Part Two: MAX PATCH MOUNTAIN

Called the "crown jewel of the AppalachianTrail" the top of this mountain was cleared by farmers in the 19th century to pasture cattle. In the early part of the 20th century, it was even used as a airstrip! Fending off developers, the US Forest Service purchased the property in 1982. In 1984 the Appalachian Trail was relocated to cross this vista. However preserved it is a wonderful mountain bald from which you can marvel at the beauty of the surrounding mountains. This area is an example of the preservation work of folks of the 20th century.

You access the Patch easily by exiting Interstate 40 around mile post 7 near the Tennessee line at Harmon Den Road and following the gravel forest road up the mountain for about 8 miles. There you intersect with Max Patch Road and soon find the small parking lot. Of course, if you want a more adventurous trip, take the Hurricane Creek Trail as it intersects the Max Patch Road in about the same location of the Harmon Den Road.

From the trailhead, there is a sign indicating that the summit is only 4/10ths of a mile away. Well, mountain miles are not the same as flatland miles...it is 4/10th of a mile to the trailhead to the summit...and another 4/10th of a mile to the summit. The trail wraps around the base of the ridge and is not very strenuous even on a hot July afternoon. With storm clouds threatening we had to hustle to get to the summit and thinking it was only a half mile away we were sorely disappointed as we rounding the bend

On the back side of the ridge, the Appalachian Trail continues but the summit trail begins. The trail offers a sharp incline culminating in over 90 steps to reach the more or less level mountain bald. Did I tell you we were worried about a thunderstorm?

Peering down from the top of the 92nd step, I understood why so many folks rave about the views from a top the patch. The real problem is just what view to take in and what view to photograph. A real scenic overload accented by a threatening sky. Hope my photographs can aptly reflect the awesome majesty of what I was seeing.

Layers of midsummer vegetation dotted with wildflowers accented layers of surrounding pastures, and layers of mountains near and far, their shadows merging into blue sky. And of course layers of steadily moving clouds.

From the top of the stairs, the path to the summit winds around the ridge rising above the parking lot and looping to a large meadow at the peak of the mountain top.

Oh, did I mention the wildflowers? Everywhere you looked a different adornment of flowers of every size and color.

Then there were colorful yellow birds flying around
like butterflies. The Patch is a preserve for the Yellow Warbler. The small birds are very fast and hard to photograph but I finally got one to pause on a tree limb.

From the summit, there were even more choices for the
photos It really would have been nice to have packed a lunch and spent the afternoon on top of Max Patch Mountain. The peak is 4629 feet in altitude. Looking to the east on a clear day you can see Mt. Mitchell. Today the clouds obscured a clear view on the Grande Dame of the Appalachians.

What can I say about this place. A really convenient access from Interstate 40. A mile hike to the summit and views that absolutely destroy my effort to view ratio. This a must stop for anyone traveling to Tennessee from North Carolina.