Mt. Mitchell in the Clouds
Sep. 22nd, 2024 09:10 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
canyonwalkerBlue Ridge Trip '24 #32
Back in Boone, NC - Sat, 7 Sep 2024. 6pm
The plan for today, our last full day in North Carolina, was simple. We'd enjoy a fun and fulfilling hike at Catawba Falls then two-fer the day with a visit to nearby Mt. Mitchell. At elev. 6,684 feet (2,037 m) it's the highest peak in the eastern US.
Weather forecasts said it would be a clear afternoon at Mt. Mitchell. It didn't take a degree in meteorology to recognize that as we climbed from the foothills there were thick clouds clustered around the 6,000'+ peaks around Mt. Mitchell.
We drove up the access road into Mt. Mitchell State Park. We wondered if maybe the highest peak would poke above the clouds or if we could wait out the clouds for them to burn off on this otherwise sunny day. Alas, neither happened. (The clouds shrouding the valley around Catawba Falls stuck there seemingly all day, too.) The top was completely socked in with clouds. And it was cold. And windy! We waited in our car for about 30 minutes with no change before heading back down. We figured we'd enjoy the rest of the Blue Ridge mountains in the sunshine.
We drove the scenic route home, sticking to the Blue Ridge Parkway almost the whole way. The thing is, while it's the scenic route it's actually not that much slower than driving regular highways since there are no traffic lights or stop signs. And heck, there was barely even any traffic— surprising for a Saturday afternoon.
Now we're back at our hotel in Boone. We're taking it easy this afternoon but also cleaning and arranging our gear to pack it up tomorrow morning, when we begin our trip home.
Back in Boone, NC - Sat, 7 Sep 2024. 6pm
The plan for today, our last full day in North Carolina, was simple. We'd enjoy a fun and fulfilling hike at Catawba Falls then two-fer the day with a visit to nearby Mt. Mitchell. At elev. 6,684 feet (2,037 m) it's the highest peak in the eastern US.
Weather forecasts said it would be a clear afternoon at Mt. Mitchell. It didn't take a degree in meteorology to recognize that as we climbed from the foothills there were thick clouds clustered around the 6,000'+ peaks around Mt. Mitchell.
We drove up the access road into Mt. Mitchell State Park. We wondered if maybe the highest peak would poke above the clouds or if we could wait out the clouds for them to burn off on this otherwise sunny day. Alas, neither happened. (The clouds shrouding the valley around Catawba Falls stuck there seemingly all day, too.) The top was completely socked in with clouds. And it was cold. And windy! We waited in our car for about 30 minutes with no change before heading back down. We figured we'd enjoy the rest of the Blue Ridge mountains in the sunshine.
We drove the scenic route home, sticking to the Blue Ridge Parkway almost the whole way. The thing is, while it's the scenic route it's actually not that much slower than driving regular highways since there are no traffic lights or stop signs. And heck, there was barely even any traffic— surprising for a Saturday afternoon.
Now we're back at our hotel in Boone. We're taking it easy this afternoon but also cleaning and arranging our gear to pack it up tomorrow morning, when we begin our trip home.
