Grayson Highlands Ponies and 500 Miles Traveled! (Day 44)

The tragedy occurred this morning. I pulled my shirt out from where it had been hanging in the shelter and noticed that small holes now covered one sleeve and part of the back. It wasn’t like that when I took it off last night and I know the mice are to blame. I think I went through the five stages of grief looking at my now half-eaten Smartwool shirt, which I had purchased less than two days earlier. But it is what it is.

500 Miles!

This morning we finished the Hurricane Helene detour and were officially back on the AT. Immediately after lunch we passed the 500 mile mark, although we had a hard time finding the monument. As a commemoration, we took a photo with a random tree. Then we finally saw the real thing through the fog.

I was excited to arrive at Grayson Highlands this afternoon, although I knew our views would likely be blocked by fog and rain. After most of the day was over, I started to worry that we would miss the iconic wild ponies too.

wild ponies

When I heard a neighing through the trees, my spirits lifted. As we turned the corner, there was a mare and foal right in the middle of the path. When they saw us, they quickly began to climb the slope towards the forest. But we were still able to see them, as well as a few others. We also saw a longhorn cow lying on one of the balds, but I couldn’t get a good look at it.

cold camping

I expected the weather to warm up all day, but it remained cold. I decided to stop walking at night on The Scales. It is a closed corral for horses, open and spacious for camping. Some of the other hikers are making a fire, but I’m too cold to leave my tent. I did get up once to go to the bathroom and, despite the temperature, I couldn’t resist taking a photo of the stars.

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