hiking fewer miles thing was making evenings in camp better for sure. We had plenty of time to reflect on the gorgeous scenery we’d hiked through that day. Even better, we knew there was at least as good if not even better awaiting us tomorrow. Day 4: 6.0 miles.

To read Pt. 3, CLICK HERE