Black Mountain Crest Trail & Big Butt Tr ip Report

“Were in the h&11 is Georgie ????”

“Got home just before 2AM last night -- what'd I tell ya? 11 hours -- dang...

Anywhoo, I got home and just barely had enough energy left to take a shower and crash only to be up bright and early this morning for the office -- wonderful.

I just finished hanging my wet tent over the bathtub. I'm about to dive into the pictures I took and post them, along with my thoughts on the trip...

...oh yeah, and there might possibly be an unveiling of a new trail name for moi (sneak preview provided earlier by EarthNSky...)

Stay Tuned...”

“Saturday

Woke up and heard people moving around camp. Poked my head out of the tent and saw an incredible sunrise cresting the Blue Ridge. That was all the motivation I needed. I got out of my bag and emerged out into the cold windy landscape and snapped a few photos. Everyone else was starting to get up too.

I then called Pennsy and he said that he was heading up the Colberts Ridge trail with Yam and Gemini. I slowly got packed and walked around Deep Gap and took some more photos. The views were outstanding. Everyone got packed and we headed south on the Crest. Bison and Embear stayed behind to wait for the Pennsy group.

Climbed the steep 9000 foot climb outta Deep Gap to Potato Hill. The higher we got up the icier the trees were. It was awesome. There was even a dusting of snow on the ground.

The views on Potato Hill were amazing. The fall colors were in full force down below. We stopped to peak over the cliff edge on Potato Hill and then continued on.

The drop off of Potato was not high but quite steep and then there is a short climb to Cattail Peak. The sign along the trail isn't the official peak. Walkndude and I found the peak and bagged it and there was a nice view to the east from there. We looked to the south and could see that Balsam Cone was completely socked in along with Mitchell and Craig. This would be the last view until after Mitchell.

Next was a short steep climb over Balsam Cone and the really steep and deep drop into Big Tom Gap. The climb up Big Tom has a lot of scrambling and is one of the best climbs on the trail. I got up to the top and waited on Phantom Soul and then we went to Mt. Craig. Decided not to look for the crashed plane due to it was really cold and windy. Mt. Craig is a bald and completely exposed so the wind really smacks you there. They are really strict about staying on the trail there due to the rare and fragile alpine plant life.

It's rocky coming off of Craig with alot of scrambles and then the final climb up to Mitchell. When you get to the gravel path you know you are almost there.

I got up to the snack bar and Blalock notified me that Pennsy and group had to turn back due to Gemini's injury. I was trying to reach him but my cell phone wasn't getting reception after Deep Gap.

took some pics on the peak which was still completely socked in and then went up the tower. The stairwell was full of snow and ice and so was the deck. Stepped out and nearly got blown away. There were tourons up there in shorts and talking about how much they deserved hot chocolate when the got back down. I said my silent congrats to them, their cars worked really hard to get them there.

The wind on the top of Mitchell was harder than anywhere else on the range. The temp. was 30 degrees and the windchill was probably less than 10. I didn't check to see what the wind speed was but I bet it was over 50.

We then decided to head 2 miles down the Old Mitchell trail to the Restaurant and left a message for Bison and Embear with the ranger.

While on the Old Mitchell trail the sky opened up revealing Mt Mitchell above and the valley below. The sky was a deep blue and it was amazing. I took my time and enjoyed the most excellent scenery along the trail.

When I arrived at the restaurant everyone was seated at the bar. I sat down and ordered. Our server was so beautiful and had an awesome southern accent. I chatted it up with her for a little bit and then we packed up our gear and got ready to return to the trail.

At the last moment I decided to leave her a not with my email address but she wasn't there so I gave it to another girl server to give to her. Don't know if she ever received it. Still haven't heard from her :(

Man, was she pretty. She has to be cool too if she works on Mt. Mitchell. Maybe she will email me. Oh well. As we were leaving we ran into Embear and Bison. Tried to give them directions but none of the trails between Steppes Gap and the Mountains to Sea Trail were on the map. We decided to drop the plan to bag Potato Knob and take the forest road up to Mt. Gibs and then take manways to the MST. I told Bison I would mark the trail as best I could. It was getting late even for us. Only 7 miles to go though.

Back on the Old Mitchell trail and up towards Mt. Hallback. Bagged the peak with Phantom Soul and Blalock and then we went down to Steppes Gap.

At Steppes Gap we crossed NC 128 at the Ranger Station and headed up the forest service road to Mt. Clingman. We de-packed. The vies along the road were awesome. Walkindude, Blalock and I bagged Mt Gibbs. Just Below Gibbs UNC has a weather station and we checked that out.

We then turned into the woods on a narrow manway. For more than a mile it was like walking thru a spruce and fir tunnel and then opened up to a small meadow where there was a cabin. We were on private property owned by the descendents of Big Tom Wilson, famed Black Mountain man. We then skirted the border between the Big Tom preserve and NF and ended up bagging Potato Knob after making a wrong turn. We turned around and thought about heading back to Mt. Mitchell. Blalock then found the correct trail and we decided it was much easier to stay the course. We only had about 4 miles left and Blackstock Knob was in view.

We then hiked to a clearing in the forest and Blalock dropped his pack and disappeared in the woods. He returned with great news. He had found the MST. We were leaving markers the whole way up to this point. For the short bushwack to the MST we tied orange tape around the trees.

Once on the MST we all started cooking up the trail to Blackstock Knob. The views from Patton Knob (sub-peak of Blackstock) were awesome. We could see what we had done and it was quite a feat. It was a decent climb up Blackstock but we were all on the move. We dropped packs at the top of Blackstock for a short time and then made the steep descent into Balsam Gap. We were officially racing the clock and beat it.

We got to Balsam Gap before sunset and pumped water 1/4 mile down the jeep road. When we got back the sun was beginning to set. Trekkngirl was a little behind so WalknDude, Ewker and I waited at Balsam Gap while Phantom Soul and Blalock went down the Big Butt trail to search for a camp site.

I walked up the Parkway to search for a spot to watch the sunset. It was pretty nice. There was a cool view of the moon too which was just a sliver.

When I got back to Balsam Gap Trekkngirl was emerging from the darkness. We then met the others in camp. The spot was awesome. small clearing in the woods that was very grassy. We set up with the little light that was left. By the time camp was up the sun was completely down and it was dark. We all at dinner. Ewker passed around some amazing cheese. yum. Phantom Soul and Blalock were drinking some of Kentucky's finest bourbon. I had a sip and nearly spontaniously combusted. The convo was great. We watched the stars and joked around, saw a satelite navigate the sky and chatted about trips to come and trips gone by. It was getting cold fast and we all decided to go to bed.

The Big Butt Trail coming up soon...”

“Yeah, that "9000" foot climb outta deep gap was a killer :)”

“No doubt”

“Sunday

Got up just after 7. Everyone else was already up. It was warmer and sunny, very sunny. This is good because mucho importante view was to be seen this day.

We all had breakfast and packed up and left out of camp peice meal. I was the last to leave. Half mile up the trail ran into Bison and Embear. How the, what the?!?!?! They somehow teleported there. jk, glad they got the ride from Pennsy. Finding there way through those manways in the dark would have been impossible and accidently wandering into the Big Tom preserve was not an option.

I then continued on my way. I was by myself and the Big Butt Trail was blow down central. There was a blown down one after another. The trail kept disapearing and then reappearing. It was less maintained than the manways. I lost the trail on a knob before Little Butt. The plan was to meet up on Little Butt and soak in the most awesome view of the Blacks. I looked all over for the trail and couldn't find it. I could see a gap in front of me and then the rise to little Butt. It looked steep. I decided to bushwack down into the gap to see if I could find the trail. It was steep and the vegitation was thick and when I got down to the bottom there was no trail.

I then started yelling "hello, hello.... " but did not hear a response. Hope I'm going the right way. I looked up towards the top of Little Butt, it was steep and rocky and covered in thick rhodedendron. I proceded. It was all but impassible and I pretty much belly crawled up the entire way. I got 3/4 of the way up and started yelling hello again. I wanted to be sure I was going the right way. I started to hear the group yelling back. I knew I was going the right way and continued the bushwack up the side of the peak. Got to a rock wall and had to go around it thru really thick brush but managed to break through and when I did I found the trail and then I saw Walkindude walking down the trail towards me. Man that wore me out. That stuff is tough to push through. We got up to the top. I de-packed and Blalock showed me the view. The Black Mountain Range was completely sprawled out in front of me, from Celo to Blackstock and it was good! To the north you could see Roan Mountain. I was in awe. We stayed there for a bit and then continued on the trail towards Big Butt. There is a portion of the ridge that was the width of the trail. That was cool. We even got a view towards the south east and could see Asheville, Craggy Dome and the Great Craggies and the Great Balsams.

The trail went around Big Butt and we decided not to bag it due to time constraints. Big Butt is just short of 6,000 feet at 5970. After Big Butt the trail turns into a jeep road. We took that for a while and kept our eyes pealed for a quick left turn that drops off into the woods and is hard to find. The jeep road goes down into Big Tom preserve and you don't go down in there.

We found the left turn and the trail switchbacks like crazy down to the Cane River Gap trail head. We got there around 12:45 and talked, changed and took some group photos. Everyone made fun of my stuffed animal that was hiding in my car. Hey! that is an antique and besides, it's only in my car because I'm moving so HA!

We went to Pizza hut and got the buffet in the nick of time. I built the Pizza Pyrimad and it was good. I was stuffed as was everyone. We went our separate ways around 3.

then it was the almost infinite 81 north. Rolled into York, PA at 1215 and dropped Phantom Costanza Hiker off at his car and then I was homeward bound. Crashed at my Mom's.

The hike was good. I had fun. It was great meeting everyone I previously did not know and it was great seeing everyone I previously met! I missed Y2, Roam and Gemini! Hope you feel better Gem! Roam, next Blacks trip you'll be there right? Y2 your brit humour is key to a complete trip.

Sorry I didn't get to meet you Yam.

Also, Master Trail Jedi 2socks, thanks so much for taking Blalock under your wing and teaching him your skill. The trip would not have been possible with out you. The route you scouted for us was awesome.

Blalock again, I can't thank you enough.

It was a great trip, my favorate so far.

In closing, farts better not be lumpy!”

“9000 foot climb. Like that edit key.”

“Patrick, thanks for all your help as well. Hope you can make the next trip. Next year I hope to do Roan Mountain.”

“Peaks Bagged on this trip

Celo Knob - skipped - previously bagged
Gibbs Mtn - skipped - previously bagged
Winterstar - bagged
Potato Hill - bagged
Cattail Peak - bagged (doesn't count tho)
Balsam Cone - bagged
Mt. Craig - bagged
Mt. Mitchell - bagged
Mt. Hallback - bagged
Mt. Gibbs - bagged
Potato Knob - bagged (doesn't count)
Blackstock Knob - bagged”

“the pics are awesome. I haven't checked mine out yet.”

“I bagged Yam and Gemini. Does that count?

Whewwww, thank god I really didn't post that.

Hey, great trip reports! I'm glad it all worked out for everybody. I can't to see all the pics. All my pics are from Friday when all we saw was fog.

I'm also glad were able to drive over to Mitchell and see some of the group, Embear and Bison. I was concerned if anyone got word that we had turned back. Hats off to the people at Mitchell for passing on the message.

Gem - I'm glad you are feeling better, and we'll bag those mountains next time.”

“Pennsy,

Why'd you bust us? We had'em going there, they bought our story hook, line, and sinker.”

“yeah, that was strange how the north end of the Range had reception and the southern half of the range didn't - split at Deep Gap. Good idea calling the State Park Pennsy.”

“Bison - I honestly had no intention of busting you. Good grief, did these guys suffer altitude sickness to NOT know? LOL! The fact that you arrived in camp ahead of them, and Embear sporting a colorful new thermarest on her pack should have been a clue, eh? What line did you toss at them?
last edited: 10/18/04 9:10:13 PM”

“Great report E&S. Almost made me feel like I was there.

............wait,.... I was there.

Sombody else post pictures!”

“Pennsy, no one saw embear's thermarest since they stayed in the tent until noon ;)”

“I'm not very familliar with the area and there is about 1 1/2 gap that is not on my map so I figured it was possible for them to stumble on a more direct route.”

“Good answer Ewker! LOL!!!”

“No, She packed the thermarest inside her pack so y'all wouldn't see it.

We had told the rest of the group that we ended up on a jeep road that took us over to Balsam gap and that we hiked real fast.”

“they could have said they followed the yellow brick road and I would have believed them at that point.”

“We were just glad to see them!”

“well I was really glad to see embear since she was riding with us, Bison could find his own way home ;)
last edited: 10/18/04 9:22:23 PM”

“yeah, I was a little worried. After I set up camp Saturday night, I was considering night hiking up the MST. I figured you guys were camping up on Blackstock. That would have been cold and windy.”

“If I had to sum up this trip in one word, it would go something like this:

WOW!

This trip almost reminded me of a soap opera in that the drama just never ended (It Never Ends...). People coming and going, and coming back again; I tell you, it was an effort just keeping up with who I was hiking with at any given moment...

EarthNSky pretty much told the story of this trip as it happened, so I thought I'd focus more on my overall impressions, since this was my first hike "down south".

Let me start by saying I was very impressed by North Carolina. The mountains just abosolutely tower over you and there's just so many of them all over the place. Very Cool.

The 3000' climb up Celo knob kicked my a$$ -- I am not ashamed to admit it. It wasn't steep, but it was long -- 'twas a beast I tell you, Arrr! 36 hours later, my knees are still sore from the descent off of Big Butt, again not steep but very long and merciless on knees.

There were some steep climbs and descents over the Black Mtn Ridge, but I did notice one thing: the trail never really got nearly as rocky as many of the trails back home are. I kind of liked that; it made for some really fast hiking.

Mt Mitchell was very cool, especially with the 'facilities' it had, such as a restaurant and a Mens room with plumbing. How often do you get to flush and then go to eat a cheesesteak in the middle of a weekend hike? Man, that chit was pimp! Oh yeah, and the cute waitress was just icing on the cake.

Afterwards, the clouds cleared to reveal some of the most amazing views I've ever seen in my life. The Black Mountains seem to fall just short of tree line (but with the kind of winds I had at Mt Mitchell, that might not last very long...), but with some of the views, it might as well be. I had no idea what I was looking at most of the time, but quite frankly, I didn't care; it's was just that dang good.

I also hiked this weekend without poles, as I haven't had a chance to replace the ones that I totalled in the Adirondacks earlier this month, and I gotta say, that I almost didn't even miss them at all. I found it a lot easier to grab on to tress, roots, rocks, etc, when going up and down hills, and the poles weren't getting in the way. So to that end, good riddance to the poles. On the other hand, I did kind of miss them on the graded slopes, such as the forever climb up to Celo Knob, or the forever descent off of Big Butt (my knees are still reminding me of that one...)

Speaking of Adirondacks, I guess I should get to the part everyone is waiting for: Blacks or Daks? Well, I'm gonna have to go with C) Both of the above, and I'll tell you why. While that day hike we did over the Dixes was way tougher than any of the 3 days we spent in the Blacks, this Black Mtn trip presented us with 2 full days of non-stop butt-kicking action, and then some. So to that end, this trip was tougher. However, the northern trails (Adirondacks especially) seem to me to be more rugged. I'm not exactly sure why; perhaps it's all the rocks we have up here and that it's somewhat of an art walking on them and not taking out your ankles or knees. So overall, both places win my respects and I can't wait to go back to either.

ENS, Blalock, thanks for putting together such an awesome trip and a special thanks to ENS for splitting the ride with me. You rock, dude. To the rest of you that were on this trip (Embear, Ewker, TrekkinGirl, and Walkin Dude), Pennsy, Bison, and ENS were the only ones I knew before this trip. I enjoyed meeting all of you and am really looking forward to hiking with all of you again. Yam and Gemini, sorry I missed y'all, but I hope you're feeling better now -- perhaps another time.

Blalock, we've already got plans (you better not leave me hanging at Newark-Liberty airport on Fri 12 November ;) ). Thanks to all for an excellent time that made every minute of the 11-hour-each-way drive worth it! Rock on, little dudes!

Pictures”

“Welllll, not being telepathic, you could have called me BEFORE EarthNsky did, to let me in on the ruse. I probably could have added something to the spin.”

“Killer shots Phantom Soul!
Only one thing, I'm "Walkindude". Not "Walkin Dude".
last edited: 10/18/04 9:32:38 PM”

“or his dudeness, duderino.....”

“We thought you were in on it already, thought we'd covered it when you dropped us off. Thanks for the ride by the way, without it we'd probably still be out there somewhere.”

“Oh, my bad, Walkindude. Let me go change that before anyone sees the His Dudeness's name spelled wrong...
last edited: 10/18/04 9:42:14 PM”

“His Dudeness.”

“great pics and report phantom of the soul”

“Well I'm back to work where I have a computer again.
Great trip reports and pictures guys..thanks for organizing such a wonderful trip ENS and Blalock..great to meet you both ,also Phantom Soul.Great to see you again Pennsy,Dude,Embear and Ewker..Sorry Yammy and Gem that you couldn't make it.

This was an amazing trip..a real BUTT KICKER for me indeed..I did develope asthma on this trip the first day..and I kept it the whole time..(this has never happened to me before)I think it was triggered to the severe cold weather change with the high winds..nonetheless I finished the trip with much concern from my fellow hikers watching out for me..thanks you guys..you're the most.

Beautiful company and scenery made for a wonderful weekend.”

“sorry i missed you guys...next time!!”

“Yam is a bailer, report to the bailer thread immediately :)”

“Nice report PS, glad you like the Blacks, I was curious to see your impressions since I've never been up to the Daks. I kinda suspected thats how'd youd rate them - everywhere has its own unique features that make them wonderful.

btw, nice pic of ENS doing his Roam Around impersonation on Mt. Mitchell. LMAO”

“Yikes!
Good thing you know about these things, trekkngirl.”

“Trekkingirl, are you gonna be able to post your pictures? Yours are awesome, especially those black and whites!”

“Stovie..I knew what was happening but there wasn't anything I could do about it except take it slow..which is what I did..I got an inhaler that helped alot after we came out.. I sure hope it's over.

Embear I don't have a computer to put my pics on but thanks for the compliment.”

“Georgie, you look like you were smokin' weed on that Mt. Hallback pic !!! LMAO- I got the offcial word from the boss ( my wife ) that I may go with you guys in Nov. Plan on picking me up, don't have a time yet but I imagine late afternoon or night.
last edited: 10/19/04 2:56:04 PM”

“...That's me on Mt. Mitchell doing the impersonation, not ENS. He wanted into the picture and I chased him out...

I guess it's kinda hard to tell. I had to get all bundled up; it was stoopid cold up there...”

“Nice reports and pictures from everyone.Sounds like a great trip. Who had the MS Ghost? The natural tree line down here would be about 7000.Did anybody have scrambled eggs, country ham, and grits at the restaurant? YUM YUM Never saw the sign on the summit of Hallback but when I was up there it was snowing. I guess everyone discovered the route between Steppes and Blackstock is somewhat confusing. Hiked Big Butt trail during Frances, a few trees down but I guess even more with Ivan. Planning to do the crest in January, in reverse. The exact course will depend on conditions. I really don't want to hike the entire ridgeline in 3' of snow. If conditions dictate it may be a base camp trip. Just have to wait and see. I've hiked in January in shorts and t-shirt (also multiple layers, balaclava, etc). Off to AT Friday.”

“I'd LOVE to join you in January !!! Lrt me know dblalock@backpacker.com”

“wow me too, I bet it's fun up there in January. I'll have to keep that on my radar. Keep me posted. rdanner202@aol.com”

“Have you guys got first names? I've posted this trip under the trip section. How much winter experience do you have? The trail will be icy, usually solid ice on the ridgeline when I've hiked up there. You will need crampons, 6 point minimum. The wind is not too bad with layers. Deep snow and heavy winds would be difficult. You might need snowshoes.
My e-mail is ppcraft@comcast.net. Again how much winter experience do you have? If the weather is bad, you do not want to try a ridge traverse for an initial winter hike. Lethal hypothermia in bad conditions is a probability. I hiked up Mt Washington in March, temps in teens, wind 30+ mph. Good winter conditions for Washington but deep snow and wind at Mitchell without the proper eqipment is NOT a good combination. Drop me a line.”

“WTHEF are your pics?!?”

“I should have 'em up next weekend. My computer is not online yet.”

“Here are my pics from this trip

Sorry it took so long. I still have to put captions on them. I just got my computer online this afternoon.”

“SWEET! It's like I was there all over again. You have become quite the photographer!!!!”

“I'm sure they're great but webshots won't let me see them.”

“thanks, yeah, I am really enjoying looking at the pics. That was such a great hike. I think it was my favorate of the year.”