Highpoint:
Mt. Mitchell
State: North Carolina
Height: 6684 ft
Highpoint #: 14
Date: 7/3/2002
Trails: Mount Mitchell Trail
Distance: About 11.2 miles
roundtrip.
Vertical Gain: 3200 feet
Time Taken: 10 hrs.
Weather: 70s-80s.
Group: JO & BC
Comments: After Georgia we drove
along the Blue Ridge Parkway to the Black Forest Campground near Mt. Mitchell.
The Blue Ridge Parkway is really incredible. It is a very long windy road that
runs the entire "height" of Virginia and North Carolina. There are
amazing views and demanding roads for the sport driver. Tourists can drive
within a hundred feet of the top of Mt. Mitchell, but we thought it would be
pathetic to DRIVE up the highest mountain east of the Mississippi River. After
driving down some dirt roads that seemed to be taking us straight to the middle
of nowhere, we found a sizable campground. Unfortunately it was full so we
drove back to a campsite we passed on the way there. We set up our new tent
fairly quickly, and got some well deserved rest. It rained that night, but
inside the tent we stayed very dry, although it was very humid and stuffy. We
didn't have an alarm so as soon as we were aware that it was light we got up
and drove back to the campground. We were out of water so it was a good thing
there was a spicket nearby where we filled our bottles. The trailhead was
nearby, and we were off on our memorable 11.2 mile hike. The trail set off to
the right, cutting hard up the mountain range before us, with many switchbacks
through the dense woods. It then cut back across to the left, and traversed to
the far left side of the mountain. Here it crossed some power lines that ran
all the way up the mountain, which gave us a view of the top. Mt. Mitchell
looked very far away from this vantage. The trail then switch-backed across the
power line clearing until it reached a little plateau, where the trail cut back
to the right to meet up with the ridge and the summit. This trail was the most
beautiful we had seen so far, and it replaced Vermont as our favorite hike. We finally
reached the top where there were a lot of tourists milling about. The summit
tower was open; we went up and took some pictures. We walked over to the
tourist parking lot and rested. The nearby snack bar was especially
appreciated. JO bought a T-shirt at the gift shop. After a little while of
rest, we headed back down. The hike down took longer, since we were more tired.
JO’s knees were acting up so he decided to stop catching himself, and just run
down the mountain, letting his momentum carry him down. This was surprisingly
easy on his knees. BC caught on and we annihilated the last two miles down.
Definitely our favorite hike so far.
Left: The JO-mobile parked on the side of the Blue-Ridge Parkway. Right: Right near the beginning of the Black Mountain Campground Trail.
A very exhausted JO and BC on the summit of Mt. Mitchell. Okay, time to head back!
The sign as you leave the summit letting you know you’re not home yet.
We finished Wednesday by leaving the campground and driving down the Blue Ridge Parkway into South Carolina. Finding a motel near the highpoint was very difficult. The place we had in mind was in the middle of nowhere and the complex there looked like an extended shack. We didn't know how to go about getting a room there, so we were screwed. We drove to the nearest town, and after being turned away from a few places, finally found an $80 room. This experience sucked. The next day it was July 4th, and what better way to celebrate than to do three drive-ups!