Alleghany County High Point Trip Report

Date: April 27, 2002
Author: Bob Packard

Started hiking up the high clearance road (no Forest Service sign marked the area) at 6 a.m., whip-poor-wills doing last calls, chickadees first calls.

Followed Fred Lobdell's report until the 3700-foot saddle between Bald and Big Knobs. Then I went up Big Knob following a discernible well ribboned route to the summit area. I pushed through the rhododendron thickets and climbed a tree at the land that seemed the highest.

To try to find the foot cairn Fred mentions I followed the ribboned route southwest toward PT 3940 and approached the thicket from the west. I felt elated when I found Fred's rocks and the foot cairn which I'd judge was 50 yards from my tree. Can't say which was higher, but I give the nod to my tree, although they are both in the high area of the highest contour.

Trip statistics: 3.5 hours duration, 6 miles, 1900 feet elevation gain.