On our way home we took a side trip to Mount Mitchell, the highest point east of the Rocky Mountains at 6,684 feet in elevation. Located off of the Blue Ridge Parkway where the temperature drops quickly and you drive up into the clouds is where you will find Mt. Mitchell. I have been there a number of times, always in the summer months when it is very hot but every single time it has been cold and cloudy there. A trip there on a hot summers day is perfect! Refreshing! We parked and went into the museum first then on the steep paved trail up to the summit where there is an observation tower and the burial spot of Dr. Elisha Mitchell who died in a fall while trying to prove that his mountain was the highest east of the Rockies. He had been in a contest with a former student of his, Thomas Clingman, who thought Clingman's Dome located in eastern Tennessee was higher. (Mt. Nitchell is indeed 32 feet higher than Clingman's Dome). It was very windy and quite chilly on the summit yesterday. Fortunately there were not a lot of tourists there, not like on other times I've been there anyway. This meant better photo ops for us and we took advantage of that. Knowing how cold it can be even during the summer months I had packed jackets for us and we were very happy to have them. Hannah still complained that she was freezing and was very happy to get back in the truck afterward. The observation deck was a bust because we were in the clouds and you could barely see a few feet in front of you so there were no beautiful views to be seen from the top on this trip. I'm told that at times you can actually see but every time I've been there has been exactly like yesterday. Nonetheless it was quite an invigorating experience and I thought the temp felt wonderful. I have to share with you the thing that was most memorable for me while at Mt. Mitchell. It was the heavy scent of balsam. Right after we got out of the truck in the parking lot you could smell the balsam trees that dotted the mountian top. I'm not sure I've ever smelled that in the wild before. It was heavenly! Last night as we went to bed I could still get a whiff of it from time to time like it was still in my nose. So refreshing!
the entrance to the park
elevation sign in the parking lot area, notice how foggy it appears up in the clouds
Hannah wanted to point this out to her Dad since he lives in Canada
Hannah at the summit where the elevation is 6,684 feet.Dr. Elisha Mitchell's grave is located behind her
in front of the observation tower
Dr. Elisha Mitchell's gravehe died 27 June 1857
and is buried on the hightest point of his mountain
Hannah is stretched out on the map of North CarolinaIf you look in the left between her hand and the letter W you will see a large dark circle which indicates the location of Mt. Mitchell
