Hiking the High Peaks of North Carolina

One of the great pleasures of hiking for me is to walk along the highest ridges of our tallest mountains. There's no feeling quite like it for me. I know that the elevations at 5,000 to 6,000 feet are not enough to cause you to feel any altitude changes, but there is something about being that high here in the eastern side of the continent. Maybe it's the idea that you realize that you're as high as you can get on our eastern peaks. Or it could have something to do with the difference in the plants that grow on these higher slopes.

I just know that I get a tremendous charge out of achieving those summits and walking along.

Walking on a very high ridge in the Black Mountains.

The view from the cliffs of Little Butt Mountain.