mental........................................ on Mitchell... Yah, that is part of the fun right? I want to bike up Mt. Mitchell... right now! So I packed my back pack (yes, thats my way considering the temperature swing...) and brewed up a custom fuel blend of HEED and Gainers fuel, to avoid canibalism and keep the fires burning, which consisted of all complex carbs, proteins, and no sugars, theoretically allowing a higher concentration of calories in a solution that is still isotonic... or something... seemed to work.(Got that one off of... where else? the internet!) Warm clothing crucial for relaxation and moon viewing at sub freezing temperatures, not to mention fast windy descents. Great afternoon light in the late fall changed to a really nice sunset as I crested the Craggy mtns and headed through the twilight toward the Black mtns and the well steep final climb to the highest hill east of the Mississippi. After a mountain side section of the parkway winds up, down, and around, giving some fine views of comfortable looking towns far below and distant, you simply climb up the mountain. This exacts a maximum effort which is probably also responsible for the "bikers high" experienced at the top, along with quite an appetite. Here the warm insulation was crucial. The icicles i passed on the way up meant clear and cold on top, but a belly full of rich drink and protection from the elements meant happy moon viewing and a certain kind of reveling, in the clear cold night and the harshness of the environment, the intensity... and some pretty cold fingers for a time while I dried out my gloves in my jacket! Of course you're only halfway at this point and although it seems like it should be all downhill from here (and there is some pretty fast terrain right away!) you have almost a thousand more feet of climbing to get back to the ripping 20 mile parkway downhill which takes you back to town. Most of the road is pretty nice now, and not too many cars to worry about; you can see their lights a long ways off, but I had this feeling I could hit a bear walking across the road and go flying... but what's life without a little danger...! As I rolled into town I heard the bell tower toll slowly to twelve... time to call it a day... another good day in the mtns... All in all a fine adventure! total climbing-6,700 feet total miles-70.6 total time-8:30 (includes chilling) totally fun