Virginia's High Point - "Mount Rogers"

26th May 2006

We were on another road trip, this time making the ambitious aim to do 3 high points in 3 days.
Leaving New Jersey in the late afternoon on a Friday night, we headed south towards I-81 which would take us to Virginia. We had made reservations at Grindstone Campground within the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area and had promised what sounded like an aging forest ranger that we would check in before 11pm and before they went to bed. The trip down I-81 seems to take forever and was busy with trucks and Friday night traffic. We rolled in just before midnight. It had started to rain slightly and we were too tired to put up the tent so we slept in the back of the car.

To get to Virginia's high point Mount Rogers which stands at an impressive 5,729feet, this would be my first decent length hike in the US. It was a lovely sunny day though a little windy as we made our way on the hike. It was a relatively easy hike with a gentle climb in elevation so it didn't feel too strenous and we were able to enjoy the fantastic views. The best part was seeing the wild "Wilburn Ridge" ponies which seemed really accustomed to people and let us get up close. There were also a few cows too lazing in the fields.

The scenery was very varied, from dry flat fields to rocky paths, and from bushes and trees to an almost "rainforest" feel as we approached the summit. Compared to the wonderful views, the high point wasn't anything exciting but a spot in a small clearing in the trees with no view. It felt very damp and it was getting cold, so we quickly looked for the USGS marker and took a few photos before heading back. The round trip hike took about 5 hours.