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May 3, 2017

5/3/2017

11 Comments

 
Good Afternoon,
     We've been spoiled with another gorgeous day full of abundant sunshine.  We've managed to stay above freezing over the last 24 hours, with day time temps hovering in the upper 50s.  There has certainly been a great deal of day hiker visitation these last two days, and it's good to see folks exploring the outdoors while it's so nice.  Who knows what we'll experience in the coming days!
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​     Often a topic of conversation among visitors is the elevation of Mt. LeConte and where it ranks among the other giants of Southern Appalachia.  Our favorite mountain, of course, stands 6,593 feet tall, with the largest base-to-summit differential (more than a vertical mile) of any mountain in the region.  You’d be hard pressed to find someone unaware that Clingmans Dome (6,643’) surpasses Mt. LeConte for highest point in the Smokies and the state of Tennessee.  Most folks are informed enough to know that Mt. Guyot (6,621’) also stands taller than this mountain, despite not having an actual trail to its summit.  The Appalachian Trail navigates the western slopes of the large peak several hundred feet below its highest point.  Together, they round out your Smokies’ top three.  But what about the rest of the peaks east of the Mississippi River?  That’s where it gets hazy for most people.
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Mt. Guyot (right) stands center to a large collection of Smokies 6,000' peaks.
​     Mt. Mitchell (6,684’) takes the title as beast of the east, and that’s fairly common knowledge.  Coming in at #2 is Mt. Craig (6,647’), the next peak north of Mt. Mitchell along the Black Mountain chain.  Our nearby neighbor, Clingmans Dome, rolls in at #3 on this side of the country.  It’s not until after Mt. Guyot, Balsam Cone, and Cattail Peak (the latter two also in the Black Mountains) that you would anoint Mt. LeConte’s High Top as seventh tallest in the east.  (History buffs might enjoy reading up on the relationship between Thomas Clingman and Elisha Mitchell during their rivalry to measure the tallest peaks!)
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The view north from Mt. Craig along the spine of the Black Mountains.
​     If you’re interested in learning more about the region’s tallest mountains, I would encourage you to look up the South Beyond 6000 club, a challenge co-sponsored by the Carolina Mountain Club and Tennessee Eastman’s Hiking and Canoeing Club.  It serves as an inspiration for folks hoping to summit, or “peak bag,” each of the forty recognized peaks above 6,000 feet of elevation in the region, many of which require off trail navigation.  As you will find, based on certain stipulations, several knobs and shoulders (like Cliff Tops or Myrtle Point) fail to make the list because of their proximity to a taller point (in our case, High Top).  This particular challenge doesn’t garner nearly as much attention as the Smokies 900 Miler, the 4,000’ peaks of the northeastern US, or the 14ers out west.  In fact, you can probably count on one hand the average number of people who complete the SB6K challenge every year.  If you have questions or would like to hear firsthand accounts about the SB6K, LeConte Lodge has two completers on staff - international hiking guru and llama wrangler, Alan Householder, and yours truly.  It’s always fun to talk about the trails!
11 Comments
Bill Sanderson
5/3/2017 04:18:44 pm

Great article! I'm 35 for 40 in the SB6K list. I'll be getting the four summits around Tricorner Knob on the 15th/16th of this month, then I'll hike LeConte with my wife for #40 sometime in late May/eary June. I've actually gone to LeConte before, but it was back in the 70's and I don't recall if I actually stood on the high point, so I've got to do it again so I can count it. Looking forward to having a celebratory glass of vino with you on that day.
Cheers!

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Sherleen
5/3/2017 05:33:40 pm

WOW ! What an outstanding blog today. The only name I saw said "yours truly", the writer. Out of all the blogs I have read and enjoyed this one tops them all. THANK YOU for all the good info AND pictures. Has been an awesome,interesting read. :-)

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Gene Bowker link
5/3/2017 06:40:21 pm

Thanks for the geography lesson, I didn't know all of their ranking.

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Franklin
5/3/2017 08:15:09 pm

I would love to read the story of Clingman/Mitchell. Could you recommend a book that details their competition. Really terrific posts so far this year. Great job.

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Mark
5/4/2017 08:53:08 am

Great update! Took me down memory lane. On May 7, 1992, the towering peaks of the Smokies, Balsams, and Black Mountains racked up 60+ inches of snow...I think Mt Pisgah took the 5 foot trophy, but I was fascinated by the Southern Appalachians already, having hiked from Fontana Dam to Mt Sterling over a 10 day stretch in Nov 1989. Brutal but memorable.

And after moving to East TN later on in 1992, was treated to the blizzard of ''93. Hikers rescued in the Smokies...to powder runs at Beech Mountain...wild ride. And now, as May 7, 2017 approaches, the NWS even tries to include the peaks in their forecasts and discussions. For the past few days, bloggers to NWS professionals have been watching various models giving a dusting to maybe a foot of snow this weekend above 5000' land. Stay warm!

Book about Mt Mitchell & Smokies history:

Mount Mitchell and the Black Mountains: An Environmental History of the Highest Peaks in Eastern America Paperback – March 3, 2003

AND

A History of Mt. Mitchell and the Black Mountains: Exploration, Development, and Preservation Paperback – January 1, 1985
by S. Kent Schwarzkopf (Author)

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Franklin
5/4/2017 12:55:09 pm

Thanks Mark. I'll look for those books.

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Sharon S
5/4/2017 09:49:53 am

Any known reason why there's no trail to the summit of Guyot?

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norman {ga}
5/4/2017 10:32:22 am

"You the man", John. Enjoyed blog so much. Would love to make it back to LeConte!! HAGW

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doug y link
5/4/2017 11:00:34 am

Yes, a very good post. To summit all those other lofty peaks that you mentioned is a most worthy endeavor, but one I will probably never achieve. I just have too many other hiking goals I suppose. Yet, I admire those who succeed in attaining the summits of other high peaks in this part of the country. I enjoyed a few days of camping at Elkmont recently and it was my first trip to the Park since the November fires. Such a sad sight to see many of the places I have long been familiar with. Personally, I believe that in time the areas in the Park will recover. The contrast between the burned areas on one side of Mt. Leconte was quite distinctive. One nice sight I observed was a peregrine falcon gliding effortlessly in the air currents about half way up that mountain and I confirmed the species with my binoculars. The bird made my trip that day. I hope to return soon. Regarding the elevations of the peaks in the Smokies, I once made a list of several elevations of other locations such as Cliff Tops and even several lower locations below there. I brought along my precision altimeter, from my engineering days, and made my own elevation observations at those various spots including a few around the Lodge grounds, particularly in front of he dining hall. I always thought it interesting that Mt. Leconte was only fifty feet lower than Clingman's Dome. Enjoyed your post. g'day

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Dar
5/4/2017 11:34:58 am

My wife and I have been blessed to have hiked bottom to top of Mitchell 3 times, Craig 2 times, Clingmans Dome many, Leconte 4 times, along with many smaller ones in the east, and Rainier, Taylor Peak, Hallett Peak, Stone Peak, and a few shorter ones in the west, We both agree our hearts are in the Appalachain/Smoky mountains, and sure beeing above 12k is awesome as most anyone knows it's the distance from base to peak that makes the mountain, and for my wife and I.....we like the green and animals, so it's hard to beat the mountains of the south east.


I do envy you folks that live near our beloved LeConte and can hike up on any givin day.

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Tom Layton link
5/6/2017 11:01:55 am

Here's a blog I wrote recently about measuring our highest mountains. http://tomlayton.blogspot.com/2017/03/riddler-on-roof-when-nc-came-out-on-top.html

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