Crest Trail Part III

The hike back to the Mount Mitchell parking lot was a bit of a torture for me after I left Cattail Peak for the last time. The thing about the Crest Trail is that you hit each of these amazing 6,000-foot summits, but after each of these you have to plunge down into the deep gaps that separate them. Thus, you are constantly losing and then having to regain that lost altitude.

I've never seen a profile map of the trail, but it has to be extreme. The constant up and down really works your muscles and lungs even when you don't have a bum knee and a really bad back. For me, it's exceedingly tough and by the time I was less than halfway back I was struggling. Fortunately, I'd started the hike early enough so that I didn't have a problem with daylight and for the first time ever for this trail I'd brought more than enough water.

So, the last three miles for me consisted of LOTS of stopping to rest and LOTS of water breaks and LOTS of extra photography.

Someday, when I'm recovered from all of these injuries, I hope to be able to do this trail as I used to be able to do it when I was in better physical condition. When that happens, I'll do another overnight traverse of the Black Mountains and camp in Deep Gap, one of my favorite campsites in North Carolina.

It was cold up in them thar hills! First icicle of the hiking season!

Some of the best views are from Potato Hill.

On the top of Cattail Peak.

The almost constant moisture on these peaks produces a LOT of moss.

Green, my friends.

The trail is like a tunnel through the red spruce.

Everywhere the moss.

Trees grasping for purchase anywhere.

This is why the trail kicks my ass.

Gnarly snag on Mount Craig as I hit the home stretch.

A last, longing look back where I had been.

Fall paints the lower peaks.

This peak below was interesting because of the difference in vegetation from one side to the other. Evergreens on the north-facing slopes, hardwoods south-facing.

The picnic area just below the summit of Mount Mitchell is EXTREMELY nice! I highly recommend it. They have dozens of picnic tables for the huge crowds that often gather on the mountain to enjoy the scenery and the natural beauty of eastern USA's highest peak.

I took this one between Mount Craig and the parking lot. And there she was: Mount Mitchell. The highest summit in eastern USA. Yeah, it has a road carved into it; a restaurant near the top; a museum just below the summit; a tower on the very top; housing for the park rangers, etc. But even all of that can't wreck the beauty of this amazing peak and its associated range.

Quiet time on Cattail Peak.

Six Days.

Six days straight of working without a break at USPS. Time for a brief road trip. I'll be heading up to the mountains. Right around our highest of high country. I think it's my favorite part of North Carolina. Wish I could hang out up there for weeks at a time without coming down.

Can't do that right now, but a day or two will do the job. So this amazing mountain range is where I'll be spending a couple of days after I clock out tomorrow.

The mountain in the foreground is Mount Craig, the second-highest summit in the eastern USA. Just beyond it is another summit that is almost 6,600 feet high. One of only a handful in the east of which that can be said.

Potato Knob. Another of the east's great summits. Over 6,400 feet high.

This rock formation is on Potato Knob. I've often thought about bushwhacking up there and pitching my tent in the shadow of that huge boulder to spend the evening watching the stars. One day...

I love this summit. One of the big peaks of the Black Mountains: Potato Hill. (Not to be confused with the nearby Potato Knob). Also about 6,400 feet above sea level.

Favorite Backpacking Destination

The Black Mountains of North Carolina.

I took this shot from the foot of the Black Mountains the last time I camped in the area. The rocky peak just to right of center is Potato Hill, a really impressive eastern peak. To the right of that, just out of sight, is Deep Gap where I always camp when I'm backpacking the Black Mountain Crest Trail which runs along the crest of the highest range of peaks in the eastern United States of America.