1967, the Summer of Love: Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell recorded their first duet, “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” on Motown’s Tamla label. The single quickly reached #3 in the R&B charts. Diana Ross, recently separated from the Supremes, repeated the feat in 1970—her version climbed to #1 on both the Pop and R&B chants, and later received a Grammy nomination.

But all this about mountains and climbing reminds me of a persistent geological dispute that I noticed recently while searching the web—a disagreement over which peak is, in fact, the highest in the Appalachian Mountains. Interested persons might simply consult the United States Geological Survey (USGS), which cites North Carolina’s Mount Mitchell as the highest, rising 6,684 feet above sea level. This is the definitive, authoritative source, and I’m personally abashed that so many people—raging hoards of them—have managed to ignore, distort, or misquote the facts. I have several theories why, but first, a few illustrative examples:

• Mount Washington, New Hampshire (elevation: 6,288 feet): Popular references and websites once identified Mount Washington as the highest peak in the Appalachian Mountains. This inaccuracy has been generally remedied, although advocates still resort to absurdly subjective terms such as “the premier peak of the East.”
• Mount Mitchill, New Jersey (elevation: 226 feet): According to USGS guidelines, a mountain must rise a minimum of 1,000 feet above sea level—meaning that this hillock doesn’t even qualify. Nevertheless, the poorly-informed writer of one article mistakes his favorite Jersey shore landmark for North Carolina’s Mount Mitchell, missing the mark (and the spelling) by over a mile!
• Clingman’s Dome, Tennessee (elevation: 6.643 feet): Runner up to North Caroina’s Mount Mitchell, this peak was once the subject of great dispute between Tennessee explorer/lawyer/senator/general Thomas Lanier Clingman and his rival, Professor Elisha Mitchell of the University of North Carolina. Both men claimed their peak as the highest in the East. Mitchell proved victorious, although at a heavy cost: Mitchell plummeted to his death in 1857, while exploring the mountain that bears his name.
• Grandfather Mountain, North Carolina (elevation: 5,964): Perhaps the worst offender, Grandfather Mountain claims the lofty title of highest peak for purely commercial reasons—the property is operated as a nature park open to paying visitors. In fact, the Grandfather Mountain official website claims this distinction through subterfuge—calling the mountain “the highest peak in the Blue Ridge mountain range.” Apparently, the capitalists on Grandfather Mountain have conveniently forgotten that Mount Mitchell also belongs to the Blue Ridge and is 720 feet higher.

I’m not entirely sure which theory, if any, explains the wealth of misconceptions about our highest Eastern peak:

1. Stateism: This was clearly operative in the dispute between Clingman and Mitchell—the early 19th Century was a period of intense (almost nationalist) pride in one’s home state, leading thousands of public servants to secede with their states in 1861. Certainly any state would enjoy the distinction of hosting the highest Appalachian peak, but modern citizens generally recognize the chance nature of geographical facts: The borders of North Carolina were drawn from the coastlands westward, without knowledge of what features defined the interior, and well before any Europeans gazed upon Mount Mitchell or Clingman’s Dome.
2. Sectionalism: Similar to Stateism, this derives from a belief each part of the nation should have its “best”, “longest” or “largest”… and “highest” is no exception. New Hampshire’s Mount Washington claimed its erroneous title for decades because, perhaps, Northeasterners would have preferred to ignore the South altogether.
3. Economics: Whoever heard of fact-checking when money is involved?!?! Grandfather Mountain has been running a lucrative business for years, and will certainly continue to, highest peak or no.
4. Poor Scholarship: Probably most errors have less to do with pride or greed than with bad research. Mount Mitchill, New Jersey is hopelessly misrepresented, and only the wary reader might notice.

Now for a bit of Stateism on my part: Visit Mount Mitchell, North Carolina—where you can learn much about the ecology of the Southern Appalachians, hike magnificent mile-high trails, and sip sweet tea among the alpine breeze.

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