|
Woodall Mountain is little more than a hill in extreme eastern Mississippi
that the force of erosion has not yet destroyed. The primary reason the people visit it,
however, is that this bump is also the higest point in the state. Originally known as Yow
Hill, this peak was re-christened Woodall Moutnain in 1878 after Zephaniah Woodall, sherrif
of Tishomingo Co.
It is also interesting to note that on 19 September 1862, the Civil War
Battle of Iuka took place in the immediate vicinity of Woodall Mountain. A synopsis of the
battle by the Civil War Sites Advisory Commission (CWSAC) includes the following
description of the fighting:
"About 4:00 pm, just after ascending a hill, the Union column halted
because the Confederates were well-placed below in a ravine, filled with timber and
underbrush. The Confederates launched attacks up the hill, capturing a six-gun Ohio
battery, while the Federals counterattacked from the ridge. Fighting, which Price later
stated he had 'never seen surpassed,' continued until after dark..."
Whether or not the aforementioned hill was Woodall Mountain will likely not
be known, however a brushy ravine separates the eastern and western summits of the
mountain. Regardless, this is definitely the bloodiest of the U.S. highpoints. At the end
of the battle, the Union force of ~4500 successfully drove ~3200 Confederate troops out of
Iuka to Corinth, MS. The two armies would face each other in October of 1862, where the
Union claimed another, more commanding, victory.
Woodall Mountain, the highest point in Tishomingo Co., is a monadnock, or a
hill with a cap of rock that is more resistant to erosion than the surrounding land. The
reddish brown rock found in the area is a sandstone with significant traces of iron
present. This lends the rusty color to the rock and soil arround the hill.
North Ridge Trail (I, 1.0)
Trailhead: 155m (510ft)
Summit: 246m (807 ft)
Vertical Gain: 121m (397ft)
Distance: 4.5km (2.8mi)
|
2005.03.16 - The long drive from
Cheaha Mountain left me with just enough time to visit Woodall Mountain before
nightfall. I had been eyeing a trail marked on the topo map ever since I started
researching this hill; the standard route involves driving directly to the summit with
absolutely no vertical gain required. If possible, I definitely wanted to find a hiking
route to the top.
I found my way to the base of the hill with a gated dirt road leading up.
Luckily, the gate was open, so access was not a problem. On the way up, I found two narrow
spur roads leading away from the main access route; the first was posted "No Tresspassing",
though the second didn't have any such signs. There were signs indicating that the land
around this 2nd road were owned by a gun club, but it clearly seemed that the road itself
was public domain. I found a small area where perhaps two cars could fit and began climbing
the mountain in reverse.
My investigation of the North Ridge trail began as a descent down a sandy
track that was obviously frequented by horses. A short walk later brought me to a rusted
metal gate off to the side with the main route around on the right. Just past this, I came
to a paved road leading further down toward a historic cemetery; as I had suspected this
was the trail shown on the USGS map!
On both the descent and the re-ascent, I was hassled by some dogs from
one of the houses just off of the paved road. They barked and followed me for a distance,
but didn't do any real harm. The hike back up went by quickly and I soon found myself back
at the car. I was tempted, but rather than skip out on the last bit, I hiked up the rest of
the way to the 807' summit of Mississippi.
The plateau was cleaner than I had heard, but still no picnic (well, I
guess the picnic table was); it was clean with some flowers planted in a circle around the
benchmark. There were trees blocking most of the potential views, but a powerline clearing
opened up a nice vantage point to the north. After a little while on top, I decided to hike
over to the sub-summit to the south. From a saddle just off of the road, a relatively steep
trail led up a short distance to this forested point. Satisfied that the original surveyors
had properly calculated the relative elevations, I jogged back down the short stretch of
road that remained between my car and me.
With several hundred miles between me and my desired stopping point for
the day, Gatlinburg, TN, I used the remaining daylight that was left to get me well on my
way to Tennessee's highest mountain,
Clingman's Dome.
If you're interested in more information about the North Ridge route,
please visit the
Woodall Mountain page on Summitpost.org.
|
|
|
Lower trailhead - North Ridge trail
|
|
|
|
Evidence of a recent fire
|
|
|
|
Upper trailhead - North Ridge trail
|
|
|
|
A section of the trail
|
|
|
|
An open view just below the summit
|
|
|
|
My 24th winter highpoint
|
|
|
|
Woodall Mountain from the west
|
|
|
)
)
)
)
)
)
)