9/20/2008

Dea was kind enough to allow me to go hiking with Goober. We decided to hike to the top of Mt. Rogers, the highest point in Virginia at 5729'. It was different than any hike I have done in the Appalachians; the majority of the hike was wide open and the only time we were surrounded by trees was when we reached the summit. It reminds me of photos I have seen of the Scottish Highlands.
One of the coolest parts of the hike were all of the wild ponies. This is a baby (left) and its mother.

You can see the top of Mt.Rogers through this gap.

There was a herd of a dozen ponies in this clearing. You're not supposed to feed them, but you could tell that rule is ignored by the way some of them will walk up and nuzzle your hand.

This is the view south. The really tall mountains in the background are in North Carolina.