Happy Birthday, America

Happy 4th of July from the AT!

This glorious holiday was yet another perfect day for hiking. After a good night's sleep and a bite to eat, Daddy and I put on our best red, white and blue duds and tackled about 7 miles of beautiful trail. Most of it was exposed balds, which, next to waterfalls, might be my favorite kind of hiking. There was a nice breeze and sunshine to go with the sweet smell of freedom in the Independence Day air, and the views just kept getting better all day.

Mountaintop Meadow.

Looking at our destination.

As we got to the top of our hike for the day, the terrain got very rocky. The trail itself was littered with small rocks, which made for slow going when combined with the big boulders we had to scramble over. There were plenty of people out on this beautiful holiday, enjoying the views from the rocky outcrops just like we were.

Big Rocks.

View at the top.

Follow the rocky road.

I have to admit, that as our hike wound to a close, I was getting a little disappointed. You see, the locals, along with my guidebooks, had promised me a very special sight in this section of the trail. One that I'd been looking forward to for days, and walked 6.5 miles today without seeing. Just as we rounded the corner to head to the parking lot, and I had given up hope...

Feeding a wild pony!

There are whole herds of ponies that roam wild through the state park in this area. "Wild" is perhaps a bit of an overstatement, since as you can see, they make friends fast. Especially when you come bearing carrots. The ponies were smaller than your average horse, and came in all shapes and colors, all equally beautiful.

I call this one Bon Jovi.

And this one is Little Jovi.

This little guy wanted to come home with me!

So I got my wish to see the famous wild ponies of Grayson Highlands State Park. A wonderful end to a 4th of July hike. We spent the rest of the afternoon scouting out our pick-up spots for the next few days, and of course no 4th of July would be complete without a little celebration. I can't remember the last time I missed the Kenlake fireworks on the 4th, and I was a little sad to miss them tonight, but we had a good American meal of pizza and chicken wings, and did get to see some fireworks here. God Bless America. It's a great place to be.

U-S-A

Quote of the Day: "You look like Rambo." -Daddy, commenting on my 4th of July getup. I'm pretty sure Sly Stallone didn't have the whole swimsuit top thing going on, but I definitely rocked the cargo pants. It must've worked because a lady stopped me on the trail to ask if she could take my picture for her photography website.