Mt. Mitchell, North Carolina

[Ken Ramos]

Been down in the flatlands to long, so I decided to take a drive...a long one.



At 6, 684 feet the weather was beginning to turn ugly but not so as to keep one from making a trek through the areas near or at the summit. A portion of Mt. Mitchell is close for the time being and that was the portion I wanted much to visit. I have been to Mitchell many times before but the park service is rebuilding the observation tower at the peak and so most of the trails which intersect there are closed for the time being.



However the High Balsam Nature Trail was open but only partially. Not a difficult trail as to be strenuous but moderately difficult as you can see in the photo. You have to be careful and watch where and how you step or a sprained ankle is a good possibility or a nasty fall.



Evidence of "acid rain" is quite obvious as one hikes the trails around Mitchell. Even so, the devestation adds a bit of beauty to the surroundings, depending on how you look at it, though I do not advocate having acid rain in ones environment for asthetics. It was quite cool as I hiked along the trail, cool enough for a jacket (approx. 56 degrees) and it almost reminded me of the winter season. It was so "quiet!" The kind of quietness you have during the winter when walking alone through the woods, so quiet you can feel it.



Soon, however, all this cool weather will be disappearing and the "quiet" that I spoke of will be a thing of the past, at least for awhile. The little picnic pavilion that you see, will soon be bustling with folks and their young'ns and the smell of charcoal and winners burned to a nuclear crisp will be filling the air, not to mention the savory smell of ground beef being charred...yum and yes, that is a real fire place and one can do open hearth cooking in that pavilion, so bring a "dutch oven" or two if you happen to come up here. There are many more of these too but it is wise to make reservations if you want one for the day.

[microcollector]

Ken, Nice pictures.

I had the opportunity to visit Mt. Mitchell in the spring of 1966. I was on a geology field trip based out of Spruce Pine. The day we went up the mountain it was a frosty wonderland. There were frost fingers over everything from the heavy hoar frost. It is a very beautiful place.

Doug
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[Mike B in OKlahoma]

The first one is wonderfully moody!

I thought the picnic area was actually an old homestead till I looked carefully! :-) Much better than the standard concrete and sheet metal constructions we so often see!
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[Ken Ramos]

microcollector wrote: