The One with the Hidden Ponies – Day 30

I don’t blame the ponies for not wanting to go out today. I didn’t want to go out today! It was cold and raining most of the day. Luckily, I saw some ponies north of the state park. I even saw a baby pony. This just gives me an excuse to return to Grayson Highlands State Park. My youngest daughter, Joy, loves horses. Then, I’ll take her with me!

Route report

As I already mentioned, it was cold and rainy most of the day. But Grayson Highlands was beautiful. I climbed a high rock to get a 360° view of the highlands. It was spectacular. I am still constantly in awe of God’s creation.

I walked 500 miles today! For some reason I feel like 500 is a big milestone. Maybe because it’s halfway to 1000?

Around lunch time, I came across a magical trail. The two best words a hiker can hear! Gun Runner was serving meat and cheese quesadillas. They were so good. It also had a variety of Little Debbie cupcakes. I’m embarrassed to say that I ate two packages of strawberry shortcake muffins. Those chemicals tasted delicious!

I ended up walking 3.5 miles past the Trimpi hut to have a shorter day tomorrow. I needed to get to the Long Neck Lair Hostel early due to a personal call I had to take mid-afternoon.

Thought of the day

How can things that are so bad for you taste so good? Little Debbie snack cakes are the epitome of ultra-processed foods. They contain so many chemicals that are very bad for your health.

However, when I bit into the strawberry shortcake muffin, my taste buds couldn’t contain their excitement. I hadn’t had a cake in years. But it was like when I was a kid and my mom would bring me one for school lunch. My favorites as a kid were Fudge Rounds.

people i met

I met Tusk today. We walked and talked for a couple of hours along the trail. He is an eagle scout and it is obvious that he is very intelligent. I enjoyed talking to him and hope to see him again. I was able to share my testimony with him and talk to him about God and his creation.

Also, today I also met AC and Smiles. Smiles is from Germany. AC graduated from college with a double major in psychology and religion. I really wanted to ask him more questions about his specialty, but I didn’t get the chance.

Plant of the day

The Large White Trillium is the plant of the day. I also see other colors of Trillium. Some are pink and some are a darker pink color. Trillium is very common in the Appalachian Mountains. I see him frequently on the road.

bird of the day

Today’s featured bird is the Eastern Phoebe. These birds catch and eat flies. They typically nest in man-made structures such as barns.

“Eastern Phoebe (15342146618)” by Katja Schulz from Washington, DC, USA is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

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