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imageA hiking trail on Mount Mitchell

A hiking trail on Mount Mitchell

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This is a hiking trail on Mount Mitchell. Mount Mitchell is the highest peak in eastern North America, towering at 6,684 feet. It is named after Elisha Mitchell, a University of North Carolina professor who returned to the mountain in 1857 to confirm his previous measurement of its height and ended up falling to his death at a place now known as Mitchell Falls. The mountain is part of the Black Mountain chain. It has eroded less than the surrounding peaks due to the igneous and metamorphic rocks that cover it, and therefore stands taller today.

Mount Mitchell sustains a thriving ecology, but acid rain, mist, and fog have been harming the trees, especially spruce and fir trees. Their bare white trunks are visible in this photo. An increase in summer temperatures has lead to more droughts, which has further weakened the trees. Also, hot dry periods allow more pollution to build up, which means that when rain does finally fall, it does more harm than good.