More views from Mt. Mitchell

In case you chose not to tramp up the ramp to the observation deck, I'll share a few more photos and my experience up there back on April 2, 2017.

A couple of peaks are very close to the north. The one in the middle that is close is Mt. Craig.

Well, the photo says there are more than a couple of mountains out there.  But the important one is Mt. Craig.  Mr. Mitchell and Mr. Craig had argued which of these mountains was actually the highest, which speaks of man's need to measure things, doesn't it?  For a while Craig's mountain was considered higher.  Then Mitchell remeasured and proved him wrong.

Mt. Craig to left and to right is Balsam Cone.

Now the white you see in the distance is a felspar mine located near Spruce Pine NC, which I've frequently visited.  The bare land closer in is a bald, a place on top of mountains around here where little vegetation grows.  This is Maple Camp Bald.

And now to the Eastern View!

To the east there is a lot to see.  In the foreground is the Mt. Mitchell Golf Course, which is privately owned.

Another view of Maple Camp Bald, with the feldspar mine barely visible in the distance behind it.

That's the golf course behind the newly planted trees on Mt. Mitchell's slope.  Due to a disease, many of the older Hemlock trees in the area have died.

Behind the nicely crafted fence, branches and roots from felled Hemlock trees on the slopes of Mt. Mitchell.

I honestly don't know which mountains these are.  I can't find my photo of the south direction! Oh dear, well I guess I'll have to go back again.

This is looking south.  Sorry I don't have names for these great looking mountains.

Did you know the Black Mountains, of which Mt. Mitchell is a part, are the oldest mountains in the US?  They are a small part of the Appalachian range...and I'm not a geologist.  But if you ever visit the park, it's explained in their educational museum.

Today's quote:

Going nowhere...isn't about turning your back on the world; it's about stepping away now and then so that you can see the world more clearly and love it more deeply.

Leonard Cohen