Mt Rogers

“After many years of driving past Mt Rogers and the Jefferson NF, this last weekend I finally went backpacking there and had a great time.

Friday we drove to VaTech and picked up my son and drove the rest of the way down to the Mt Rogers National Recreation Area.

We (Ben, Sally, Ellen and I)parked along Rt 603 at a trailhead around 4 PM and hiked in beautiful weather about 2 miles before setting up camp on a shelf on the western slope. There was a stream next to camp and the sunset was spectacular. The trail up the west slope was in great shape and the next morning we made it up to the summit of Mt Rogers by noon where we ate lunch. There was about 5-6 inches of snow up top. After lunch we checked out the shelter near the summit which was two story and in great shape, watered-up and set out for Rhododendron Gap at a very comfortable pace.

We'll have to go back here in late May to see the rhodos bloom. What a sight that must be.

We reconnected with the AT by the Pine Mtn Trail ( along which we saw wild ponies) and then stayed the night in the Orchard Shelter which was fine. We met some nice folks from Wake Forest up on the top. Ben got a huge fire going and an owl came round that night. Skies clouded over but the rains held off til morning for an easy hike back to the truck. As soon as I get my pix back on CD and I figure that out I'll post them.”

“That is a very cool place up there. WOW 5 inches of snow on top, the weather there is kinda bizarre, doesn't seem to belong in Southern Virginia.”

“Very cool!

To bad you guys didn't get the kinda weather Pennsy and Company got in November.......NOT!”

“Mt. Rogers is a mountain that I really want to hike. There is a TT hike there in October. Can't wait.”

“You got that right Marko. I've been there twice and both times the weather was deplorable. Thurs, I'll be driving past that area on rt81 on my way to Nashville. 10 to 1 the weather will be perfect because I won't be hiking there.”

“Pennsy, that's a sure thing!

Nashville?”

“Yepper, gonna see Walkindude and his band rock the house, do a bit of hiking, and hang with some crazy Nashvillians.”

“damn. Not in Nashville anymore. Sounds like a fun time.”

“Day hiked to Thomas knob by way of grayson Highlands.....Wilburn Ridge has 16 inches of snow and drifts 3 feet high. Massey Gap has snow drifts approx 18 inches with 5 to 7 inches of snow.”

“dang that sounds sweet”

“Did you use your snowshoes???”

“I 'spect Fridgy had those doggies pullin' him in his pulk.”

“used snoeshoes from springs trail up through the meadow and skirted Wilburn Ridge,aka Fat man squeeze by the Horse trail to Rodo Gap....where ever the snow melt was prevelant Ice had built up at least 3 inches thick.”

“My boss is up there this weekend. I guess he got his snow.”

“Sounds like a great day!!! I want snow!!”

“Congrats on a great hike. The snow sounds beautiful. Not a trace of that stuff here.
I hope to get back to Mt. Rogers this spring.”

“Deep snow here....I'll be snowshoeing tomorrow......”

“I just returned from Wilburn Ridge with deep snow...so deep for anyone who has ever been here....as you trek S bound from Grayson you could not determin where the At was actually at.....all the rocky areas was totally coverd with a smooth path through to Thomas Knob. You could actually hear the snow flakes hitting trees and resting on the surface.”

“Go snow!”

“cool”

“WOW...we got a tiny tiny dusting!!!”

“I close my eyes and I'm there......”

“Cool, I've never heard the sound snow makes when it rests on a surface.”

“its a lot like the sound of one hand clapping”

“We gonna get significant snow here.”

“Yep my weatherman just predicted 10 to 12 inches along the ridge from north of Pidgeon forge up into Northern VA.....”

“mount rogers? i barely know the guy!”

“ya know george washington got so drunk he tried to mount vernon....”

“leave it you yall for thread degeneration.

wish i could be up there to see all snow!”

“Sweetpea, what did you expect on here, lol.

If it snows so deep that fridge can't get out, then we know its too deep!”

“DEEP very DEEP......!”

“what happened when bluto went to mt olive?”

“popeye got pissed”

“Returned from White top Mt second Highest point in Va and snow amounts are at least a foot at approx 4500 ft and another foot is expected....Day hike tomorrow to Wilburn Ridge.”

“We are getting white out conditions now and POWER is out at 9:25pm....I gots a 15KW generator that runs the house. Damn right there's nothing like being a backpacker prepared for the worst.”

“Mt Rogers Va has 20 inches at my home (3500 ft) and whiteout conditions are quite frequent now. Power has been out since 9:25pm yesterday but I do have a 15 KW generator running the house. Heading to Wilburn Ridge today with snowshoes..... elevation approx 5000 plus hoping for at least 30 inches or more.”

“15kw! you runnin' half the city on that thing!?”

“hey 21 how much snow did you get? i have 20 inches”

“Runs my entire home with no overloading on Gen.”

“Keep on hiking Refrigerator”

“Fridge,

Hiking this weekend. Thought about Mitchell but I really don't want to be humpng up on the ridge line with all the rocks and up and down and ice and snow......so....I'm thinking about 3 days at Rogers. How much snow is up there and whats forecast?

We need to get over to the Beartown.”

“Snow at wilburn ridge has approx 6 inches left and some”

“how much on the right?”

“We have 20 plus inches at Elk Garden and who knows what depths at Wilburn Ridge. My home at 3500 ft has a little over a foot but if you drive 12 miles west down off the mountain into Chilhowie Va I81 there is virtually nothing. Power has been out at my home here and no phone so I pitched my TENT outside next to the broken phone line due to a tree fell and spliced into it with a phone jack and my LAP TOP so I could be at home on TT. My wife said I need to be commited to a mental facility. Hey I only have dial up here on the Mountain so I had to do something to get back on line.”

“hey Fridge is the f'ing connections any better this way than they were in the house? I know how annoying the disconnects were to you.”

“LMAO...hahahahaaaaaa.....YOU are addicted!!!
..I miss snow!!!! :(”

“I miss snowstorms....ya know when everyone stays home....you bake cookies....play games...spend time with your loved ones...then go play in the snow...sigh...”

“Those commando skills came in handy splicing into the phone line, huh?

Which tent?”

“well I'm back in my tent, MarkO I have my Hilleberg Keron 4 and using my heater. Hoi the connection is much better as I wonder why. If the damn power is still off I may run an extension cord from my generator to my tent, get my Thermarest chair, small TV and disconnect my sat line from the house and junction off the sat line to my tent TV. No joke. The dogs love it and I don't have to put up with wifey and I feel at home. Dang tooten.”

“I would love to join ya, brother!

Dang, I had a generator when I lived on the mountain in Vermont.
I used it when building the house and when the lines wnet down.”