Mt. Rogers HQ to Damascus Inquiry

[eaweiss]

Hey everyone,

I'll be hiking from the Mt. Rogers HQ to Damascus in a week and have a few questions:

-How long will it take for a relative beginner?
-Are there places to restock food along the way?
-Should I expect plenty of rain?
-Will it be crowded?
-Any general tips?

Thanks!

[Majortrauma]

I just finished a hike from Hurricane Shelter to Luther Hessinger Memorial bridge SR 728 just south of Lost Mountain Shelter.
Time to hike is dependent on too many variables but give yourself at least 8 miles per day if you are really a beginner. That won't get you from shelter to shelter though and you'll have to camp in the woods off the trail but there are a LOT of established sites off trail people have been using for a long time.
I would not rely on restocking along the way but there is an abundance of blueberries and blackberries and wild edible mushrooms. Of course one needs to really know what shroom he is eating.
We had 4 days of not rain but no telling what the weather will do up there. It's subject to a lot of change and we had tempsin the 40s at night.
Not a lot of hikers in mid-week but thurs-sat you can expect people to start showing up.
The shelters along this area area are very nice and well maintained but privvies are bare of TP so pack your own.
There is so much water you would only need a 1 liter bottle to carry.
Gotta go, more later if you want to PM me.

[Tipi Walter]

I've done this hike from the NRA to Thomas Knob shelter and further south past Mt Rogers to Elk Garden Gap and then back again. Parking is free and safe at the NRA as they gate the parking lot every night and I've left my car there for 21 days, etc. Of course, it's around 30 miles from the headquarters to Grayson Highlands and Wilburn Ridge but a normal backpacker can punch that out fast. And the Wilburn Ridge/Stone Mt area is so pretty that I always like to spend several days camping and doing other-trail loops, like Pine Mt. And I'd be an idiot not to camp on Wilburn Ridge.

Here are some pics from previous trips---

http://tipiwalter.smugmug.com/Backpacking2012/Tipi-Walter-Grayson-Highlands/28752772_LCbJK9#!i=2440665153&k=ZgVgQkP


http://tipiwalter.smugmug.com/Backpacking2011/Tipi-Walter-In-Mt-Rogers/29870533_c6SBKS#!i=2562327305&k=C3kzNkv

[Lone Wolf]

Hey everyone,

I'll be hiking from the Mt. Rogers HQ to Damascus in a week and have a few questions:

-How long will it take for a relative beginner?
-Are there places to restock food along the way?
-Should I expect plenty of rain?
-Will it be crowded?
-Any general tips?

Thanks!
6-7 days
no places to resupply
it will probably rain some
it won't be crowded except for the 15 +/- miles in the Va. highlands
bring pancake batter. tons of blueberries right now in the highlands

[moldy]

4 days. No good places to resupply. Check the weather gauge. There will be plenty of other hikers. There will be no shortage of water to drink. Plan your trip so you end one of your days at Thomas Knob Shelter. Even if you are tenting in the soft grass near the shelter. If you have time to goof off a little bit try to spend it in Grayson Highlands. I parked my car in front of The Place in Damascus and paid 2 bucks a day then had a shuttle person arranged through Bluff Mt outfitters take me to the hike start location. If you run out of time and want to speed up your approach to Damascus you can take the bike path called the Virginia Creeper Trail you will get on it along the AT as you go over the neat wooden bridge a few miles North of Damascus.

[Slo-go'en]

Hope that the stalled cold front which is currently soaking the south in endless rain finally moves in a week. GA/NC is getting the brunt of it, but I think southern VA is on the northern edge of it. So, ya, I'd expect rain and pretty soggy conditions in general.

I would get a good map of the area, like a National Geographic. There are a lot of trails in the area and having a detailed map will be real handy.

[SawnieRobertson]

I second what everybody above said. The big variable is how many miles/day you hike. If you are interested in support, get in touch with me. I live 5.1 miles from Mt. Rogers Headquarters and frequent the area often. The only thing not previously advised is that it is cold at night, so lean towards bringing sleeping gear to match.

[Siestita]

Note that there is no longer a shelter at Deep Gap, nor is camping permitted this days at that formerly over popular location. But, the piped spring continues to be available via a blue blaze trail that descends several hundred yards from Deep Gap. Also, several hundred yards southbound from the Deep Gap clearing a side path leads up hill about a hundred yards to an excellent wooded campsite. That's become a good, and legal, alternative to the old location.

[Siestita]

I second Tipi's suggestion that you linger as long as you can in the Grayson Highlands, especially around Pine Mountain, Wilburn Ridge, and Stone Mountain. Also, if you like to do short milage days (as I personally happen to prefer), you could start from Grayson Highland State Park instead of the Mt/ Rogers Recreation Area headquarters. I paid $2 per day to park at the State Park.

i second Major's suggestion above that as a beginner you not cover more than eight miles on any given day.

[eaweiss]

Thanks, everyone!

[eaweiss]

Starting in two days. Wish me luck.

[jfarrell04]

Good luck!! Enjoy!!!

[fertilizer]

Enjoy the ponies! I hiked from Grayson Highlands south down to Damascus over memorial day and it was fantastic!