PONY HEAVEN
Wild Ponies
Grayson Highlands
Mouth of Wilson, VA
Grayson Highlands and Mount Rogers has a magnetic pull on me. With its expansive mountain views, big skies, larger than life rock outcroppings, luscious blossoming rhododendrons in the spring, and about 150 of the most adorable ‘wild’ ponies, is it any wonder I keep coming back?
If you want to experience the magic of Grayson Highlands and Mount Rogers Recreational area, just strap on a backpack, pull on your hiking boots, grab your camera gear, and let the fun commence! Find a band of ponies, pull up a patch of grass or a rock and enjoy the show! You might even want to eat a bite for lunch. But try to be quiet when unwrapping any food because the ponies will, without a doubt, hear it! They will pop their head up, even from a deep slumber, and march right over to you and demand a bite with those liquid brown eyes. Please don't oblige them. A horse can easily colic, resulting even in death, when eating foreign foods. After years of being petted and fed, the ponies have achieved the status of 'only slightly wild' ponies! They are very curious and friendly, sometimes violating personal space and putting their noses where they don't belong! (Like someone's tent, camping gear, picnic table spread). They are wild in the sense that they don't depend on humans for food, water, or shelter. They survive solely on their own. It is important for their safety that they remain wild. I am a big believer in "keeping the wild in wildlife." Therefore, you will not see me petting them even if they approach me. Instead, I back away and keep the required distance between us. I have seen several people get knocked to the ground because of their close proximity to the ponies and more than a few people get nearly bitten. It's easy to forget that they are truly wild. A pony may allow, even enjoy, a person petting them then suddenly try to nip them. Although I try to keep my mouth shut when others freely interact with the ponies, I don't mind reminding them that not everyone out there is as nice as they are. If the pony is conditioned to approach a person, they may approach someone who has intent to harm them or harass them. I have seen it happen. Although the temptation is to interact with them, t's really best to appreciate them from the required distance.
Fabio
With his long flaxen mane and tail, Fabio is appropriately named! He is the most photographed pony of the 150 that can freely roam the more than 4000 acres in the state park and 200,000 acres of scrubby mountainous terrain in the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area.
I usually park at Massie Gap and begin my hike there. When crossing into the park you are immediately faced with an uphill hike. But it's fine that it slows me down because it gives me a chance to really soak in the views which are spectacular! On this visit the rhododendrons were in bloom throughout the park and Mount Rogers Recreational Area. Just beautiful!
After hiking this entry trail for about 10 minutes, it finally levels out and off to the right in the far distance is a butte. It is in this area that I look for ponies first. Usually I find them here. On my first hike of this trip I was lucky enough to find a small band grazing at the base of the butte. After spending a few minutes photographing them I was surprised when a black stallion appeared from a distance. His intent was to challenge the stallion I had been photographing. They sparred for a good 30 minutes, snorting, posturing, rearing, running, kicking and occasionally, ignoring each other and grazing. It's quite an adrenaline rush to be a witness to this! As I moved with them, I kept a safe distance, always making sure I had a shrub or rock I could move behind quickly if needed.
I will stay with a band until Im confident Ive gotten a few good snaps. Then I hike on. Along this entry trail that crosses the park, I will often come across 1 or 2 more bands before I even get to the gate that allows passage onto the Appalachian Trail.
After crossing through the passage gate, I begin hiking the Appalachian trail. It is a steady uphill climb and taxes my cardiovascular system as well as my quads, calves, and glutes! The large rocks sometimes form a series of stairs that are as challenging as they are fun. I think the layout of the trail with large rocks and boulders monopolizing the path, serves a good purpose of slowing me down so I can be sure to appreciate the beauty all around me. At an elevation of up to 5000 feet at times, I feel like I can just about touch the sky! At some points I am above the tree tops. After a 10-15 minute climb I am at a turn off if I choose to explore the Wilburn Ridge Trail. I often find ponies here. On this visit however, I did not. I only found one young pony who seemed to have been separated from his family. As soon as he saw me he whinnied and trotted over to me. I stayed with him for awhile, enjoying the poses he gave me, perched at the top of a rocky trail as he scanned the overlook for his family or standing like a statue at the base of a butte as he listened for any sounds that might indicate where his herd members were. Finally, I moved on, pretty confident that he would find his way home. The Wilburn Ridge Trail connects back to the AT and when it does you immediately see a large outcropping of rocks. A quick climb to the top provides spectacular views. I can often spot the ponies on the backside and I'll work my way over to them and hang out with them for a bit before continuing my hike. On the first hike of this trip there were two ponies who posed beautifully for me at almost the top of this outcropping of rocks. It was pretty special!
Continuing on the trail, the next main place I get to is called Fat Man's Squeeze. It's not even obvious that the trail continues on through here. Often in fact, a trail bumps into an arrangement of large rocks and boulders. These large rocks and boulders are the trail. So carry on! After navigating Fat Man's Squeeze numerous times over several days, I learned you can actually go around it! But hey, what's the fun in that?! About 5 minutes of hiking past Fat Man's Squeeze is another area where, on either side of the trail that I often see ponies. After hanging out with them, I continue to hike the AT until I must turn right or left on the Appalachian Crest. I turn left and find lots of ponies disrespecting privacy and belongings of campers who occupy much of the space. In the future I'll venture further but I need to do my research first so I can be sure not to get lost!
