Ascent of Backbone Mountain on 2016-08-30| Date: | Tuesday, August 30, 2016 | | Ascent Type: | Successful Summit Attained | | Peak: | Backbone Mountain | | Location: | USA-Maryland | | Elevation: | 3360 ft / 1024 m |
Ascent Trip ReportI was in Pittsburgh on business and, after reading about the WV, MD, and PA high points, I decided to kick by outbound flight back to 7:35pm so that I could at least hit two of the three peaks. I wasn't able to hit Spruce Knob in WV, but I was able to knock off Backbone Mountain and Mount Davis for my 6th and 7th US high points.
I left out of Pittsburgh around 8:45am and head down through West Virginia to get to Backbone Mountain. The weather was great and the drive was nice, allowing me to see a little slice of Americana that I don't usually see... and a lot of Trump signs in yards. Anyway, after taking the right road (219) and then turning around to see the "Smallest Church in the 48 States" and then taking the wrong road (Backbone Ridge had a nice little sign to Highpointers), I got back on the right road (219), saw a sign for the MD high point, and parked on the side of the road.
The hike was a little more than I expected after reading about it online. It's a fairly short hike, so I started at about a 10min/mile pace before realizing how steep the trail was in areas. The weather was great, I saw a lumberjack chop down a tree, and I passed into Maryland via the trail. I saw two other people coming down from the peak, snapped my picture, signed the register (there were no certificates left), and headed back down the hill. The weather was great and the view was pretty nice as well. I had a few snacks on the way down, then it was time to head to Mount Davis in PA. |
| Summary Total Data | | Total Elevation Gain: | 886 ft / 270 m | | Round-Trip Distance: | 2.4 mi / 3.9 km | | Trailhead: | 2474 ft / 754 m | | Quality: | 6 (on a subjective 1-10 scale) | | Route Conditions: | Maintained Trail | | Weather: | Pleasant, Calm, Clear | | Ascent Statistics | | Time: | 25 Minutes | | Descent Statistics | | Time: | 20 Minutes |
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