That is however a road well worth taking especially in good weather. Coming from the north one follows mountain ridges fro close to an hour offering plentiful overlook places and scenic vistas. Once again the weather was on the right mood and apart from some scattered high altitude clouds, the sky was mostly blue.
The top have a lookout tower which offers stunning views, but also a bit of exposure to the chilling winds.
There is also some information and exhibits showing how the area have changed lately focusing much on acid rains and pollution that have severely hindered the current growth of the trees on the peak (post 1950's).
A bit of a curiosity is that the peak itself is essentially a grave with a professor from the University of North Carolina being buried in a stone grave close to the absolute top. Being that he was also a reverend he can not have had much faith in God since it is declared that he hoped for God to come and resurrect him, and rather than leaving anything to chance he tried to improve the odds by being buried as high or as close to his god as possible... Having made the best of an effort he or those who buried him there are probably not completely pleased that he remains on the top of the mountain almost 150 years later... As for a scenic burial place though it is fantastic and I would personally not want to be resurrected and risk loosing what might be one of the more spectacular resting places I've ever seen.
Next week I hope to pass Clingman's Dome, leaving only one 6000+ ft peak in the eastern USA (NH).
Stats:
State: North Carolina
High point: Mount Mitchell
Elevation: 6 684 ft (2 037 m)
Date: October 31st, 2010
Total elevation to date: 56 569 ft (16 770 m)
Access: Drive up
Difficulty rating (of 10): 1
Potential Difficulties: Road close after hours/season (8am-8pm currently)
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