J E N N I F E R P H A R R D AV I S H O L D S A BANNER AFTER THE FIRST COMPLETION O F T H E A P PA L A C H I A N H I G H R O U T E . A L L P H O T O S C O U R T E S Y O F P H A R R D AV I S
White Blaze, Meet White Dot Tackle the East’s most iconic trails in one breathtaking new route BY WILL HARL AN
IF YOU HAVE HIKED ANYWHERE IN THE EAST, there’s a good chance you’ve seen either a white rectangle or white dot painted on trees along the way. The two trail blazes are world-renowned. The white blaze marks the 2,190-mile Appalachian Trail (A.T.) from Georgia to Maine, and the white dot marks the 1,200mile Mountains to Sea Trail (MST) across North Carolina from the Smokies to the Outer Banks. The two trails are the longest and most popular footpaths in the South, and they provide access to nearly all of the 6,000-foot peaks in the Appalachians. Now, the two trails have been joined in an epic loop co-designed by Jennifer Pharr Davis, former A.T. speed record holder, author, and owner of Blue Ridge Hiking Company. Davis and High Peaks Trail Association co-founder Jake Blood have created the Appalachian
High Route, which connects the A.T. and the MST in a 350-mile loop. The Appalachian High Route includes the toughest sections of both trails, and it connects them using 19 scenic road miles and the Black Mountain Crest Trail, the most punishing 11 miles in Appalachia. The Black Mountain Crest Trail is also the highest trail in the East, with six 6,000-foot summits—including 6,684-foot Mount Mitchell, the highest peak east of the Mississippi. “It’s really exciting to connect these trails and have community support for this new route,” says Pharr Davis. The vision for the Appalachian High Route began on an Appalachian front porch, with Pharr Davis and Blood looking at maps and trying to connect these trails.
“I’ve always felt Mount Mitchell should have been a part of the Appalachian Trail,” says Blood. “After all, you hike over 2,000 miles and only go over the thirdhighest peak in the Appalachians [Clingmans Dome]. As the crow flies, Mount Mitchell is not even 20 miles from the A.T. On the ground, it’s a different story.” Mount Mitchell is part of the Black Mountains, some of the steepest and most rugged terrain in the East. Finding a connective route wasn’t easy, but Blood was determined to connect Mitchell to the A.T., and working together with Pharr Davis, they created the Appalachian High Route. The Appalachian High Route provides access to 50 of the 54 recognized peaks above 6,000 feet in the Appalachian Mountains. The route goes directly over many of these peaks, and the others can be accessed J U LY 2 0 2 2 | B L U E R I D G E O U T D O O R S . C O M
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