The hike to Mount Rogers last weekend was an interesting one.  It was forecasted to be around 30 (Fahrenheit) with occasional flurries and winds from 10-15 MPH.  They didn't mention anything about 30-35 MPH wind gusts, making the wind chill in the single digits to low teens.  Thermal underwear to the rescue!   I was able to stay warm during the eight-mile trip through the crosswinds.  I can't say as much for my drinks though.   They began to freeze within ten minutes of being out of my backpack.  Mount Rogers is the highest point in Virginia at 5,729 feet, and is roughly a four-mile walk from the parking lot at Massie Gap in Grayson Highlands State Park.  Despite the weather, it only took me three hours to get to within 300 feet of the summit.  Unfortunately, I didn't continue to the top as I wanted to get back before it got dark.  There is no view from the summit as shown in the picture above, as it is covered in spruce fir trees.  Maybe I'll try again when it gets warmer.  Winter and autumn photoshots are the best to get for mountainscapes. 

The way to get to Mount Rogers from Massie Gap is to travel south on the Appalachian National Scenic Trail (simply called the "A.T.") from the Rhododendron Trail to the Susan Spillane (Mount Rogers Spur) Trail leading to the summit.  For those who are not familiar with the Appalachian Trail, it is a 2,174-mile path which runs throughout the Appalachian Mountain Range from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine.  The trail is marked with white blazes, as shown in the picture above looking southward along Pine Mountain in Grayson Highlands State Park en route to Mount Rogers.  Clingman's Dome in Tennessee is the highest point on the trail...being the second highest point east of the Mississippi River and highest in the state at 6,643 feet.  The first section of the Appalachian Trail was opened on October 7, 1923 in Upstate New York.  In 1948, Earl Schaeffer of York, Pennsylvania completed the first documented thru-hike of the trail.  There are shelters and places to camp along the Appalachian Trail, but make sure you camp in approved locations and follow all regulations.  A highly hiked path, many scenic scapes are to be explored throughout the Appalachian Mountain Range.  I'm sure I'll travel more sections of the trail, including my return trip to Shenandoah National Park.

OK...going back to the snow thing, I'm glad I don't live near the Great Lakes in New York State anymore.  It's payback time for that early mild winter with historic record lake effect snowfall for areas on the east side of Lake Ontario.  An unofficial total of 123 inches in one week has been recorded at Orwell, New York with more snow coming this weekend.  Most of the high snowfall totals are in Oswego County north of Syracuse.  It's kinda interesting seeing only 7 inches of snow in Syracuse and then travelling north about 20 miles to Central Square where they have 68 inches of snow and further to Parish where 94 inches of snow have fell.  Hopefully, it'll come to an end soon.  All that snow is only the least of the worries though.  Come springtime, a serious concern for flooding may occur as it begins to melt.  Meh, double whammys.   My sister lives on the south side of Lake Ontario where lake effect snow isn't as major an issue although significant amounts are possible.  I have two cousins and an aunt who live in Oswego County right in the middle of it.  I'm sure the kiddies are happy with being out of school and playing in the white stuff, but sometimes too much is "too much."  Heavy rooftop snow can cause eventual collapses.  All that shoveling and plowing is a pain as well.  Hehe...only two inches of snow would shut everything down where I am in North Carolina.  Ain't the weather fun?    

There's one thing good about winter...HOCKEY!  I'm going to watch more, so I'll talk to everyone later.  Take care all...

Foxx (MLD)