Sometimes shorter is better than longer!

After a long day of driving on the 15th, I ended up parking overnight at a Park and Ride in North Carolina about 1.5 hours from the summit of Mount Mitchell. My original plan was to hike the Mount Mitchell Trail which would have been an 11.9 plus mile hike. However, since I drove around until about midnight trying to find a place to stay, I opted for a shorter 6.72 mile loop trail which actually started at the summit of Mount Mitchell.

I was able to drive up and start my hike right around 0842. The loop trail  (Deep Gap Trail) actually started off with a long descent (about 1300 feet) for the first two miles with some elevation gain. This actually took me to Mount Craig and to Big Tom Gap. The next two plus miles were relatively flat, but muddy in some spots. The final 1.75 miles took me back up about 900 feet to the actual summit of Mount Mitchell and to where I began my days journey.

Along the way I ran into two hikers who happened to be brothers. They began they’re hike at the Mount Mitchell Trailhead where I had originally planned to start. One was a retired Marine Gunnery Sergeant and the other a retired Army First Sergeant. We spoke for several minutes as I made my way passed them and to the summit. Their journey to the summit was roughly 6 miles with over 3000 feet in elevation gain. They were both a bit spent with about one mile to go to the summit.

At the summit I ran into them again. They had decided to not hike back down and instead opted to try and hitch their way back to the trailhead. So, I offered my services to them and took them back to their car and then made my way back to the Park and Ride to get my trailer. What great day this turned out to be. My 4th peak in the challenge and my 28th State High Point.