Black Mountain Crest Trail

“Hey. Anyone up for an overnight trip on the Black Mountain Crest Trail in mid to late June? I want to do an overnight trip. Start at the summit of Mitchell, hike down and pitch camp either at Deep Gap or Horse Rock, then either hike to Celo and back to Mitchell the next day, or on down to Bolens Creek if we can arrange a shuttle or stash a second vehicle at the terminus.

Let me know if you're interested. I live in the Charlotte area. We could link up elsewhere, of course.”

“the only place camping is allowed on that trail is in Deep Gap. I recommend starting at Bolens Creek and hiking to Mitchell. Lot more fun that direction. Nothing like the good ole buttkicking feeling.”

“I won't be able to join you unfortunately, but the BMCT is one of my favorite trails anywhere.”

“Its 1.66 acres lie squarely in the middle of Deep Gap along the crest of the Black Mountain range in Yancey County. Surrounded for miles by national forest and other protected lands, it is a popular camping spot for hikers trekking north from Mt. Mitchell State Park. This transaction ensures that it will always remain so.

http://www.appalachian.org/whatsnew/archive.htm#forest-service

Well, 1.66 Acres down, only about 2 million acres to go to protect the remaining unprotected wildland in the SE Appalachians (NC, SC, GA, TN and VA).
last edited: 6/08/05 7:50:55 AM”

“the mt. mitchell state park boundary ends at deep gap doesn it? and that beyond is national forest (pisgah)...so i was under the assumption that you could camp anywhere. at least you can camp anywhere in shining rock & middle prong wildernesses (also part of pisgah). if this is true, then an excellent but waterless campsite is on top of winterstar, right by the BM and summit. i didn't see it very well, but I hear there is a nice spot by percy's peak/horse rock as well. and if you could lug a big pack up through the brush, i remember there being a few small (but wooded) ground clearings near the summit of celo knob. again no water, but water near horse rock i think?

get to mitchell to savior the rustic tower while you can. it's stone part is original, and they're going to tear it down for a shorter one, and don't be surprised if it ends up looking similar to the monstrosity on top of Clingmans Dome. They have to make it handicap accessible, and the crazy design and paved tourist path (which Mitchell will soon have) are a result of these regulations.”

“there are signs along the Crest Trail that say that the only camping is allowed in Deep Gap. This might be because of the high altitude and fragile vegitation up on the crest.”

“Camping not legally allowed in state park except at campground. State park boundary at Steppes Gap and along west side RR grade to ridge at Cattail Peak, up and along ridgeline to Big Tom then above east side RR grade back to Steppes Gap. As far as I know one can camp anywhere in NF land in US, I've never seen otherwise. State parks and NP have more stringent rules. The only sites on the ridge north of the park suitable for camping are at Cattail Peak, Deep Gap, Winter Star and around Horse Rock. Water is scarce (Deep Gap and 3rd switchback below Celo)

The parkway is open between Bowers Gap and Mitchell (one lane), also Neels Creek Rd. South Toe road closed until next year.”

“well then they try to discourage camping along the ridge accept in Deep Gap due to the Fragile alpine floura and vegitation.”

“Deep Gap is the best camp spot along the trail.

A really fun three day trip is to start at Bolens Creek and hike to Deep Gap, camp. Day two, hike to Mitchell, then take the Old Mitchell Trail to Steppes Gap (bushwack up to Hallback). Once in steppes Gap, take the boundary trail (manway) to over Gibbs and Clingmans and Potato Knob to the Mountains to Sea Trail. Take the Mountains to Sea Trail to Balsam Gap and camp near Balsam Gap on the Big Butt Trail. Day 3, hike the Big Butt Trail to Cane River Gap.”

“Link:

http://www.sierraclub-nc.org/chapter/conservation/roadless/blackmts/blackmtsra.shtml

So Bush wants to allow roads in there, does he?”

“No camping allowed in the state park along the trail. I think they "discourage" camping along the ridgeline outside of the park, too, but I know lots of people who pitch their tents at Horse Rock. There are some absolutely wonderful sites on Cattail Peak, but it's off limits. But you can tell folk pitch there anyway despite the rules.

I think what I'll end up doing is camping in Deep Gap, then bagging Winter Star, Gibbs and Celo the next day, and retracing the route back to Mitchell. No partner, no two-car stash.”

“the area around Horse Rock seems to be the most alpine area of the whole range. I love that section of the trail. The trees are so flagged and stunted and sparse. Very cool scenery. I have never been on that stretch of trail with good weather. I bet the views are amazing.”

“Met a guy who had photos of his camp at Horse Rock. Yes, the views were phenomenal. When I go up in a couple weeks, I'm still undecided if I'll camp at Deep Gap or Horse Rock. I'll probably pitch my tent at Deep Gap just to make sure I'm not hurting any fragile vegetation on those high peaks. Horse Rock is over 6K feet and there's not a lot of that territory in the East.”

“I just looked through your pics and you got a bunch of good ones. Made me miss the southern sixers. I live in PA, so that is a long haul for me, but I try to get down there once or twice a year. I hope to get down there Halloween Weekend and do the Balsams. I have a trip posted if you're interested.

Here are some pics I took along the Crest Trail last fall.
http://community.webshots.com/album/209671262pzxvZP”

“I'm headed to Blackwater Falls State Park and Dolly Sods in late October. Just confirmed our cabin rental today.

Otherwise, I'd definitely join you in the Black Mountains.

Looks like you had decent weather on your trip there in the Blacks--not too bad. Everyone seems to take a photo of that slide off of Potato Hill. Wonder how old it is?”

“A lot of the accounts I read about the Black Mountain Crest Trail mention a shelter at Deep Gap. No shelter when I was there, so I know it was removed. Any idea when it was removed, and why?

Some of the accounts as late as 1998 or so mention the shelter. Apparently had four bunks.”

“I know I read that it was removed, not sure why and when.”

“if 2socks sees this he'll probably know.”

“About 10 years ago a friend and I hiked up to Deep Gap intent on staying in shelter on our January trip. We found the roof on the floor and ended up stealth camping down the ridge. It was -10 that night.”

“Maybe has something to do w/ the 200mph winds that the mountain encounters as well, closest thing to a shelter @ deep gap is a large boulder on the trail that protects your tent from a west wind.
last edited: 6/13/05 8:35:23 PM”

“I don't think I'd head up there in Winter without a bomb shelter type mountaineering tent.”

“A bombproof tent makes cooking easier. When Blalock, Bill, and I camped in January I took my Betamid. Worked fine except the snow that kept blowing under the edge waking me up as it settled on my face. I was up on Ranier at Camp Schurman 10 days ago. Had a windy snowstorm one night, but not as bad as what I've experienced in the SE in winter. But then again it was May 31st.

Lesson for the day: Do not drink beer and try to kiss a rattlesnake.”

“

Wow, check out this view of the Black Mountains!! Damn, I miss the Blacks. It was taken by Peter from the Wild Country Forum. He sometimes posts over here. Great pic Peter!”

“

the Southern Blacks, Gibbs, Clingmans Peak and Potato Knob. Photo also by Peter! Great shot! Nice weather.”

“

another great pic Peter, taken from Mt. Mitchell of the Black Mtn range to the north.

Craig, Big Tom, Balsam Cone, Cattail, Winterstar, Gibbs and Celo. God I miss the Blacks!”

“That last picture also catches the Roan Highlands, distant-right with the Roan High Knob at extreme right.
last edited: 9/24/05 11:17:32 AM”

“Mitchell is also dominating the backdrop in the middle photo too. Looks like the tower is still standing. When are they tearing it down?”

“The 2nd photo is taken from Pinnacle Peak @ about 5800' which is the juncture of the Blue Ridge and the Black Mountain Range.

Th towers at middle left are radio and microwave towers on Mt. Gibbs. The Mt. Mitchell peak is at far right with the tower barely or not visible in the 2nd photo.”

“right, but you can still see it. It's going to be a bummer when they tear it down.”

“the Blacks remind me alot of the Great Range in the Adirondacks by the way they look and dominate the skyline.”

“hey ens,

just checked in here, thanks for posting my pics, they turned out really well. theyre going to tear down the tower this winter, and have the new one up around next spring. it truely is too bad, a new picture of the tower is on the state park website. it's only 10 feet high, and has a ramp just like clingmans dome.

the 2nd photo was taken from The Pinnacle. The towers are atop Clingmans Peak. Mt. Gibbes has several smaller towers that are not visible in the photo. Mt. Gibbes is the tiny hump just to the right of the towers. Odd that it counts as a southern sixer per SB6000, yet Potato Know on the far left does not, despite being much more impressive and prominent. at least it's a county high point (Buncombe NC).

Roan High Bluff and Roan High Knob can be seen in the thrid picture, right.

Probably in the next year I'm going to do the the true "Black Mountain Crest Trail", as in hike the entire crest of the Blacks, from Bowlens Creek and Celo Knob, over the crest and the last peak being Blackstock Knob and ending at Balsam Gap. In a day. I think ENS did this last year and did the Big Butt trail too in a couple days, camping at Deep Gap and somewhere near Big Butt.

lonesurveyor, do you know anything about how to get permission to hike in the Big Tom perserve? I talked with someone who got permission one time, but lost the contact information of the owners.”

“yeah, last October we started at Bolens Creek and ascended to Celo. We didn't take the summit on that trip. It was very cold and windy. We had lunch about 250 below the summit near where the BMCT crests the ridge of the Blacks. The vegitation was iced over with rim and the wind was cranking at about 50mph. The temperature was somewhere around 30. It was awesome!

We camped in Deep Gap that night and the temp got down into single digits and the winds seemed to kick up a notch. We all had to set our tents up behind rocks in order to keep ourselves from being blown off the mountain range.

The following day we awoke to a most beautiful sunrise and it was snowing at the same time. Everything was still covered in rim and when we got up to the peaks, snow was starting to lay.

We got a few views on Potato Hill, but once we got to Cattail Peak, everything was socked in from there all the way to Mitchell.

Mt. Craig was fun in the wind since it is so exposed there. Normally, I like to chill out on Craig since it has such a nice view and the openess of its bald is really great. It is one of my favorite peaks anywhere.

The temperature at Mt. Mitchell was 30 degrees. As soon as we descended into Steppes Gap the sun came out and revealed a glorious autumn view. Looking back up at Mitchell, the summit looked white from the rim ice. With the sun out, it started to warm up, probably closer to 40, but the wind was sill frigid.

We stopped at the Mt Mitchell restaurant for some much needed and delicious lunch and then bagged Mt. Hallback, Gibbs and Potato Knob. We then took the boundary trail/manway and a short bushwack to the MST where we hiked up and over Patton and Blackstock and then down into Balsam Gap.

We got into Balsam Gap when the sun was setting. It was a long 14 mile day and everyone was buttkicked I am sure. We hiked another half mile on the Big Butt Trail and camped in a nice grassy area.

That Sunday, we finished the Big Butt Trail in Cane River Gap, bt not before taking in a beautiful view on Little Butt.

here are my pics from that trip:
http://community.webshots.com/album/209671262pzxvZP”

“I 'know nuttin' except

some people that know some people ...
last edited: 9/26/05 7:46:48 PM”

“I heard they shoot at people who go hike on to their property. I hope that property becomes parkland with time. I think the famous Mitchell Falls is on that property.”

“The third picture (atop the tower) is very interesting. I have a picture taken 20 years ago from the same spot. At that time the mountain was covered with the skeletal sticks of all the dead balsam trees. I remember also the trails were roofed by the dead trees. In the picture above the forest looks much better. In the last year I have hiked all over the mountain over the last few years am happily suprised at the regrowth of all the firs, especially on Mitchell trail between Commissary Ridge campsite and the summit.

I know the Balsam Ageldid has done damage. Maybe the regrowth will soon die b/c of the insect, only to be replaced by new growth; maybe not. I'm not so sure about the cause of the death of the Balsam forest. I personally feel its a combination of tree maturity, acid rain and the ageldid.(The mountain was logged last about 80 years ago.) Its neat to see such changes on the mountain since I first hiked there in 1981.”

“That darned cleared powerline in the first photo disects what would be a larger wild area into 2 smaller wild areas.”

“when i saw that powerline i considered hiking up it sometime...but then thought better. it may be a clear swath, but the brush and growth is probably head high and spikey, and shows up as a swath simply because there are no large trees.

mitchell falls is on that property, and there is a trail to it from the valley. more impressive is blue sea falls on the perserve, a much taller and wider falls that is supposed to have a blueish tint. there's also a 5000 footer on the ridge coming down west of Mitchell I need to summit.

i saw the lady (at least one of) on PBS at the begining of the summer. they were doing a special program on the clingmans/mitchell exploration feud. she seemed nice, and she said people come ask her to see mitchell falls, and i think she implied that she lets them. just how to contact her, and i dont remember her name. she was, however, a grandaughter or great grandaughter? of big tom wilson.

they probably shoot at you if youre on their land because of bear hunting. hikers are innocent, but they can't tell if you're hiking or hunting. when i took those pictures on that trip, that evening around dusk, i saw two bear hunters with their hounds and radio collars and antenna parked at balsam gap and then again later returning from the forbidden Asheville Watershed at the Glassmine Falls Overlook just south of Balsam Gap. When they were at Balsam Gap, they almost undoubtedly were going into the bear perserve, and if not, National Park or State Park land at the minimum.

which is why i don't think it would be difficult to get permission, seeing how i'm not a hunter. and someone i have heard of did. i might just go to the yancey county courthouse sometime and find out who owns it. you can get their address and likely their phone number that way.”

“yeah, that power line is very thick with brush. The Mt. Mitchell trail switchbacks back and forth acrossed it for a while when you get up near Camp Alice.”

“patrick, they're releasing some kind of asian beetle now that feeds on the adelgid. hundreds of thousands of them a year. for the past two years, and continuing. i read this in an article in the Charlotte Observer. it said that it will take at least 3 more years of release to even see a slowing of the hemlock death.

what i did find very interesting is how in the museum near the summit, there were several pictures of the summit in B&W, taken in the 1930s, and even earlier? and the mountain still had the skeletal trees, perhaps even more so.

i wasn't alive in 1981. ;)”

“when you get your NC fivers done, that will be quite a feat!

Let me know when you want to hit some mountains up north! The Adirondacks in the winter can be a lot of fun. I still want to summit Mt. Marcy in the winter.”

“The west side of the Blacks is a preserve. There is a caretaker. Its my understanding that its old Hanes family property. I need to go check it out.

The powerline cut up the mountain is overgrown and DAMN steep up high.”

“wasn't alive in 1981. ;)”
pjbarr
9:22:52 PM
9/26/05


yeah, yeah, yeah, rub it in why don't ya!

;)”

“Wow, I miss the east. (never thought I would say it)

Here are my pics from that trail. Good memories...

http://community.webshots.com/album/202098187rfmpJN”

“Back in 1973, an episode of the tv show 'The American Sportsman' featured Curt Gowdy with Lee Wolf? (a notable fly-fisherman) and Cory Wells? (member of the band Three Dog Night) fly fishing on the Cane River within the Big Tom Wilson Preserve.

They hooked a couple of 3' long brown trout as I recall (possibly staged) and they also fished on a private preserve on Armstrong Creek in McDowell County.
last edited: 9/27/05 6:32:45 AM”

“The Pinnacle (or Pinnacle Peak), highest point in McDowell County and on Buncombe county line, from which the 2nd photo was taken is at the head of another considerable private bear hunting club property (sometimes called the Gibbs property) which occupies upwards of 2,000 acres in the upper watershed of Mills Creek and reaches from Montreat to the Parkway. The old railroad grade traverses thru this tract and I suppose is not officially open to the public but many walk it without hassle and the late winter marathon held there each year uses that route.

Bear dogs released on this club property can enter the Asheville Watershed which is closed to hunting and run bears back thru the club for possible blasting from the comfort of the seat of 4wd trucks of the club members.
last edited: 9/27/05 6:46:16 AM”

“I'm an eastern boy. I love the Apps!”

“i saw three dog night play in charlotte last year.

the road from montreat to the pinnacle and near black mountain gap is the old toll road that the people of the roaring 20s (and other generations) would drive their model Ts (and other cars) up to the camp on Mt. Mitchell.

have you ever found the Benchmark on The Pinnacle?”

“where is Sticks/2socks? He knows where every benchmark is in North Carolina on mountains above 3000 feet. He's the man.

He is the Bench Mark Jedi Master!”

“in that case, i'm looking for the one on top of mt. collins too. and plott balsam. and the high peak on snake mountain. and walker bald (near balsam gap).

oh, and the one at the intersection of the AT and Balsam Mountain Trail near Tricorner Knob Shelter.

Looked for all of those, never found them.”

“and im serious, i really wanna know where they are or if they're still there. so if anybody has located any of these, please speak up”