Bailed Off: Elk Garden

Today was old and extremely windy. All of us off were getting literally blown off of the trail and had to lean and push hard with poles and legs to get back on it. Two bald areas near Whitetop Mountain were particularly tough.

14.2 miles into the day, around 3pm, I found eight hikers at the Elk Garden roadside parking lot, all huddled in one roadside privy. They had decided to bail and had called a shuttle. Apparently another group before them had also bailed and left in a shuttle not too long before. 

The wind was biting cold, but manageable. I was going to push on.
The pass was at 4500 feet but the trail would continue to rise to 5400 over the next two hours before starting a gradual descent. I could get to the shelter at 5400 feet for sure, but how far down the other side I could make was hard to guess depending on footing and weather.  It was going to be a very cold night at this elevation. 

The hikers heard stories from hikers coming down from Mt Rogers of bitter cold and ice, and had an updated weather report of rain tonight. Upon thinking through my rain gear situation, adding freezing rain to the cold and wind would not be wise. I didn't have confidence in my rain gear (having now tested the plastic poncho over the other rain gear) so I bailed out with them back to Damascus, second guessing the choice the entire drive down.