Highpointing Year 3- Southern Appalachians

Here it is. Highpointing year 3 recap. This one has been in the drafts for quite a while (probably 8 months or so). I finished the videos far earlier than 2018 yet this still took me an additional 5 months to publish.

After having nothing materialize in 2020 for highpointing, I felt had taken a huge step back. This was a big goal of mine in both 2018 and 2019, and despite travel limitations of COVID-19 (national parks not opening until very late into the summer), I was disappointed and felt less attached to my highpointing project going forward. With no job commitments in Summer 2021 (more of an unfortunate thing, but it did open this window for highpointing), I saw an opportunity to go and get the southern appalachian highpoints and make some progress before I toss this goal aside for good. Technically this is year 4 of me going for my highpoints but my third year of doing any highpoints.

I don't really remember the planning phase of this, but it was tight and last minute. I was also worried about eye discomfort I had been experiencing the prior two weeks that caused dryness and itchiness that made wearing contacts unbearable and could potentially derail a trip that involved me driving thousands of miles. The tight window came from me being in Vermont the weekend prior to this for the Catamount 25K, so just giving myself Monday morning to pack then heading down South early that afternoon. This would be my first big camping trip solo and my first visit to a lot of the area in the South. The full week format plus managing all the driving, hiking, camping, meals, etc. on my own was a new challenge so I gave myself a bail out option on Day 5 after the virginia highpoint to head home as the next group of highpoints would force a multi-day drive back and that's where most of the stressful/long driving days were. I ended up only booking camping through Thursday night in case I wanted to use that option.

Day 1- Monday June 28, 2021

States: Rhode Island, Connecticut (Drive Only), New York (Drive Only), New Jersey, Pennsylvania

300 Miles Driving- 6ish hours

5 Miles Running

0 Highpoints

After my Mom generously bought me a bunch of food and other supplies for the trip at Walmart, I packed everything up, loaded up the car and was off. It was a miserably hot day and with poorly functioning A/C, this first day of driving wasn't very fun, especially combined with the fact that I barely spent any time at home between trips. The route took me directly through New York City/GW bridge. While I found this very stressful driving the only other time I've taken the highway through NYC, I found it to be no problem this time other than waiting in traffic and heat in the triple digits. The A/C was just enough to keep me from sweating, but I was very, very warm. I went for a 5 mile run in Plainsboro, NJ around 7PM. The lack of sunlight at the time helped, but with a 104 degree real feel, this was really hot and I was drenched in sweat. Fortunately, 5 miles was not quite long enough to put my body in a bad place. Got to the campsite around 9 in the dark at French Creek State Park, PA. Didn't really have much to eat that night, but figured I'd have a nice breakfast. I even slept in sweaty running clothes as I didn't really want to navigate over to the bathrooms in the dark.

Trip checklist

Day 2- Tuesday June 29th, 2021

States: Pennsylvania, Maryland (Drive only), West Virginia, Virginia

300 miles/5 hours driving

8 Miles Running

0 Highpoints

Woke up just after 7am to get my run in and explore this large state park. While I'm generally lazy and sleep in most days where I don't have to get up early, I find it easy to wake up early while camping. I'm usually excited to explore the area on a run, the warmer weather is easy to get going in (versus the cold/rain of other season) and I won't stay up especially late as I'm tired from the days activities and don't have access to electronics. Anyway, a very nice trail system. PA has got to be one of the best states for trails, just so many massive forest regions with vast trail systems. Some fun steep ups and downs with technical spots. I had to stop a bit to figure out some confusing intersections and ended up cutting down from 10 as I was tired at the end and it was quite humid. I had a minor ankle twist towards the end.

Love the lush greenness of Summer deciduous forest

Already 75 degrees at 7AM, hot

Hopewell Furnace NHS, an adjacent property

Showered, ate and got out of there. Overall a very nice campground. There were literally hundreds of giant dead bugs all over the ground (cicadas?).

French Creek Campsite: Spacious

Another 100 degree drive to Shenandoah National Park. I stopped at the I-81 WV rest area to make a call to set up electricity for my fall apartment since my roommates were too incompetent to do it. I was unpleasantly surprised to pay an entry fee (either $20 or $30) to enter the National Park as I had already paid for camping but then pleasantly surprised the temperature ticked further down and down as I drove up skyline drive. Went from maybe 104 degrees at one point (this was during a heat wave) to 78 degrees at the top. 78 degrees is still hot and uncomfortable, but a lot more tolerable than 104 (and the A/C started working). As a National Park campground, this offered much smaller sites with a lot less privacy (basically grass fields divided into small campgrounds rather than large dirt woods sites). 

Big Meadows (Shenandoah NP) Campsite at 3,550' elevation

Deer were everywhere on skyline drive

Day 3- Wednesday June 30th 2021

States: Virginia

Driving time: 2.5ish hours

9 Miles Running, 6 hiking

0 Highpoints

Woke up around 6:30am to make the hour drive over to Old Rag Mountain trailhead. While the vast majority of hike/runs in Shenandoah National Park are manicured and not technical at all (nor very steep), Old Rag is the one of the few peaks in the park that is not only quite technical, but requires a good amount of scrambling. Additionally, most of the hikes have direct access from Skyline drive, significantly reducing the length needed to hike to a summit (starting already from 3,000+ feet) but Old Rag is located down below at 950' starting elevation. These factors made this a run of interest. The trailhead was probably only directly 5-10 miles away but took much longer having to go all the way down skyline drive and then drive the distance back over to the trailhead.

The first few miles of the run were more gradual but still fairly steep with 550' and 700' of elevation gain respectively. This was comfortable running. The next mile and half or so to the summit was steeper and a challenging route, with many large boulders to scramble and some narrow gaps to go through. A lot of fun. The descent had about a mile and half of singletrack where I had a painful sprain pretty shortly in. I ran in caution mode (slowly and carefully) until I got to the last few miles- which were on rocky fire road. Fun loop, but unfortunate sprain. Very nice views at the top. 

Note on Ankle Sprains: After writing this more than a year later, I have now have some experience ankle sprains and recovery. In 2019, I sprained my ankle badly in Barn Island and was unable to run for a full 6 weeks but when I returned to trails I didn't sprain it again for almost 2 years. In 2021, I had an awkward roll then would resprain it every few weeks or so like here. The plus side of the frequent ankle sprains is that you can continue running. You lose stability and set back the recovery time but won't have to spend days to weeks icing frequently and barely able to walk. Unfortunately, it's hard to know when your ankle will be able to return to running. 

I ate some food before attempting a nap. My site was completely in the sun and felt way too hot, so I just bailed and drove to the visitor center to get some hiking in. I did three mini hikes:

1. Dark Hollow Falls- 2.4 Miles, 740ft gain. Solid waterfall but nothing special. Crowded and warm.

2. Stony Man- 1.5 Miles, 340ft gain. Great views.

3. Hawksbill- 2.2 Miles, 500ft gain. Great views with a bigger lookout/open area than Stony Man. Highest point in the park. All three hikes manicured gravel trails, nothing technical.

Day 4- Thursday July 1st 2021

States: Virginia

Driving time: 5 hours, 250 miles

9 Miles Running, 9 hiking

1 Highpoint- Mt. Rogers (VA)

Early run (6AM) ahead of a long drive to the VA highpoint. Ran 8 miles from the campsite, mostly an OAB on a smooth fire roads. With so many miles of fire roads and non-technical trails with gradual climbs, this is a fantastic National Park for running. Really enjoyed taking the extra night to explore this place more thoroughly and would be happy to come back. I was to happy not to roll my ankle today.

Got gas which actually had its own station at 3500ft in the campground visitor center, showered and ate before making the 5 hour drive on I-81 to Grayson Highlands State Park. Don't remember much of that.

Low 70s starting the hike at Massie Gap. 

I made my way up the trail into surprisingly beautiful open fields with fantastic views. While I like much of the forest trails frequently found on the East Coast, one thing our region lacks is a lot of open highlands. This was a great skyline area but unique from above treeline as it was really just high meadows. I felt warm and sweaty, which I find uncomfortable when hiking but not running. About a mile in, I went past the highlight of the hike- more open fields with wild ponies. Really cool, was able to get some nice footage of this in the video below. The clouds looked dark in the background, foreshadowing the incoming storms. 

The trail got much rockier and went in and out of sparse woods/growth. The fields here had big rocks in between and visually was really pretty and different from anything I had seen before. Out of nowhere, it started absolutely downpouring and I was quickly soaked. Thunder and lightning came out which was a little scary. I was happy to have most of the hike to the summit from there in a denser pine forest with protection from the rain which went in and out. The final portion to the summit was in a very dark and dense forest with a wooded, no views summit. Got the summit and got out of there.

Thick pine forest just before the summit. So many interesting environments.

Mt. Rogers summit

The rains on the way back made the previous rains feel like a drizzle. Monsoon style rain, just buckets of water coming down. I did not feel comfortable as I was starting to get cold (poor preparation on my part, didn't bring warmer clothes not expecting this), visibility was low and the thunder was so loud at points my ears were ringing. I hadn't seen anyone since the very beginning so I was surprised to see people in the pouring rain also out hiking. There was a lean-to and it probably would have been wise to hang out there but I kept on going. After a sketchy half mile or so, the thunder and lightning left and it was just pouring. I enjoyed the way back with the cooler weather and the clouds starting to part to have partial views again.

Very wet trail

Cow did not seem happy to see me

Finished out the hike. My phone ended up getting wet and would not last the following week (my photos came out very blurry on following activities because water got into the camera). Went over to the campsite and while it was still raining, I set up the tent quickly in a brief pause from the weather but had contemplated just sleeping in the car. I had to put down several towels because the bottom of the tent got pretty wet. I felt fine sleeping the rest of the nights but this was the least enjoyable. 

Day 5- Friday July 2nd 2021

States: Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia

Driving Time: 250 Miles, 9.5 hours 

0 Miles Running, 10 Miles Hiking 

3 Highpoints- Mt. Mitchell (NC), Sassafras Mountain (SC), Brasstown Bald (GA)

With this being a very busy day doing three highpoints and 2-3 hours driving between each plus another 2-3 hours to the campsite at night, I decided to skip the run. I don't like doing that but I needed all the time and energy I could get to make this an efficient process of getting the three points and not getting into the campsite at 1AM exhausted. This is probably the only scenario where I'd skip a run (aside from planned recovery)- having a big day of hiking/driving and needing the time/energy. I do find it is a difficult balance to get in runs while also having longer hikes/drives- probably best to do a short shakeout pre-hike if possible. One of the advantages of getting in a mountain run versus hiking- your main activity is your run. The trails here were very technical anyway which would not have been good for my ankle. I was also so far out from XC and any important race that the lost miles would not be a huge deal. Overall, it was a slight disappointment to take the day off but made sense.

Filled the tank up and got going around 6:30AM. I found this area of Virginia to be really sketchy and run down. I had no service and had to just estimate my way south based off what was loaded on the map. I went the wrong way for a bit, was able to get some service to load the route and lost maybe 20 minutes before heading into North Carolina. Interesting drive through some bigger towns/mountain cities and then a good portion on the Blue Ridge Parkway. So many more windy mountain roads down South as opposed to in the Northeast. Definitely roads you have to pay attention on and not be distracted.

View from Blue Ridge Parkway

Getting higher up and closer to the trailhead, it was getting foggy and it became clear there wouldn't be any views today. Made the right turn up the Mount Mitchell Auto Road and parked about 2 miles short of the summit. The beginning of the trail was basically a stream with running water moving down it. I was disappointed my waterproof hiking boots were wet from yesterday's rains as I could have used them here. The trail had some ups and downs but didn't make any major gains in the first mile. The longer climb was in the second mile, pretty steep with big rocks and roots in a dense pine forest. Emerged towards the top out to a cement walkway with a gentle grade to the summit. There was a large platform with a center area with other viewable mountains labelled, but no views in the fog. I jammed my phone into a nearby sign to take a timed photo as I was the only one there. Made my way down then took a different trail dropping an additional 500' before making my way back on a manicured trail/dirt road to the parking lot. Saw a cool deer. Was able to utilize the visitor center wifi to upload my activities as there was no service. Overall, this was okay but I'm guessing the views were probably pretty great on a clear day. The forest was nice and some good challenging terrain but nothing too special on the whole. 

A 2.5-3 hour drive over to Sassafras. I don't remember anything of this drive. I initially was confused where the trailhead was and lost some time before going the wrong way, was swarmed with deerflies before correcting my mistakes and fortunately getting on a deerfly-less trail. Took the foothills (?) trail to the summit which again was one that you could have driven to the top. Really beautiful trail- non-technical smooth singletrack through tall deciduous trees and ferns. Good climbs. Felt like Western New England (think mountainous MA or CT). Temperature was warm in the 70s and it didn't feel great like the 50s as I got quite sweaty but also can't complain considering I was expecting much, much hotter.

An enjoyable trek through the beautiful forest before eventually coming out to the road, crossing before the last steep trail part to the summit. Views were pretty solid but not remarkable. Better than your typical CT/MA mountain but not as nice as Northern NE mountains. 7/10 overall. Like Mitchell and many others, man-made structures on the summit/viewing platform. Walked around quickly, took in the views, cool boundary line between NC and SC as this was right on the border. Then walked down the road for half a mile and back the trail the way I came. 

Great non-technical trails

Nice views, photos starting to come out foggy

Next up- Drive to Georgia. 2-3 hours again. Parts of these legs went a bunch of different state roads being such rural, mountainous areas. Some pretty parts, but mostly just middle of nowhere vibe. I took the easy way out for this one and drove to the top. Not my style, but I had another 2-3 hour drive back into NC for camping and it was cutting it close with it getting dark. I'd for sure get in late and miss the light if I did a full hike. 

Parking lot with summit tower in background

Pulled into the lot of Brasstown Bald- steep road up but not too sketchy or anything. Paid a small fee in an envelope then lent my pen to a large Indian family who had not paid but were watching me to see what others were doing. Steep but short trek up to the summit on a paved path onto a large observatory/lookout station. I came out to the top and views were shockingly awesome- on par with some Vermont/Northern NE mountains and sweeping in every direction. 

Glorious summit views

Back down, drive over to the smokies. Drove past a really pretty lake and some nice rich mountain areas which was surprising and a contrast to some of the poorer areas of GA. Missed check in and the campsite- Deep Creek in Great Smoky Mountains NP. Was able to get stuff set up just before dark, ate and got to bed. Crowded NPS campsite but much more privacy than Shenandoah. 

Day 6- Saturday, July 3rd 2021

States: North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky

Driving Time: 400 Miles, 7 hours

8 Miles Running, 7 Miles Hiking 

2 Highpoints- Clingman's Dome (TN), Black Mountain (KY)

Went out for my run before 7AM- the thousands (probably) of miles of Great Smoky Mountain trails right there from the campsite. Found a really non-technical horse trail and took that around. Mostly non-technical stuff with some good climbs going around waterfalls and creeks. Took down camp before heading over the showers before realizing there were none which was a little depressing.

Campsite in NC

Drove over to the visitor center and up to the ridgeline. Parked 3.5 miles out from Clingman's Dome. The AT here is right on the TN/NC border and juts in and out of each state. I started in North Carolina even though I was getting the Tennessee highpoint. Second state I've done that as I started in West Virginia to get the Maryland highpoint. 

I can't remember this one too well but not a ton of variation on the 3.5 mile trek out. Some good ups and downs but never super steep nor was it as technical as NC/VA highpoints. Clear day but no views through the thick forest. Unlike NC and VA, despite being very high up at 6000'+, there was all sorts of plant growth rather than the usual thick pines. Lots of pines as well, but mixed into the deciduous forest and lots of smaller growth on the floor (ferns, shrubs, etc). About a quarter mile out from the summit I started to hear a lot of chatter.

A lot of vegetation types for 6,000 feet up

Came out to the summit tower building which was so packed. It was a quick in and out for me as the place was a zoo- unlike any of the high points yet. There were some nice views- but I hardly remember them as the crowds were such a distraction. Got out of there, hung out for a bit in the Gatlinburg visitor center trying to figure out what I was doing for lodging that night, then headed to the KY highpoint.

Good views, but packed tower

Long hours on hot TN highways before going back into Virginia and up a windy, tight mountain road. I found it a little sketchy, but it was nothing compared to the black mountain summit road. Turned the corner into Kentucky and then made the turn up the summit road. It was a rough dirt road, pretty steep in points (up to 15% grade) and my car was struggling. I got nearly to the top when there were a bunch of people blocking the area- probably 10 or so stereotypical southern rednecks in ATVs. I waited for my turn, for a truck to come through and then the rednecks gave me the okay to continue. The last stretch was short but nerve-wracking as there were large rocks and washouts and I genuinely didn't know if my car would make it. Fortunately got up and over, very relieved to make it to the top. Got my video and walk around and got the hell out of there. Worst highpoint by far- just a radio towers, some fences and absolutely no views.

How to take photo without getting my shadow in?

As scenic as Katahdin?

Nighttime drive through KY highways to Lexington, where I stayed in a hotel. The first town I went through coming down from the highpoint was probably among the sketchiest most-run down places I've ever been through- would not want to stop there. Fortunately, the highways were pretty good here, weird situation where every single car seemed to be going the exact same speed so no need to pass. Felt like there were far less drivers here (the south) who would just go 100mph and weave in and out of the lanes than the Northeast. Didn't feel too uncomfortable driving and easier to get to a hotel in the dark versus a campsite. It was a pretty cheap hotel but did the trick for a better nights sleep.

Day 7- Sunday, July 4th 2021

States: Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey (drive only), New York (drive only), Connecticut, Rhode Island

Driving Time: 1000 Miles, 15 hours

0 Miles Running, 1 Mile Walking

2 Highpoints- Hoosier Hill (IN) and Campbell Hill (OH)

Interesting way to spend 4th the July getting two boring highpoints and then a 15 hour drive home. No run for today, didn't love taking two days off in the week but the long drive was going to be testing and the least fatigue I could have possible would be best. First up was Indiana, about 2 hours drive from Lexington. Got up and left around 6AM. While I felt almost shockingly decent the vast majority of the drive I was really tired on this drive and felt like dozing off multiple times. First time to Indiana (as well as first visits to TN and KY), can't say I was too impressed. Drove through some extremely run-down towns in the second half of the drive. Just before the highpoint was super rural roads with a lot of small bumps (steep 10-20ft hills) before pulling up to basically a dirt road that served as the parking lot. This was stereotypical Indiana- rural, barns and cornfields as far as the eye could see. There was a little bit of woods where the highpoint was which made things more interesting. Easy in and out to get the HP- not much, but not the absolute worst either. 

Hour drive to Ohio HP to wrap-up the highpointing trip. I was lazy in researching the access as the parking lot was closed only on Sunday. The place was so empty and it'd be a quick in and out, so I decided to take the risk and park there. The next problem was the gate was also closed, but another highpointer was finished up and explained there was a gap in the fence he went through. This highpoint is essentially a plaque/statue on a school campus. So walked up a small hill past the school building and rounded the corner to get HP #20. Some nice signage but not the best views in suburban OH right next to busy roads and buildings. Preferred Indiana for sure but glad I got these two done instead of going straight home. And the next leg- a 12 hour drive, 750 mile drive home. I refueled on McDonalds (new hardest item to eat while driving- pancakes) for breakfast and buckled down for the long, long drive. While this sounds absolutely miserable, I fueled and drank constantly and actually felt decent. I caught up on a bunch of running podcasts and somehow never really got that tired. The Ohio part sucked and there were cops everywhere pulling over people just over the speed limit. The pennsylvania part was surprisingly nice- rural and nice rolling hill scenery. Getting back into NYC area it got crowded again but I was in the home stretch and powered through. 

Highpoint trip over- 8 new highpoints, explored 2 new national parks, 3 new states and about 2500 miles of driving. Overall it was well worth exploring some really nice areas in the Southern Appalachians where I had never been before. The highlight was definitely Virginia- both Shenandoah and Grayson Highlands were awesome and this would be area I would most like to return to given how impressive it was and Virginia is much closer than the other states. I liked the NC mountains but was disappointed at the lack of viewpoints. Georgia was surprisingly pretty and would be an area of interest, but I didn't really love of the crowds (and lack of views) in the Great Smoky Mountains and found it to be overrated. Not much to say about Tennessee (yes, technically part of the GSM are here but the mountains are on the border and make up so little of the state), Kentucky, Indiana or Ohio- there are some nice looking areas I didn't visit but overall these states only have a little bit of natural beauty and a lot of really bad areas. 

It was great to get the experience of doing and managing this trip on my own which went successful. Never totally bonked on a hike or a drive and never came close to crashing in a lot of driving hours. The two worst parts were the rainy night camping in VA and driving my car up the Kentucky dirt road but I got through both. I think this was a good test for doing longer highpointing trip, which I think should go well. 

Having now done a good chunk of highpoints, 20/50 or 40%, I'll rank them below. The ranking will take into consideration views, summit and trail options to the top. I've also added a rating of 10 to generally show how they stack up to other mountains/scenery.

Highpoint Rankings (Worst to Best)

20. Black Mountain, KY

Not much to say here. It's not a hiker's highpoint and there are not only no views but you have to drive up a tough dirt road instead taking a single-track trail to the top. You are rewarded with views of a shack and a radio towers, possibly some ATV-riding redneck friends. I felt uncomfortable throughout and not like I was in natural beauty, which is a shame for a 4,000+ foot mountain.

Rating: 1/10

19. Campbell Hill, OH

Another one I think most highpointers wouldn't be praising. Nobody likes Ohio and certainly not suburban Ohio to begin with, but with so many buildings around and restricted access it really takes you out of the highpointing feel just being so close to civilization. 

Rating: 2/10

18. Ebright Azimuth, DE

I would say this is a neutral highpoint. It doesn't make me angry like Kentucky or feel as bland as Ohio. But it's basically a plaque on the sidewalk. Marginally better than Ohio since Delaware is better than Ohio and the access is easier but not one to get excited about at all.

Rating: 2.5/10

17. Hoosier Hill, IN

This one is more interesting than the last being more rural and it was interesting for me to see the Indiana landscape of cornfield after cornfield while not being pancake flat with the rollers. Having the actual highpoint in a patch of woods is nice too because unlike the bottom 3, you can look around and pretend you aren't so close to so many man made things. I didn't dislike this one but would never recommend to a non-highpointer.

Rating: 3/10

16. Jerimoth Hill, RI

This was a close one with Indiana- Indiana is far more rural giving more solitude where here you park on busy 101. But the approach trail is longer and actually nice through the pine woods which is probably nicer than any woods in Indiana. Kind of lame for New England, at least Indiana and Ohio never had any expectations going into it.

Rating: 3/10

15. Mt. Davis, PA

This is not an exciting highpoint by any means despite being in a significantly hillier and wooded region than some of the previous ones. It gets a lot more points being the first one to have an actual walk and trails across the parks. It's by no means an extensive system and you can still drive to the top but at least it's not just another 5 minute walk. The views aren't impressive but it's better than no views, there are some nice signs around.

Rating: 4/10

14. Hoye Crest, MD

First one with some decent challenging hiking at a fairly steep grade. The trail isn't anything special but there's some nice signs at the top and a decent views.

Rating: 5/10

13. Mt. Frissell South Slope, CT

Improved views upon anything so far and connects to quite a bit more trails than others below it. The terrain and area is nice but the trail going over this high point gets so overgrown that it's not enjoyable at all.

Rating: 5.5/10

12. Spruce Knob, WV

The views from this one are actually quite good and better than some I've ranked ahead. But it's another drive up and the options for avoiding that are poor- there's only trail and it's supposedly poorly marked/hard to follow. A pretty mountain highpoint but not much of a hiking one. 

Rating: 6/10

11. Sassafras Mountain, SC

Solid views and while there isn't much for loop options, you can do an OAB to the summit of various lengths on the Foothills trails which is an enjoyable hilly and non-technical trek through a great forest. Okay summit- developed and a road to the top.

Rating: 6.5/10

10. High Point, NJ

Surprisingly great views for NJ and connects to a large trail system including the AT which are technical and fun. It's a great place but another with a road to the top and not a big enough mountain/hill to rank higher. 

Rating: 7/10

9. Clingman's Dome, TN

This one is difficult as there is a huge trail network within the National Park and so many options to the top as well as being the 2nd tallest mountain on the list- on paper, it should rank higher. But while the trails are nice, I didn't find them as nice as big pine forests (there are some pines but a lot of deciduous growth) or alpine skylines (more of a Northeast thing). The top is extremely developed with a road to the top and the summit tower, the only place with views, was so packed when I went that I just got out of there quickly. 

Rating: 7.5/10

8. Mt. Greylock, MA

I actually did not catch the views here going on a foggy day but I've heard they're quite good. What I did find impressive is the huge trail system- so many options to the top with many pretty pine forests. Could easily make multiple trips here and explore new areas each time.

Rating: 7.5/10

7. Brasstown Bald, GA

Might be unfair to rank ahead of Greylock as there are only a few trail options and the top is very developed, but the views are absolutely stunning here and one of the few southern highpoints that rivals some of the Northeast views. The big summit building's observation deck has outstanding views in every direction. The other features don't merit a placement this high, but the views and scope are probably in the top 5, possibly top 3.

Rating: 7.5/10

6. Mt. Mitchell, NC

Not as many trails as Clingman's Dome but didn't feel quite as developed/busy (it is still developed), trails felt more belonging to a high mountain range (thick dark pine forests). Overall a pretty cool place and huge mountain. Unfortunately I did not see the views as it was very foggy but I imagine they would be excellent.

Rating: 8/10

5. Mt. Washington, NH

Mt. Washington is a difficult one to rank as the summit is consistently pretty crowded due to the development and the road to the top that can take away from the natural beauty. But there are dozens of trails options, all ending in fantastic above-treeline alpine terrain with phenomenal views. It's a great mountain to hike, it's just that the summit isn't the best final destination.

Rating: 8/10

4. Mt. Marcy, NY

While the above-treeline on Marcy is shorter than Washington and slightly less scenic, there are still fantastic panoramic views, some very nice smooth rock walking and massive amount of pine forest below. The best part of Marcy is how isolated it is- regardless of which direction you come from, it will be a long, challenging hike through the wilderness and the summit will be truly earned as well as isolated.

Rating: 8.5/10

3. Mt. Mansfield, VT

Mansfield is semi-developed with a ski resort on its slope, a gondola and a dirt auto road. But these don't feel nearly intrusive as the traditional auto roads and summit building as the summit won't usually be as crowded and still at least some hiking to get to the top. The views are very nice although they don't feel as vast/high as some of the other mountains. The trail options here are great with some really challenging climbs with technical bits and a smooth open rock slab section of the long trail.

Rating: 8.5/10

2. Mt. Rogers, VA

This one had the most diverse/varied sceneries of any- thick pine forest, semi open area but some small patches of woods, open grasslands with fantastic views and wild ponies, and rocky outcrops that involved scrambling. The rain may have ruined my phone but made the experience more enjoyable. A fantastic hike that doesn't stop with the scenery or environment changes that I would recommend to all.

Rating: 9.5/10

1. Mt. Katahdin, ME

Katahdin has to be one of the best hikes and mountains I've done anywhere. The ruggedness and challenge is incredible- with knife edge's having sections with intense scrambling and others where you're feet away from an edge with a 1,000+ foot drop. The rocky jaggedness feel more akin to something out west and the summit has one of the best views in the Eastern U.S. while still having classic Northeast features such as moose, lakes and pine forests. Even better, it's in the middle of nowhere meaning no signs of civilization from the top- just raw natural beauty with no auto road as a shortcut. 

Rating: 10/10

Miscellaneous, Brief Takeaways

-So many auto roads compared to Northeast, take a lot of difficulty out by driving up. Makes it far easier to do a bunch of mountains in a day but doesn't feel as earned.

-Much more manmade features on the mountains- all but Mount Rogers had a drive option to the top which made some of the summits pretty crowded. Some also had additional buildings on the top- cafes, visitor centers, etc.

-Views are nice, but aren't Northeast views. Virginia and Georgia were probably on par with some of the best Vermont views, but not NH, ME or NY.

-It's still quite technical down here. Having never done much trails/hiking in the south I expected them to be far less technical than the Northeast. While they are less technical overall, that doesn't mean they are manicured, easy trails as the vast majority, especially Mt. Rogers were technical and rocky.

-It was nowhere near as hot as I expected. I figured spending a week in early July in the south would be absolutely miserable and I'd have to contend with some serious heat. That wasn't the case at all as the really high ones- Mitchell and Clingman's Dome had temps in the 50s, and even the warmer ones were only low 70s. Shenandoah was hot with low 80s but far cooler than the near-100 temperatures I faced driving over.

-Shenandoah is a great National Park. Great Smoky Mountains is not. I think GSM is one of the most overrated National Parks- the trail network is phenomenal and its free but also crowded and there is a serious lack of views. Shenandoah and Acadia on the other hand still have a lot of great trails but have fantastic views at so many points.

-Some of the areas near the highpoints were extremely run down and poor. This is specifically talking about Virginia and Kentucky HP areas as the poverty and conditions of buildings was not somewhere I would feel comfortable stopping. Lines of old pickup trucks, mobile homes and trump signs covered people's lawn/properties. 

-I don't like Georgia, but the Northern mountains and area was far prettier than I expected. So many trails there, drove by some pretty lakes and some clearly very rich areas. 

-Generally pretty nice campsites with reasonable fees. Some of the New England states have bogus rules (VT two night minimum, MA charges more than double for out of state) but anything here was no more than 30/night for spacious and/or conveniently located campgrounds).

-Places I'd like to visit in these states in the future: Cape Hatteras (NC), Congaree NP (SC), Mammoth Cave NP (KY), anywhere in the GA mountains, Stone Mountain (GA).

Ranking of 2021 Mountains (New)

Originally, I was going to do a separate post but in the interest of getting it done quickly, I'll post here. Brief comments only as most everything is elaborated on either in this post or a weekly log. Note a ton of these are Acadia National Park peaks which are awesome but many are similar.

27 Mountains Total- Maine (9), New York (4), Virginia (4), New Hampshire (3), Vermont (2), 1- NC, TN, GA, SC (not including KY as there was no hiking involved and its only done for highpointing)

27. Kebo Mountain, ME- limited views for a very small Acadia peak

26. Thomas Cole Mountain, NY- completely unmemorable and more of a side peak, no views

25. Pack Monadnock, NH- nice trails but poor views

24. Passaconaway Mountain, NH- not exciting for a 4,000 footer, no views

23. Black Dome, NY- forested mediocre peak in the catskills

22. Windham High Peak, NY- decent viewpoints but no pine trees

21- 19. Bald, Gilmore, Parkman, ME- similar small Acadia mountains, nice views but not as grand and less trail options than the larger ones

18. Whiteface Mountain, NH- decent open ridges and views, but not the most exciting 4,000 footer

17. North Bubble, ME- great overlook of Jordan Pond but a tiny mountain with one one trail

16. Stony Man, VA- great views but too short and easy to rank higher

15. Hawksbill, VA- same as stony man but a little better. Highest peak in Shenandoah NP.

14. Pemetic Mountain, ME- larger peak but not as much open ridgeline as other Acadia mountains 

13. Blackhead Mountain, NY- challenging terrain and a few decent lookouts

12. Sassafras Mountain, SC- cool but limited trail options, nice views

11. Clingman's Dome, TN- so many trail options but limited views and developed summit

10. Mount Ascutney, VT- Several trails to summit and nice pines, but views limited and hard to make a loop

9. Camel's Hump, VT- great views and multiple trail options that are challenging

7-8. Cadillac and Dorr, ME- beautiful, grand peaks with great views and open ridgeline

6. Old Rag, VA- awesome views and fantastic rock scrambling. Limited trail options, usually one classic route

5. Penobscot Mountain, ME- almost a mile of scenic open rock ridgeline

4. Sargent Mountain, ME- awesome views and a lot of open smooth rock

3. Brasstown Bald, GA- amazing views

2. Mt. Mitchell, NC- huge peak and great pine forests, probably great views

1. Mt. Rogers, VA- beautiful, unique and highly diverse landscapes

While many of the peaks are nice, the only one that was fantastic and would make the top 10 list I made last year is Mount Rogers.

What's up next?

I'm not sure on this as any future highpoint is now a lot further away (minimum 12 hour at least) and will require a lot of advance planning and free time. Whatever the next summer is where I have the funds, times and it doesn't mean sacrificing big running goals, I'd like to make some progress. But it will be difficult as there's generally so many races in the summer and my mileage will definitely take a hit during a highpointing trip, plus I want to get the NH 4000 footers done with and the Acadia peaks. 

The next road trip will focus on the great lake states- a small group of mountains that won't be particularly difficult or exciting but it may be interesting to see thick pine forests in rural areas near the Canadian border as well as possibly checking out some lake areas/national parks. This would probably be 5-7 days minimum and cover at the absolute minimum- MI, WI, MN, IA with possible add-ons to the midwest or south. While these aren't big mountains this would actually be very exciting for me as I've spent little time in the great lake states and there are some awesome looking areas, especially in Michigan and Minnesota. The Superior National Forest and Porcupine Mountains State Park look particularly enticing. This should be doable in the next 2-3 years as a minimum given I learned a week is manageable and affordable from 2021. 

The add-ons could include the Dakotas, any of the midwestern column of states except Texas as its very far west, or any part of the south previously uncovered. It'd be preferable to take the extra 1-3 weeks to sweep through the south as this is not an area that would be very enjoyable given the flatness and my general disdain for much of that area. So saving one trip just to check out the flat, boring highpoints would not be fun and I'd rather have it as a dull portion of one trip. Plus they're all pretty far apart at this point so there would be some tough days (drive up to a flat HP like LA then drive 5 hours to another flat HP in MS). The dakotas I am very excited for as both regions look stunning but also unique and there are many national forests and parks in the region that seem worth taking the extra time to explore. 

The west for the most part will have to wait as I'd like to wrap up the east and get the midwest done first as after that I'll only have cool, big peaks left to go do that will be real adventures. Perhaps the only potential interruption in that order would be a trip to do Mount Whitney (CA) and NV. Because Mount Whitney requires a lottery parking permit it would be difficult to get there that exact day to do it during a long trip. It's 4 hours from the las vegas airport and the NV highpoint can be combined easily so this would be a potential 2-3 day trip. The one frustrating highpoint is Illinois' as its privately owned and only open a few weekends a year. This would be very difficult to schedule a road trip around and will likely require a flight to chicago area just to grab the one highpoint. Colorado's highpoint would also be worth a single trip as well. 

Most likely though highpoints 21-24 will be MI-WI-MN-IA. That's a wrap on this extensive post that took a lot of effort to get through. Got a lot of work ahead to continue on the highpointing journey.