Mount Rogers Backpacking Adventure... Blue Ridge Style!

This video was taken in July, 2008, at Grayson Highlands, VA. On this particular trip, my former coworkers from Blue Ridge Mountain Sports and I undertook a 12 mile traverse across rolling plains, rocky trails, and wilderness streams. Our destination: Mount Rogers, the tallest mountain in Virginia!

On our way, we encountered dozens of wild ponies, a notable trademark of Mount Rogers. One pony, in particular, grabbed our interest. Straight out of the 80's with his long, flowing mane, we dubbed him the Bon Jovi horse. Later, that pony would outsmart and humiliate us by reaching the top of the mountain first. How this majestic, four-legged beast of the wilderness managed to accomplish this, we never did learn...

After a desparate search for water (which ended well, thanks to a good Samaritan..."Dat map is wrong! The water be over dere!") we made camp and constructed the most epic camp fire in existence! But not before watching the sunset from Rhodedendron Gap...

After making it through a chilly night with little more than my survival blanket (it is surprisingly cold on the top of a mountain, even in July...) I awoke thirsty and craving hydration, as did my compatriots, so we left camp to purify water. Upon our return, we discovered our campsite invaded by wild ponies. Curious, backpack-sniffing, wild ponies.

Thank you, Mount Rogers, for an epic time in the foothills of Virginia.