(click on the links in the text for more photos)
(click on the links in the text for more photos)
Six Sierra Clubbers made the trek to the Mt. Rogers National Recreation Area to do what may be the most spectacular backpack in the southeastern U.S.: the traverse of the Crest Zone through Mt. Rogers and adjoining wilderness areas. The hike started out under extreme fog conditions, and it was hard to find each other at the trailhead. The route followed the Appalachian Trail (AT) "northbound" out of Massie Gap, and eventually breaks out into open county. Even though we were pelted with a few sprinkles, by mid-afternoon it was evident that the sky was clearing. As the trail reaches a huge meadow along Pine Mountain, we veered off the AT onto the Pine Mountain Trail, and found a camp in a sloping meadow a half mile or so from a wonderful spring. A rock outcropping above camp afforded 360 degree views of the sunset and the seemingly endless stretches of ridge tops to the north.
After a starry night, we awoke to a deer foraging in the meadow near our tent. Our route out took us on a horse trail up through aptly named Rhododendron Gap. After a short rest, we rejoined the AT, and headed across rocky Wilburn Ridge, which provided more magnificent 360 degree views. We lunched in the shade of a spruce tree, before picking wild strawberries on the final stretch of the trail. It was tough to leave what must have been one of the most perfect backpacks any of us had completed.
For more details on this trip, go to Roger and Susie's site:
http://www.twohikers.org/SE_Hiking/SoutheastHiking.htm
