Mt. Mitchell and Sugarloaf from the west, last chance for awhile!

[Don Nelsen]

I happened to take a look at the satellite photos on the Sentinal Hub EO Browserhttps://apps.sentinel-hub.com/eo-browse ... 2MAPZEN%22 for the Mt. Mitchell area Thursday and could find no evidence of recent logging. The above link is to the most recent photo taken Aug. 25th. The TH is the small light spot far left center. I thought perhaps covid had slowed things down on the timber sale up there – or it had been cancelled. One could only hope! In any event I had to check it out.

I remembered a recent post about a couple of trees across the access road, but Friday I could see where they once were, but they had been sawn up and removed. The loggers had put up a temporary barrier one mile up the road so I parked there and walked the additional 9/10 miles to the TH.

A lot of preliminary grading had been done at the TH for the continuation of the road, but the trail was fine after I scaled a big pile of dirt and rocks to get to it.

TH preliminary road work

Ominous signs were on trees everywhere for the first mile of the trail marking sale boundaries and road right-of-way markers, but there’s been no actual logging on the trail or major road work - yet. The maps for the timber sale show an approximately 2.1 mile extension of the road that will snake through the area and cross the trail in two places - and probably obliterate about a half mile or more of it. Sad. On this map of my hike (in red) I've drawn the alignment of the proposed road (Black). The first quarter mile of the trail is in a riparian zone so may survive but the rest is doomed, up to the boundary of section 7.

Map of Friday's hike

The trail is in fine shape but about 35 small trees are down from deadfall and windfall but only three of any size. Easy to step around or over, though.

One of three big logs across the trail

This was a particularly nice hike with the temperature in the high 50’s, mist in the air and even an occasional spritzing of very light rain.

Rainy red huckleberries

As I neared the summit, I emerged from the mist at the 3800’ level and enjoyed some really nice views in all directions. The sun was welcome, and I hung out at the top long enough to dry out a bit before I headed back down.

Once back at the saddle between Mitchell and Sugarloaf, I decided I’d better hike Sugarloaf one more time as I may not ever want to go back after the logging is done.

I found some of the old Sugarloaf trail and followed it, more or less to the summit. Going back down, I decided to see if I could find the remnants of a trail I found years ago that descended the north side. After a bit of searching, I found it, and made my way back to the main trail, saving a bit of backtracking. I lost it after maybe a hundred yards, but no big deal as the forest is fairly open in that area.

Sugarloaf view

Sadly, this was probably my last time up there but who knows, maybe I can get used to clear cuts and logging roads – NOT!

9 miles, 2,726’ EG. If you could drive to the TH, which might be possible until the serious road building and logging starts, this is a 7.3 mile out-and-back with about 2400' total gain. If you only hike to Mt. Mitchell and don't hike Sugarloaf, it's only about 7.2 miles and about 1900' EG round trip.

[keithcomess]

Super-nice. Hard to imagine the area being logged.

[EricInVancouver]

I keep worrying about this route....google images doesn't seem to show any logging yet, anyone been up there in 2023?

[Don Nelsen]

A large area south of the access road was clear-cut in May and the new logging road was finished by the middle of July. No additional logging has been done since then. I suppose it's been too dry to safely log but I wouldn't be surprised if it starts up after a few days of rain.

Here is the latest clear image of the area. Taken August 18th.

[EricInVancouver]

Ohh, that is so sad....thanks for updating the satellite image When I was out there in the Spring of last year, a DNR person was in the area and they mentioned a possible "supported" trail coming up from North Siouxon to the West of Sugarloaf, but I have never seen any other mentions about that anywhere or supporting evidence that it would ever happen. Interesting idea though, would make a really nice long loop.

[retired jerry]

are there "islands" of unchopped down trees inside the clear cut?

[McFarnell]

Hi all: We visited this area today. After hiking the old trail for about 5 years now, it's really sad to see what is happening to this area. We were able to find bits and pieces of the old trail on either side of the new road. Looking at the logging plan, it looks like they are just logging some sections - not the whole area. But it's still sad to have such a HUGE road through this pristine area. The loggers had the road blocked clear back at the main road, so we had to walk an additional 1.8 miles to the original trailhead. We didn't hike the entire thing, but did walk the road up to the ridge. Overall about 7.3 miles total today. Here's some pictures.


View from the original trailhead


Looking uphill to where the old trail side-hilled up to the ridge.


Views

https://photos.app.goo.gl/1v2dWxJFUaiWURbC7
Video of part of the old trail

[retired jerry]

Yeah, I'm sort of conflicted. I do live in a house built from wood so appreciate we need lumber. And people's jobs depend on it.

Usually, the first few miles of a trail is in forest and I sort of consider it just walking through to the good stuff, so if there's logging, it's not as bad as if they destroyed the upper parts that are nicer.

It's interesting how forest practices have shifted from clearcutting large areas without thought of nature, to having smaller areas cut interspersed with areas left as is. And they are more mindful of how to cut areas in a way that better accommodates nature. A cut area will have more brush that deer eat and blueberries for bears to eat.

[Aimless]

Usually, the first few miles of a trail is in forest and I sort of consider it just walking through to the good stuff, so if there's logging, it's not as bad as if they destroyed the upper parts that are nicer.

That's how lots of hikers think, but I love walking through relatively undisturbed forest as much, if not more, than what you're calling "the good stuff", which does have a lot of sky and views compared to deep forest, but the forest has a kind of settled harmony that I don't get from the more imposing 'rock and snow' parts of the wilderness.

[retired jerry]

yeah, it's all nice. There must be some way to leave the trail undisturbed. They are no longer doing vast clearcuts so it seems like they could design their cuts so as to have the areas they don't cut include any trails.