At 4,139' in elevation, Black Mountain is the highest peak in Kentucky. Less than a mile away from the Virginia border, this region is abundant in coal, giving the peak its name. The summit is owned by Penn Virginia Coal Company which permits access along the road provided that visitors sign a waiver and send it in prior to their visit. The waiver can be found at the following link.

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2005.01.15 - After a whirlwind the previous day culminating in a nighttime ascent of Spruce Knob, WV, I took a much-needed break from highpointing for 4 hours of sleep at a rest stop just outside of Marion, VA. My bag kept me nice and toasty, though the alarm at 7:30 was definitely an unwelcome shock to the system. My plans were to add 2 more peaks to me résumé before the day was over, so I brushed my teeth and did my best to freshen up before starting the drive toward Kentucky's highest peak.

I had gotten used to driving at freeway speeds, so the mind-numbingly slow limits in small-town Virginia were difficult to say the least. I did my best to abide, however, as a "coupon" from the local law enforcement wouldn't make for a good end to this trip. I drove for a while, and eventually came to the town of Appalachia, VA, the closest civilization to Black Mountain. I purchased gas and food, to make sure that I would be able to get out and back safely.

From this point, I continued driving along ever more twisty, meaning fun, roads. I soon came to a point near the road's crest where a stratum of coal clearly appeared beside the road. Whomever came up with the name, Black Mountain, had it right. As I would later see, coal and other ancient fossilized plant remains were readily visible on the ground. Just past the coal, I came to a 4-way intersection. From my vantage, the left branch appeard to lead up to the summit, which, in fact, it did.

A short drive up a well-paved but narrow road took me up to a large FAA radar station, resembling a massive golf ball. Seeing that ice coated the road further along, I opted to park at the tee box, and walk the short distance up to the summit.

A recent ice storm had coated the tree branches with a thin layer of verglas, which was now falling down all around me in chunks. The morning Sun brought temperatures just above freezing, allowing the ice sheathes to begin dropping from the sky. The walk along the dirt portion of the road was easy and within 5 minutes, I arrived at the decrepit summit area.

The air buzzed with the noise of several radio towers which clogged what would otherwise be a beautiful peak. The ice-coating on the towers was of a thicker rime variety, and was coming down in very large rods. I've included a picture of one of the pieces that broke on impact with the ground. While in freefall, however, it was part of a 6' long mass of rime ice. I carefully picked my way around the towers and buildings to avoid the icefall (never though I would use this word in a report about Kentucky), and safely reached an area to take my summit pictures. I searched for the USGS benchmark for a brief time, but quickly made the decision to not spend any more time than necessary on this mountain. I'm sure that Kentucky has many beautiful Appalachian peaks, but due to human influence, this is definitely not one of them.

My next and final destination would turn out to be a much more beautiful hike, however. A few hours drive away, I would begin an enjoyable trek up to the highest point in Virginia, Mt. Rogers.