Mt. Rogers

Mt. Rogers is the highest peak in Virginia at 5729 feet. The Appalachain Trail passes within a mile of its summit. There are several trails needed to reach the summit. We started at the Mt. Rogers National Recreation Trailhead and connected to the Appalachain Trail after about two hours of strenuous switchback trails. The lower region is a beautiful hardwood forest that enters the Lewis Fork Wilderness area. The trail was very rocky. As you come to a gap, you connect to the Appalachain Trail. Your surroundings soon change from mountain forest to large open grassy balds with beautiful views of the surrounding mountains. There are herds of wild ponies on the balds. Your Jack Russell Terriers will smell them before you see them. If your JRT's are going crazy, its the ponies. The ponies hate dogs, and they will kick them if they get a chance. Hook up your dogs to avoid conflict.

About an hour after getting on the Appalachain Trail, you will come on a spur trail on your left. There was a sign which directed us to the summit of Mt. Rogers. As you approach the summit you will notice a large number of broken and blown down Red Spruce. Hurricane Hugo wrecked havoc on the summit in 1985. The summit is covered with trees and offers no view. You will know its it's the summit because of a bronze USGS marker attached to the rock surface. This is an excellent place for your Jack Russell Terriers to hunt and play while you enjoy a well deserved lunch. There are shorter and easier ways to the summit. The trails we took required 13.4 miles of very difficult terrian. The trip down required as much effort as the trip up because of the rocky footing and steep elevation. Take extra care not to fall. The hike required nine hours and a strong body. We would rate this hike as very difficult, one of our top five toughest hikes. The JRT's never complained, but they sleep like a rock that night.