Mount Porte Crayon
Encyclopedia
Mount Porte Crayon is a mountain in the Roaring Plains Wilderness of the Monongahela National Forest
Monongahela National Forest
The Monongahela National Forest is a national forest located in the Allegheny Mountains of eastern West Virginia, USA. It protects over of federally-owned land within a proclamation boundary that includes much of the Potomac Highlands Region and portions of 10 counties.The MNF includes some...

. It is situated in the extreme northeastern corner of Randolph County
Randolph County, West Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 28,262 people, 11,072 households, and 7,661 families residing in the county. The population density was 27 people per square mile . There were 13,478 housing units at an average density of 13 per square mile...

, West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...

, USA, and rises to an elevation of 4770 feet (1,453.9 m), the elevational climax of the Allegheny Front
Allegheny Front
The Allegheny Front is the major southeast- or east-facing escarpment in the Allegheny Mountains in southern Pennsylvania, western Maryland, and eastern West Virginia, USA. The Allegheny Front delineates the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians to its east from the Appalachian Plateau to its west...

. The mountain is named for 19th century writer and illustrator David Hunter Strother
David Hunter Strother
David Hunter Strother was a successful 19th century American magazine illustrator and writer, popularly known by his pseudonym, "Porte Crayon" .-Early life:...

 (1816–88), known as "Porte Crayon", who produced a wide array of West Virginia landscapes in his work.

Geography

Mount Porte Crayon is the sixth highest point in the state of West Virginia and the northernmost of the top ten state highpoints. It is also the highest point on the Roaring Plains, a natural extension of the Dolly Sods Wilderness
Dolly Sods Wilderness
The Dolly Sods Wilderness — originally simply Dolly Sods — is a U.S. Wilderness Area in the Allegheny Mountains of eastern West Virginia, USA, and is part of the Monongahela National Forest of the U.S. Forest Service ....

. The summit area is presently set aside as an 8.11 acres (32,820 m²) prescribed management area, and is a Research Natural Area
Research Natural Area
Research Natural Area is a designation for certain protected areas in the United States.Research Natural Areas are part of a nationwide network of ecological areas set aside for both research and education. The network includes areas managed by many Federal agencies...

, for a native mountaintop red spruce
Red Spruce
Picea rubens is a species of spruce native to eastern North America, ranging from eastern Quebec to Nova Scotia, and from New England south in the Adirondack Mountains and Appalachians to western North Carolina.-Physical description:...

 forest that is home to endangered northern flying squirrel
Northern Flying Squirrel
The Northern flying squirrel is one of two species of the genus Glaucomys, the only flying squirrels found in North America . Unlike most members of their family, flying squirrels are strictly nocturnal...

 and endangered Cheat Mountain salamander
Cheat Mountain salamander
The Cheat Mountain salamander is a small, threatened woodland salamander found only on Cheat Mountain, and a few nearby mountains, in the eastern highlands of West Virginia...

. Mount Porte Crayon is the remote headwaters to three drainages and is the highest point on the Eastern Continental Divide
Eastern Continental Divide
The Eastern Continental Divide, in conjunction with other continental divides of North America, demarcates two watersheds of the Atlantic Ocean: the Gulf of Mexico watershed and the Atlantic Seaboard watershed. Prior to 1760, the divide represented the boundary between British and French colonial...

 in West Virginia, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...

, and Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

.

Naming

A group of admirers formed the "Porte Crayon Memorial Society" in 1940. Upon learning of the 4760 feet (1,451 m) promontory (as it was then measured) in the heart of the writer-illustrator's beloved highland terrain, they successfully lobbied to have it named in his honor. On July 5, 1940, a dedication ceremony was held at the top of the Mountain following a three-hour trek to the site. It included a eulogy, a singing of the national anthem, and the raising of the Star-Spangled Banner atop a spruce flagpole.

Nature Conservancy preserve

In 2008, the Nature Conservancy established a new preserve on 100 acre (0.404686 km²) of red spruce-northern hardwood forest and shrub-filled pastures which are slowly returning to woodland. The Mount Porte Crayon Preserve is wrapped around the southern shoulder of its namesake Mountain and borders Monongahela National Forest's Roaring Plains Wilderness for more than three-fourths of a mile. This is part of an ongoing, long-term program by the Nature Conservancy to protect 1800 acres (7 km²) at Mount Porte Crayon.

Climate

Mount Porte Crayon is notorious for its inclement weather and strong winds. The prevailing westerly winds are so severe, they have deformed the red spruce trees, causing branches to grow on only one side. The summit itself is very isolated and difficult to access. Although some may make a summit bid into an overnight trip, experienced hikers with a map and compass and/or GPS can easily summit Mount Porte Crayon as a day hike.

Hiking

Mount Porte Crayon remains one of West Virginia's most inaccessible peaks, since it is far from the nearest trail, let alone a public road. A walk to the summit using the U.S. Forest Service's Flat Rock Run Trail or Roaring Plains Trail totals 5+ miles and is a 2500 feet (762 m) gain endeavor. This involves a three-mile bushwhack through dense spruce thicket (including half a mile of some very thick spruce and rhododendron). Summiting Mount Porte Crayon is for experienced hikers only and should not be underestimated. Views are afforded from a crag, known as Thunderstruck Rock, about a quarter mile from the summit.

A visit to the Nature Conservancy's preserve, which is open to the public, involves a 3-mile round-trip hike from the junction of the aforementioned trails along the Mount Porte Crayon Grade — a former railroad swath that now accommodates an unmarked and unmaintained trail onto the preserve.

Ski resort plans

Mount Porte Crayon has been involved in controversy due to plans by Bill Bright
Bill Bright
William R. "Bill" Bright was an American evangelist. The founder of Campus Crusade for Christ, he wrote The Four Spiritual Laws in 1952 and produced the Jesus Film in 1979.-Early life:...

, developer of the Winterplace
Winterplace Ski Resort
Winterplace Ski Resort is a ski resort located in Ghent, West Virginia on Raleigh County's Flat Top Mountain. The southernmost ski resort in West Virginia, Winterplace is a popular attraction due to its proximity to Interstate 77...

and Glade Springs resorts, who wants to bring a ski resort to the area. The proposed ski area is rumored to be named "Almost Heaven Mountain Resort" and will have the largest vertical drop south of New York.

External links

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