Equine.

There have been several moments thus far that have felt surreal. The Grayson Highlands was just another one of those moments. I have heard about its beauty and wildlife, but that still didn’t prepare me for when I was a witness.

There were a couple of days to climb up to the state park, which were some of the highest points in Virginia. I was greeted with grassy scenery and expansive views.

Upon entering the park, I was greeted by a few of the locals. The Grayson Highlands are well known for their population of feral ponies. It felt like a fairy tale as several ponies came right up to me and started licking the salt off my sweaty skin. A young calf even got in a few nibbles.

The next day continued to be magical. I took my time up there, soaking in the views, taking some side trails, and meeting new friends. I saw about twenty poinies in total. This was certainly a day to remember.

Coming down from the Highlands was no disappointment either. I’ve been encountering several moments of trail magic since Damascus and for a good stretch it was happening at every road crossing. Hot dogs, hamburgers, drinks, snacks—I almost didn’t have to eat food out of my backpack for most of this stretch into Marion.

I really started to get my legs as well. I hiked sixteen miles in about four hours to get to the town of Marion, just in time to hit up the Chinese buffet, check into a hotel, and take a nice, warm shower.

The sprint into Marion would set the stage for the next section. I probably covered the most ground in this amount of time so far. I will cover that in my next post.