White Rock Benchmark, Black Mountain, High Knob, and Flatwoods, April 30th-May 1st, 2023

White Rock Benchmark, April 30th

I started the day by trying to find a way up Little Black Benchmark, but failed and you can read my report on peakbagger to find out why. After napping I went to the Ewing trailhead and went up the mountain. Gradual trail, but the last little bit of the bushwhack is rather intense when approaching from the east, but there is a well-defined heard-path back to the trail on the western ridge, which I took down. Good hike, was the start of a cold spell that I wasn't really prepared for this late in the season

Black Mountain, May 1st

Drove up to eh Jebediah Memorial Overlook and got a nice view of the valley and of a quarry. Biking up the access road to the summit was straightforward and would have totally been doable in my van, but I was in a bit of a mood for a mini-challenge that day. Not the best mountain, but worth it if you're peakbagging any of the many lists this mountain is on

High Knob, May 1st

Drove right up the USFS paved roads to the summit area and took the final 0.05mi trail to the summit. Pretty easy and with good views, but it was quite cold at the summit, with faint snow flurries coming down at the start of MAY. Crazy shit

Flatwoods, May 1st

Flatwoods access road will take you right to the summit area without issue. The road is in pretty good condition, but if you're cautious and are in a sedan, it might be a good idea to walk up form the junction at 2000ft. Do be warned that it is an ATV road, so be on the listen for oncoming hillbillies (that's not a me thing btw, the area is marketed as a hillbilly ATV area). The summit itself is behind a barbed-wire fence which was open, but considering it was during business hours, I assumed that someone was working on it, so I stuck to the slightly-shorter, western summit. Good views tho