Black Mountain

The highest point in Kentucky lies just over the Virginia line, and probably directly over enough coal to light Atlanta for a day or two. The road between Appalachia VA and Lynch KY winds up and over the ridge -- the Virginia side is a big strip mine and the Kentucky side is a historic coal mining town, so one can probably assume that the fossil swamp (the coal) lies beneath Black Mountain, too.

Compared to yesterday's summits, this one is pretty lame. Not just because it is lower (4145'), but because it lacks a certain respect. It is privately held by a coal company, although apparently the mineral rights to the coal beneath are now owned by the state? - presumably to prevent the top from being removed to get at the coal beneath. The waiver we downloaded online and signed before arriving made it clear who WAS NOT responsible for anything foolish we might do on the summit.

The waiver also required us to agree that we would not "under any circumstances, nor at any time, assert that the property ... has become or should be deemed a public park." Which I will not assert. On the other hand, I think Kentucky should make the second highest mountain in the state a park (if it hasn't already been strip mined away), so if this one were to collapse, or the mountaintop were to accidentally be removed, they would be ready to give the highest point a bit more honor than they have this one! Sort of a public lands investment strategy.

I understand the desire to exchange fossil carbon for heat and light, but given that these coal beds pretty much underlie most of western Appalachia, it doesn't bode well for the future scenery of eastern Kentucky and West Virginia!