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  My intent was to day hike up to Deep Gap or Thomas Knob Shelter(and back) and I figured the best way to get there was from Elk Garden, which is located on Whitetop Rd / Route 600.  It’s a great place to hike into the Lewis Fork Wilderness and you could actually summit Mt. Rogers from Elk Garden and make it a good day hike or trail run.  There are vast views of the surrounding mountains but it’s usually windy and cool, depending on the season.  It’s such a beautiful place and the landscape is somewhat sparse, with Hawthorn trees and open pasture.  The Appalachian Trail goes right through Elk Garden and crosses route 600(Whitetop Rd), where there is a decent size parking lot with a pit toilet. The parking lot fills up pretty fast so I knew I needed to get there early.   I wanted to check out the Helton Creek Trail because I’d never hiked that trail before but that didn’t last long.  I didn’t get very far  before I discovered that it wasn’t a very well maintained trail and I had no intentions of bushwhacking that day.  So, I backtracked to Elk Garden and restarted my hike on the Appalachian Trail and proceeded toward Deep Gap.  Some say it always feels like they are going uphill on the AT no matter direction they’re going??!! After about ten minutes, I crossed through a gate and entered the Lewis Fork Wilderness, fantastic!  I proceeded onward on the single track, Appalachian trail, alternating hiking and low paced trail running.  I kept my pack weight fairly low in order to allow for a little bit of running if I was up for it.  This section of trail from Elk Garden to the junction point of the Mt. rogers spur trail is uphill but but not extreme.  The starting point by Elk Garden is definitely uphill but then it flats out alternating to some uphill until you get to the junction.  After the junction you have some pretty steep uphill rocky sections – not too bad though.  It was a Sunday so I passed a lot of people heading home after a weekend of backpacking and camping.  I was definitely jealous because this is an incredible place to backpack and spend time exploring. I finally reached the junction for Mt. Rogers spur trail that will actually take you downhill to Grindstone Campground and so I knew it wouldn’t be too much further to reach Deep Gap up, but I also knew there would be some elevation gain and high stepping through boulders in the immediate future.  After a little more hiking, I noticed the change in the landscape on the left of the trail changed to pines and large boulders and then Deep Gap was right around the corner. Once I reached Deep Gap, there were quite a few people in the area.  Some were camped at Deep Gap and others were hiking through after spending tome time camping at Thomas Knob Shelter, or even further on like The Scales.  At this point, I contemplated hiking on to Thomas Knob but decided if I did that, I wouldn’t want to leave.  So instead, I took a break and snapped some pictures, while enjoying the view of Deep Gap.  After a short time, I stated heading back on the VA Highlands Horse Trail.  Normally, I don’t care for horse trails because they are a soup of rocks and mud mixed with horse crap, no thanks!  But, I have to say, this trail was not bad after about the first 100 yards of rock.  It got better and better as I hiked toward Elk Garden.  It took me about 45 minutes to get back to Elk Garden.  Next time, I will make a longer loop! Prior to 2018, I would stay at Grindstone Campground, which is on Laurel Valley Road.  You can make a great loop hike if you stay at Grindstone and hike up the Mt. Rogers Spur Trail.  It joins the Appalachian Trail and then you hike it on to stay either at Deep Gap or on to Thomas Knob Shelter the first night.  The next day I would hike on to Old Orchard Shelter and stay in the vicinity around the shelter.  The area surrounding the shelter has a ton of relatively flat campsites and is absolutely beautiful.  The beauty of the entire area surrounding the shelter and it’s proximity to Laurel Valley Road(2.3 miles) makes it extremely popular so expect a crowd unless you visit n the middle of winter.   Below is a list of some of my gear: OUTDOOR VITALS DRAGONWOOL HOODIE – I take this hoodie on nearly every hike.  It’s a great layer because it provides good warmth for the weight.  It’s almost never too hot unless it’s the middle of summer. MOUNTAIN HARDWEAR RAINSHADOW 26 OUTDRY PACK – This is a great daypack that I picked up at REI Outlet.  It’s waterproof so no worries that your stuff will stay dry. SMARTWOOL SOCKS – These socks have worked well for me for 3 season hiking. BROOKS DIVIDE 5 SHOES – These are outstanding for 3 season hiking for me. PATAGONIA LIGHTWEIGHT CAPILENE LONG SLEEVE SHIRT GARMIN INREACH MINI 2 GPS – I always take this whether I’m day hiking solo or not.  It’s good insurance in case something happens. BLACK DIAMOND DISTANCE Z TREKKING POLES – I take these poles everywhere on day hikes and backpack trips. NEBO THE MYCRO USB RECHARGEABLE 400 LUMEN HEADLAMP – This is a great little headlamp that weighs nearly nothing.