Everything about Mount Mitchell North Carolina totally explained
Mount Mitchell is the highest peak of the
Appalachian Mountains and the highest peak in eastern
North America, excluding
island summits. It was the highest point in any state of the
United States until
Texas joined the union in 1845. The nearest higher point east of the Rocky Mountains is
Harney Peak in the
Black Hills of
South Dakota. Mount Mitchell is located near
Burnsville in
Yancey County, North Carolina, in the
Black Mountain subrange of the Appalachians, and about northeast of
Asheville. It is protected by
Mount Mitchell State Park and surrounded by the
Pisgah National Forest.
The mountain was named after
Elisha Mitchell, a professor at the
University of North Carolina, who determined its height in
1835 and fell to his death at nearby
Mitchell Falls in
1857, having returned to verify his earlier measurements.
The ascent of Mount Mitchell is now rather easy, since a road off the historic and scenic
Blue Ridge Parkway runs nearby, and a trail leads through a
conifer forest to the top. The summit once featured a stone observation tower, which was torn down in late 2006 and is being replaced by a shorter observation platform. The new observation deck is projected for completion in the summer of 2008. Also at the summit is the tomb of Dr. Mitchell.
The weather on Mount Mitchell is very mild in the summer and very harsh in the winter, more like
Maine or southeastern
Canada than the
southeastern U.S. The coldest temperature ever recorded in the state occurred there on
January 21,
1985 when it fell to -34°F (-37°C), during a severe cold spell that brought freezing temperatures as far south as
Miami. It is also the coldest average reporting station in the state at 43.8°F or 6.6°C which is well below any other station. Unlike the lower elevations in the surrounding regions, heavy snows often fall from December to March, with 50 inches (127 cm) accumulating in the
Great Blizzard of 1993.
The high elevations also expose plant life to high levels of pollution, including
acid precipitation – rain, snow, and fog with very low
pH. These acids damage the
spruce and
fir trees particularly badly, in part by releasing natural
metals from the soil like
aluminum, and by leaching important
minerals. This stress also reduces the trees' resistance and
immunity to insects, especially to non-native introduced pests like the
Balsam woolly adelgid (see aphid).
While the mountain is still mostly lush and green in the summer, many dead trunks can be seen due to these serious problems. Repairing the damage is a difficult issue, as the pollutants are often carried in from long distances. Sources can be local or hundreds of miles or kilometers away, requiring cooperation from as far away as the
Midwest.
Still, hundreds of tourists visit the peak each spring through autumn, for its incredible views and sunsets. Wildflowers are abundant all summer long. Young fir and spruce trees do well in the subalpine climate, and their pine cones feed the birds along with wild
blueberry and
blackberry shrubs. For visitors, a snack bar more palatable for humans is also available at the summit parking lot.
Roughly a mile to the north of Mount Mitchell is the second highest point in eastern North America,
Mount Craig at 6,647 ft (2,026 m).
Image:DSCF0336.JPG|A view from the observation tower.
Image:MountMitchellNC562007.jpg|Looking west from the parking lot atop the summit.
Image:Black Mountain Range.jpg|Black Mountain Range as seen from Blue Ridge Parkway.
Image:Black Mountains.jpg|Easter view of Mount Mitchell from Blue Ridge Parkway.
Image:Mt Mitchell from BRP2.jpg|Southern view of Mount Mitchell from Blue Ridge Parkway.
Image:Mount Mitchell Forest.jpg|Forest on Mount Mitchell from hiking trail.
Image:Mt Mitchell Looking North.jpg|View northeast from Mount Mitchell.
Image:Mount Craig2.jpg|Mount Craig as seen from Mount Mitchell.
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