October Hike of the Month - Massie Gap, VA


 We got October's hike of the month done in the last weekend of October!

We headed to Grayson Highlands State Park just across the Virginia border for a chance to see the infamous wild ponies as we hiked Massie Gap. 
















The weather was a bit cooler than expected but I was prepared with gloves and layers! The sun was shining and we were ready to go. 

We crossed a field to the start of the Rhododendron trail where we saw wild ponies right away! They were not afraid of us at all! They even hiked with us for a moment! 😂

We took a right turn onto the Appalachian trail. This portion was very wet and rocky - it seemed like we were hiking in a stream bed! We passed several rock outcroppings. Then we took another right turn onto the Appalachian Spur Trail. This went through more forest surroundings. Then a right onto a horse trail to complete the loop. 

The whole loop was just around 2 miles so we headed to the Visitor Center and did a short hike from there. We did the Twin Pinnacles trail which is just 1.3 miles with two pinnacle overlooks and a "magic tree". It had great views for such a short trail! 

Overall, I liked the sights and views a lot. As far as the actual hiking, I preferred the terrain of the second trail. 

It's been fun trying a diversity of hikes this year and I can't believe there's only two months left! The wild ponies were definitely a highlight!

Would you hike with wild ponies? We were a little bit afraid! 

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