5/21 – 511 miles
I woke early to get a head start on the day. The outside of my tent was soaked with dew so I packed everything wet and headed out. The Grayson Highlands are a unique area, if you didn’t know better you would think you were in Wyoming. All the trees were cut years ago and ranchers moved herds of cattle in to graze. Now the forest service uses controlled burning and wild grazing ponies to keep it open.
It was a nice walk across the park but several boulder fields made for sore feet and knees. I take it easy when the footing is sketchy. There were only a few hikers on the trail today. Most of the crowd is just coming out of Damascus and several miles behind. There will be, however, several fast hiking young people that will catch me soon.
I only walked 15 miles today. I wanted to stop early and read my book. That didn’t happen though, two hikers stopped here and we all sat around and talked for awhile, then someone wanted to build a campfire. Now it is almost time for sleep. Tomorrow I may walk 20 miles to a shelter where you can order pizza. What an incentive!