Mt. Mitchell, Oklahoma (Elev. 2145 ft.)
Barry Raven & Alan Ellis
December 6, 2006
Barry scrambling down from the summit of Mt. Mitchell. Photo by Alan Ellis.
We scrambled down the east face from the summit and began our bushwhack back out to the trailhead. We chose to remain close to the Crab Eyes formation to see if we could meet up with the Crab Eyes trail to eliminate some of our bushwhacking. This route turned out to be a good one as we found the trail and made good time back out to the trailhead.
Above: Our approximate route. Photo by Alan Ellis.
After some airy un-roped climbing up the north face following the approximate line above, the climbing eased up and we were able to summit Mitchell. The climbing became a little too steep for un-roped climb, thus the big S in our route. The views from Mitchell are some of the best in Oklahoma.
Right: Alan Ellis on the summit of Mt. Mitchell. Elk Mountain in the background.
The hike in starts from the Sunset Trailhead on the northern end of the wilderness. We followed the trail for about a mile until the intersection of the Crab Eyes Trail. At this point we begin bushwhacking up and onto a high mesa of sorts between the Crab Eyes formation and Sunset Peak. As we approached Mt. Mitchell, it was necessary to drop down into a small canyon before we made our way up the north face. Our plan was to scale the 4th and low 5th class north face and descend the 3rd and 4th class west face. After arriving at the base of the north face, we began our ascent. Although I've summitted Mt. Mitchell before, there are so many variations and cracks on the north face, all we could do is find the best route we could.
Mt. Mitchell. Photo by Alan Ellis
Mt. Mitchell Overview
The Charons Garden Wilderness is located about 30 minutes west of Lawton, Oklahoma in the southwest portion of the state within the Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge. Seemingly out of place right out in the middle of the Oklahoma plains, these ancient granite mountains contain some of the best rock climbing in the Midwest. Along with rock climbing, the outdoor enthusiast will enjoy hiking and bushwhacking in a true wilderness area where native American buffalo and Elk roam free. The Charons Garden Wilderness contains 4,000 acres of protected granite mountains, 6 of which rise to over 2,000 ft. Alan and I headed out for the west portion of the wilderness in route to Mt. Mitchell.