Appalachian Trail 2021

Troop 344/9344 hiked a 42 mile section of the Appalachian Trail starting at Damascus, VA and headed north. This section of the trail traverses the scenic Grayson Highlands. Spread over a pocket of Appalachian high country, Virginia’s Grayson Highlands is an alpine Eden. The lofty landscape is embellished by airy mountain meadows, gushing trout streams, rhododendron-filled forests, and a conglomeration of high peaks. The Grayson Highlands features the state’s highest peak, 5,729-foot Mount Rogers. One of the area’s highlights is the band of "wild" ponies roving the highlands. The herd was introduced by the Forest Service in 1974 to provide a natural landscaping service for the highland balds, first cleared by loggers at the end of the 19th century and later grazed by cattle throughout first half of the 20th century. The trip concluded with a whitewater rafting trip on the New River in West Virginia.