Top 5 Most Brutal Ascents in North Carolina

1-Dicks Creek Gap to Muskrat Creek Shelter. Although this may
not have the distinction of being the longest continual ascent on the AT,
I think all the ups and downs make it the hardest. And then when you
finally get to Bly Gap, you’re STILL not finished. Two more nasty
upslopes to welcome you to the Tar Heel state.

>2-Yellow Mt. Just what you didn’t need and just when you didn’t
need it. A stiff climb when you can practically taste a delicious dinner
in Fontana Village.

3-Cheoah Bald. The good news is NOC fed you good. The bad
news is you can NOT get your legs to move going up this interminable
mountain. A viewpoint and a shelter help a little but it just seems to
take forever.
>4-Snowbird Mt. The relief of being out of the Smokies is quickly
tempered by a long rough ascent of a mountain loved more by the
FAA than most hikers.

5-Rich Mt. Maybe Hot Springs wasn’t all you thought it was going
to be. It’s still hard to pull yourself away from ‘the town you needed
most’ after a long time without one. For most, the ascent of Rich Mt
is a test of willpower just to keep going.

Honorable Mention: Albert Mt. I don’t even know why it’s hard.
You’re way up high already and it’s not that long an ascent. It just is.