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| Lime Kiln on Chippewa Trail to Black Mountain |
As far as I can remember, I'd always wanted to hike Black Mountain. The peak is well-known for its open ledges and nice vistas. Though it is easily accessible from our home base of Sugar Hill, the problem has always been the trail mileage. It is only 1.8 miles to the summit; 3.6 miles for a roundtrip out and back. That's just too short. Thus, I always found myself passing it up for something a little more substantive. But on a day when I got up a little later than normal and woke to a cloudy, blustery day that was clearly going to be a little unsettled in the higher elevations, I decided that it was time to give Black Mountain a go.
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| View from Black Mountain Summit |
Although the north approach trail to Black Mountain was closer, I circled around to the southern access point off Lime Kiln Road. This is the start of the Chippewa Trail, which is thought to be the more scenic approach to the summit with the added benefit of taking one near the remains of the lime kilns. As one might expect, the trail is steep going the entire way since it gains so much elevation over such a short distance. I took my time on the approach and enjoyed both the trail and the summit very much. The steep-short-distance-for-big-payoff nature of the hike reminded me of a neat little peak called Catamount in the Adirondacks. The only downside was that the celebrated long-distance views were pretty much totally obscured by clouds.
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| Final Approach to Black Mountain Summit |
Peak: Black Mountain
Elevation: 2,820 feet (Gain: 1,587 feet)
Distance: 3.6 miles roundtrip
Route: Out and back, Chippewa Trail
Conditions: Summits in the clouds, windy, 70 degrees F
