This was mine and Justin’s first trip together and it could not have been a better first trip. We decided to go there to ride the Virginia Creeper Trail because we like the mountains and we like riding bikes and what better way to enjoy them than to combine them! The Virginia Creeper Trail is 34.3-mile rail-to-recreation trail that transverses two counties from Abingdon, Virgin through Damascus, and ending just past Whitetop Station in the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area, at the Virginia-North Carolina border.
When planning this trip out we decided to make it a 3-day trip so that way we could explore The Grayson Highlands State Park while in the area since it was only an hour drive from Damascus. We arrived on a Friday around lunch time to check into our cabin and after grabbing some lunch, we headed over to Grayson Highlands State Park for our first portion of our adventure!
The whole reason for visiting Grayson Highlands State Park was because they have wild ponies in the park. Now, me being me, I LOVE animals and knowing this, Justin was determined to make sure we saw them while there. The park was enveloped in fog that day. You could barely see ten feet in front of yourself. It was as if we’d stepped into a Disney movie. If you couldn’t guess it, I LOVE Disney movies, so I was already in love with this trip!
We walked through the park for a while and were starting to wonder if we’d ever see the ponies through the dense fog. We listened very carefully to our surroundings when we heard something just off the trail and started to go off into the thick fog. We climbed a hill and looked around for a while trying our best to see through the fog. After a while, Justin’s diligence paid off (as always) because as we climbed the hill a little further, we saw the outline of a pony and then another and another. Next thing we know we are surrounded by about 10-12 ponies! To say I was excited is an understatement. It looks every fiber of my being to not try and pet these ponies. They are wild ponies and the park did say specifically not to pet or feed the ponies. Thankfully, Justin was there to make sure I followed the rules or else I probably would have ended up petting them. We spent who knows how long just looking at the ponies and taking pictures of them and with them.
Once we’d had our fill, we decided to hike the trail back down to head back to town for dinner. After being in the fog for several hours, we were soaked and cold but were so excited about seeing the ponies we didn’t care.
The next day we woke up early to catch the shuttle service’s first trip up the mountain. We had decided to ride the 17-mile stretch that goes from Whitetop to Damascus. So in order to do this, you either needed a friend to drop you off at Whitetop or use a shuttle service. We had picked this section of the trail because it is basically ALL downhill. I mean who would want to ride 17 miles uphill? Not me! Well, at least not at this time because I am not in shape enough for that. Maybe one day I’ll be cool enough to ride the full trial but not this time. Nope.
The shuttle service was only about a mile from our cabin so we decided to ride our bikes there rather than driving due to the limited parking that was available. This all sounded like a good idea at the time. As soon as we got to the shuttle service, it started pouring rain. Thankfully, it wasn’t supposed to rain for long. We loaded our bikes on the trailer and headed up the mountain. The whole drive, it rained. Things did not look promising but we had already committed to riding the trail whether it was raining or not.
Armed with our rain jackets and well stocked backpacks, we started the trail. Us being us, we took advantage of the muddy trail and have a little fun and we’re quickly covered in mud but having so much fun didn’t care one bit!
We’d done our research before riding the trail so we knew it should take about 4 hours to complete and we wanted to see if we could beat that time, because why not, right??? We raced down the mountain as quickly as we dared, popping wheelies and taking jumps at every turn. About halfway down the mountain, there was a restaurant was a frequent stop for those riding the trail. Having had ridden as hard as we did, we were thankful for the break and eager to grab a bite to eat. We ordered and grabbed a booth…. quickly covering it in the mud. Thankfully we weren’t the only pudding patrons that day so we didn’t feel too bad because there was no other choice.
Refueled, we hit the trail to finish the second half! About this time the sun decided to make an appearance and quickly dried up the area allowing us to take in the beautiful scenery along the trail. As we got close to the end of the trail the path became flatter and the temperature rose higher and higher. This being said, I quickly got very warm in my long sleeved shirt and rain jacket and grew weaker and weaker the closer we got to finishing the trail. By the time we got to the last mile I was barely hanging on.
We arrived back at the cabin and no longer able to motivate myself to help put away the bikes, I left mine with Justin crawled up the steps and into the shower, fully dressed mind you) to run cool water after my hands and feet to cool off. Justin came to check on me to make sure I was still alive then quickly took a nap, no longer being able to fight exhaustion either.
After some much-needed rest due to rushing down the mountain and getting overheated, we woke up rejuvenated and grabbed some dinner realizing how hungry we were.
We explored downtown Damascus some and headed back home on Sunday ending our first adventure. Having seen wild ponies, ridden bikes in the mud, overheated ourselves, and explored every shop in town, this was truly a memorable trip!
