Black Mountain Crest Trail to Mt. Mitchell - Burnsville, NC
"It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop." - Confucius
“Mountains have a way of dealing with overconfidence.” – Hermann Buhl
“The line between disorder and order lies in logistics.” – Sun Tzu
“Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.” - Henry Ford
The Story -
On a very windy, frigid, and foggy Friday, my sister Stacy and I hiked over twelve miles on the strenuous Black Mountain Crest Trail (BMC) from Bowlen’s Creek in Burnsville, NC to the summit of Mt. Mitchell in Mt. Mitchell State Park. The renowned BMC was an arduous all-day affair, taking almost nine hours to complete. And despite the amount of time, length, and considerable difficulty of the trail, I would gladly do it again, just not tomorrow 😂
“The Death March” -
The Black Mountain Crest Trail is generally regarded to be the toughest trail in the Southeast, even referred to by some as “the death march”. Hyperbole aside, the BMC is truly a unique test of one’s mental and physical conditioning, a rugged ridgeline roller coaster hike of dramatic elevation changes. The BMC is a peak-baggers dream, covering five of the ten highest peaks east of the Mississippi River, eight different six-thousand-foot peaks, and finishing on Mt. Mitchell, the highest mountain in the eastern US. The BMC is a technical and treacherous hike in spots, requiring a great deal of rock scrambling and assistance from ropes to help you up or down along the trail. Your heart will pound, your legs will burn, and your lungs will gasp for air as you question your decision-making abilities, asking yourself over and over like a child, “are we there yet?”
All The Best-Laid Plans…. -
As a twelve-mile day-hike, Stacy and I needed to overcome several challenges even before beginning the demanding Black Mountain Crest Trail. Transportation to the trailhead and then actually locating the trailhead proved to be almost as hard as the trail itself. Note that since the BMC day hike is best done as a point-to-point hike, starting at Bowlen's Creek and finishing at Mount Mitchell, you need to arrange a shuttle through Yancey County Transit Authority (YCTA) or your own shuttle, parking one car at Bowlens and another at the Mitchell Summit Parking Area. We chose to make reservations on the Yancey County shuttle, yet sadly they didn’t choose us, but another couple without reservations, shockingly leaving us behind despite numerous confirmation calls, several even early Friday morning. Odd, yet we had no other options other than shuttling ourselves, leaving one car at the summit while driving the other car to the trailhead. The trailhead in Burnsville is a forty-five-minute drive from the summit and is on private property with very limited parking. After much confusion, we found what we hoped was the parking area, left ten dollars in an envelope, and went on our way, hopeful our car would still be there when we returned that evening.
Spill The Tea -
Starting down a gravel road from the parking area, you soon need to rock hop or use an old rickety bridge with missing boards to cross the beautiful Bowlen’s Creek. This is the lowest elevation point of the trail, with the Black Mountain Crest Trail shortly after commencing a three-thousand-foot climb in the first four miles. You ascend a rocky logging road that rises alongside Bowlen's Creek to the edge of Celo Knob, the first six-thousand-foot peak of the trek. A lot of hikers, myself included, assume that the initial climb is the toughest part of the trail, but they are very wrong. That first, relentless push is just the warm-up. The next eight miles are the real challenge, as you weave along the spine of the ridge, climbing one six-thousand-footer after another, including Gibbs, White Star, Deer Mountain, Potato Hill, Cattail Peak, Balsom Cone, Big Tom, Mount Craig, and lastly Mount Mitchell. At times, the rocky and eroded trail seems to terminate inexplicably in a wall of earth, granite slab, and exposed tree roots, until you see that it actually continues over these obstacles.
Throw Me The Rope - The Princess Bride
Calling this trail a hike is deceiving because there are pronounced sections of steep rock scrambling, some of which require hand over hand climbing while others require the use of fixed ropes. Calling it a mountain climb would be more appropriate. But don’t let that turn you off. You’re on top of the world here, with views to prove it. Both ends of the Black Mountain Crest Trail are punctuated with long-range views to the east and west, while the middle of the trail traverses high-elevation ecosystems rarely found in other parts of the Southern Appalachians, from grassy balds to dank, fern-laden spruce forests. It is a trek unlike any other in the state, and if you complete it all, you can finish with a selfie on top of the highest mountain for hundreds of miles in any direction.
Wrap It Up -
I heard a description that the Black Mountain Crest Trail was like a never-ending stair-master to the heavens. I would agree with that statement, as the BMC is very difficult and not for everyone yet leads to many extraordinary views and a tremendous sense of accomplishment. It has many unique features and challenges and is an experience like no other in North Carolina.
Sassafras and Skinks