- [Greg] The high pointers is made possible by Burnsville North Carolina, A small town with big adventures, big peaks and home to Mount Mitchell.

Information on hiking and more available at explorerburnsville.com.

Acroball, advanced ink pens engineered for extremes.

Pilot power to the pen Ohio Caverns, adventure for the whole family.

See and discover formations year round.

More information at ohiocaverns.com.

America's most colorful caverns.

FRBO, bringing owners and renters together to find vacation rentals online.

Live local, feel at home.

FRBO.com.

Gossamer Gear, makers of lightweight packs, trekking poles and shelters.

Take less.

Do more.

- This week we're visiting Mount Mitchell the high point of North Carolina.

- Welcome to the Tar Heel State.

- We are The Highpointers.

(energetic music) - [Branndon] My name is Branndon Bargo.

My brother Greg and I have been climbing mountains all over the world for years.

Our obsession is high pointing.

We find the highest natural point wherever we are and do whatever it takes to stand on top.

Sometimes it's a mountain, other times a molehill but we've learned the real excitement is found in the journey to get there.

So join us as we climb to the top of all 50 US states.

We are the high pointers.

Greg, this week, we're in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina.

- Every time we're back in the Appalachians I like to take a deep breath and take it all in.

- Ah, going with the local pronunciation.

- It's actually the only pronunciation.

- Well, as the expedition leader, I have to put together the entire plan and find a local guest.

So I think I did a pretty good job this weekend, I must say.

- Alright as a logistics guy, I have to come up with the plan for the high point.

And this week we have Mount Mitchell.

First we like to go over our personal checklist we call the shun list.

So we got location, elevation, precipitation, gear identification, and regulation.

The two big ones for Mitchell are elevation and Precipitation.

Mount Mitchell's 6,684 feet.

We already know it's the tallest mountain in North Carolina but did you know it's the tallest mountain east of the Mississippi River?

- Nice.

That sounds like a big one.

That's awesome.

- [Greg] Because of the height there can be some severe weather, so precipitation you can get rain or snow and incoming large quantities.

There can also be strong wind with gusts up to 180 miles per hour.

So whether you're taking a short trail or a long trail, you gotta come prepared.

- Well, all I can say is Mitchell better get ready for the Bargo Brothers.

(upbeat bluegrass music) North Carolina.

It's one of those states that's so big there's so much to see and do.

Unfortunately, that means we're not gonna be able to go to the Carolina Coast.

But instead, I was thinking, what if we go to Charlotte the largest city in North Carolina and go on a different kind of water adventure?

- I'm interested to see what you got.

(bluegrass music fades out) (upbeat music) This is the US National Team's training site.

And everywhere you look, they have adventures.

There's climbing walls.

If you look over there by the trees there's this huge tower.

- [Greg] Yeah.

- I think that's what we need to do.

I don't even know what it is.

We're going there.

- Let's check it out.

- All right, Greg, are you ready for the vertical drop?

- A hundred feet.

- A hundred feet straight down.

We could see the tower from over there.

Now that we're at it.

It's looking crazy.

- Yeah, it's gonna be awesome.

- Okay, well we got our harnesses.

- Boom.

- I think the tower's this way.

Let's do it.

(upbeat music) - [Greg] Yeah baby.

- [Tower Instructor] 3, 2, 1.

Big step off.

- Aah!

(Greg laughing) Oh baby!

(upbeat music) - Woohoo!

Oh man, that was awesome.

- That was so cool.

- The vertical drop.

It's like a hundred feet down.

I was thinking for the next thing we go back up in zip line across.

I think a that's the best way to get there.

What do you think?

- Yeah, I'm down for that.

The only problem is that is pretty hard to climb up.

- All right, back up the tower.

Let's do it.

(zipline humming) (upbeat music) - Hey, Branndon, Greg, welcome to the US National Whitewater Center.

My name's Jesse.

It's a pleasure to see you guys today.

- Yes.

- Heard you guys had a ton of activities this morning.

- They were so fun.

- Absolutely.

Well, you guys have saved the best for last.

You visited the southeast in August, which means you gotta get in the water.

So behind us here, we have the world's only deep water solo climbing complex.

We've got five different climbing surfaces up to 46 feet in height.

And below you, you've got a 200 foot long swimming pool that's 20 feet deep.

So deep water solo climbing involves free climbing over a body of water, no ropes, no harnesses.

So when you're done you're gonna splash down into the water below.

So I hear you guys like to compete too, so I figured we cook up a little competition today.

- Yes.

- So from my standpoint, I'd like to see who can make it the furthest up the wall.

- Okay.

- Does that sound like a plan?

Do you guys, are you guy game?

- Are you the judge?

- I am the judge.

- All right.

I like this.

- All right.

I think we can do this.

- All right.

I'm all in.

(Branndon grunting) - Let's go.

- All right, let's do it.

Thanks guys.

- Yeah.

(energetic transition music) - Hello.

And welcome back to the exciting competition of Brother versus Brother.

I'm your host Branndon, the Beard Bungo.

And with me is Greg, Daddy long Greg's Good boy.

Greg, what do you expect to see today?

- Well, we can expect a full effort from both brothers.

Neither likes to lose, especially to each other.

They're both accomplished climbers but they're used to using ropes when they climb.

And in this deep water format, it's anyone's competition.

- As they go higher, their nerves will certainly start to kick in and we'll see which brother can hold it together.

Branndon, he's going for it.

Oh, and I think he's off a good climb for Branndon.

Now let's see what Greg can do.

- And here goes, Greg.

He's taller than his brother.

And that can sometimes be an advantage, but not always.

Hey Branndon, do you think it's odd that they both have the same names as us?

- Nah, total coincidence.

- Okay.

It looks like Greg is struggling with some of those large yellow holes and he is still a few holds below Branndon's high point.

Will he be able to hold it together?

- Sweet, sassy, molassy!

- Oh, and Greg is off.

- I win.

Oh, I mean, Branndon wins.

- All right guys, how was it?

- Oh, that was awesome.

- That was a close comp.

Congrats Branndon.

You guys crushed it.

Sometimes the difference between winning and losing is just a couple holes.

You guys are awesome.

- Rub it in, rub it in.

- Hey, there's always next time, Greg.

- Yeah, well thanks Jesse.

This was, this was so cool.

We really appreciate it.

- Thanks so much.

Hey guys, best of luck climbing Mount Mitchell.

I know you guys are gonna crush it and stop back by in Charlotte next time you're in town.

- That sounds good.

- Thanks.

- All right, see ya.

(upbeat music) - All right, Greg.

So this next place I'm really excited about because I have not been back since I was five years old and I remember this being one of my favorite childhood memories.

- Well, thanks a lot, I wasn't even born yet.

- Well, the good thing is we get to do it together this time.

- Okay.

Okay.

- One piece of advice is you should probably dress up just a little bit.

(classical music) Well, hello.

- Hello I'm Bryan.

- Nice to meet you.

- Nice to meet you.

- So I've been here before and I knew if I'm gonna come to the Biltmore, I needed to look good.

- Nice bow tie.

- Oh, thank you.

You too.

- Don't worry.

It was 40 years ago - Give or take a year.

So this place looks beautiful.

I'm so excited.

Greg and I are so excited to, to come and check it out.

So what do you got for us?

- I hear you two like to climb mountains.

I have the perfect tour for you, the Rooftop tour.

- Sounds awesome.

- Yes, that sounds perfect.

- You ready?

- Let's go.

- Let's do it.

- This is America's largest home.

It has 250 rooms.

This is the home of George Washington Vanderbilt.

He's part of the Vanderbilt family Fortune.

And he built this as a bachelor.

So he built this big home before he was married.

- I mean, this house seems like it was just way ahead of its time.

It doesn't feel like it's old.

Yeah.

Really old - [Bryan] But it's over 125 years old.

(gentle music) Welcome to the rooftop.

- Yes.

- You can see why George Vanderbilt picked this area.

- Yeah.

This is our kind of tour.

This is awesome.

- [Greg] Beautiful.

- [Branndon] Yes.

- [Bryan] We're right above the grand staircase.

And so the big chandelier hangs up here.

There used to be cushions up here and guests could come and relax and enjoy themselves.

- Really?

Wow.

- [Bryan] And just admire the architecture and the view.

And this is a perfect spot.

It's 175,000 square feet of floor space.

- So where's the spot where we're gonna repel back down.

(all laughing) - [Bryan] Now, I'd like to take you to the observatory balcony.

Follow me.

- Okay.

Yes.

- This might be my favorite view.

This is awesome.

When people are doing this tour in this little area 'cause it's so small and narrow.

Do you ever get anybody freaking out?

- Yes.

- [Greg] But if you like heights, this is the tour for you.

- [Bryan] This is the tour.

It's a great spot.

I have one more spot to show you.

It's the West Balcony and it really shows you the land that George had.

So this was Biltmore's backyard.

- [Greg] It is beautiful.

- One of the great things about the land forestry in America started here.

In fact, today, in Pisgah National Forest is the cradle of forestry.

'Cause it really taught if you're going to cut down a tree for lumber, plant a new one in its place.

And those were all German ideas and they're brought over to to Biltmore.

And Biltmore really started the forestry movement in America.

- So most of the high points that we do many of them are in national forests.

So those national forest all started right here.

- Yes.

- Basically this backyard.

- Yeah.

And today it's 8,000 acres.

It's not 125,000 acres, but the majority of land went to Pisgah National Forest.

And so that's all over there.

So it's all a national forest today.

- [Greg] Wow.

- Bryan, thank you so much.

We really appreciate it.

- Yeah, it's been a great tour.

- Thank you so much for visiting.

- Yeah.

The rooftop's been amazing.

- Thank you.

Enjoy.

(birds chirping) (upbeat bluegrass music) - [Greg] Today has been a long day.

- It's been a good one.

And I was thinking, what if we finish off with a local brewery?

- That sounds amazing.

- Yeah, they're really good here.

And it's actually where we're meeting our guest, Jennifer Pharr Davis.

And she, man, she is one tough mama.

Until recently she held the record, man or woman, for fastest time, to hike the Appalachian Trail which is 2200 miles.

She did it in 46 days, averaging 47 miles a day.

- That's insane.

- And she's an author.

She's written multiple books.

She's a speaker and she was National Geographic Adventure of the Year.

- I mean, I think it would be cool to see how is she so accomplished while being a wife and a mother being able to balance those things.

- I have three kids of my own.

I know how hard it can be.

So I think it'd be cool to ask her that question.

- Yeah, I think you're right.

That'd be a great question.

(upbeat bluegrass music) - Hey y'all.

- Jennifer, good to meet you.

- Jennifer.

So nice to meet you.

Finally.

- Welcome to Burnsville.

I'm so excited y'all are here.

- So Greg and I, we had this deep conversation in the car.

- It happens in the car.

- And so I had this question that I was dying to ask you.

- Okay.

- You are, you're from North Carolina.

- I am from North Carolina.

- So I figured you would know, Why did Michael Jordan have that crazy stash in that underwear commercial?

- That's what you've been wondering, the whole time coming here?

- That wasn't the question we were gonna ask.

- I just figured she has to know.

- Do you know this guy?

- I'm sorry.

- That is so random.

- Have you seen that?

Have you seen that strange stash?

That thing was crazy.

(upbeat guitar music) - So Jen, you're known for the Appalachian Trail.

You had the fastest known time man or woman on the trail.

It's impressive.

- Yeah, it's an iconic trail.

And when you hike it, it's amazing 'cause you meet people from all over, from Japan, from Europe, from Australia.

It was known as the longest foot path in the world for a really, really long time.

And has a big reputation because of that.

- How did you get started becoming a world-class hiker?

- I grew up here and I was not outdoorsy.

I was not a hiker, I was not a camper.

But I graduated college and realized I needed to figure out what I was gonna do with my life and did not have a plan.

And I had heard of the Appalachian Trail, like growing up here, people talk about it all the time.

So I was like, well I'll just hike the trail and figure out my life.

And it changed me.

You're uncomfortable in a way that we're not used to in your culture, in our culture.

Like you're hungry, you're tired, you're filthy you smell horrible and you don't even notice it.

You know, like so- - [Greg] Yeah.

- I think because of that it's hard not to change on the trail.

It's so counter cultural, it's so minimalistic.

Like, just even the way you interact with people you're so present with them.

(upbeat guitar music) - It seems like it's really, there's like two different things.

Accomplishing the Appalachian trail but then going for a record time, which is known as the FKT or fastest known time.

- Yeah.

- That's like a whole different mindset.

- And trying for record, it was never about feeling great.

It was never really about being fast.

It really was the question of can you crawl?

Are you willing to just keep going when all you wanna do is stop?

And in those moments, my husband was my support person, and meeting me at road crossings and giving me what I needed.

And most of the time it was like nachos and pretzels.

And he would just bring me back to this place of like, you know, "This is what you wanted to do.

And if you wanna quit, that's, that's fine.

But don't quit because you're in a bad place.

Don't quit because it's, you know, a dark time.

Like, just keep going.

Forget about the record.

Just keep going 'cause you love the trail."

- Jen, if you would like to join us on Mount Mitchell we would love to have you.

- Okay.

You guys think you can handle it?

(brothers laughing) - [Greg] I think so.

- I don't know if we can go at your pace.

Well maybe we'll do like the two mile version of the- You're up for it, right?

- I'm up for it.

Let's do this.

- Okay, we'll dig in.

And then tomorrow Mount Mitchell.

- [Jen] Okay.

- Yeah.

All right.

- Tonight.

Pizza.

- [Greg] Yes.

- And beer.

(gentle acoustic guitar music) - Good morning guys.

What a beautiful morning here at the Mount Mitchell Eco Retreat.

Jen, we like to go over gear before we start all over our high points.

Greg's the gear expert.

So Greg, what do we got?

- Yeah, I mean, Mount Mitchell, we need to think about precipitation, right?

- Definitely.

Yeah.

- So you can have thunderstorms roll in at any time.

So it's good to have a rain jacket.

Extra layers.

We like to go light.

I know you like to go ultra light.

- Yes.

- But we have a light backpack.

We got a nice water filter.

Trekking poles.

What's like the one thing you like taking to keep things light?

- Well, in this area we do have a lot of rain and so you wanna be prepared with rain protection.

But the positive of that is there's streams and springs along the way.

So I always like to bring a water filter so I don't have to carry a lot of water weight.

And I just filter water along the way.

So this is my Sawyer squeeze.

It weighs I think two to three ounces and it allows me to get the water from the springs and streams on the trail.

- Yes, that's a great option.

- Yeah.

- Well, if you guys are ready Mount Mitchell's just over our shoulder.

Ready to hit the trail head?

- Yeah.

- Let's do it.

- Okay, awesome.

(upbeat acoustic guitar music) Okay Jen.

So we like to start every high point with a high five and we like to finish with a high five.

So you have to come up with a unique high five.

- A unique high five?

- Never been done before.

- Yeah.

So- - Okay.. - No pressure.

- Okay cool.

- In the meantime, high five here at the trail head.

- I can do that.

the not unique high five.

- Yes.

- The traditional high five.

- There you go.

- Yeah.

Mount Mitchell.

Here we come.

(upbeat guitar music continues) All right guys.

First stop of the hike.

It's been, it's been beautiful.

Yeah, it's beautiful.

With usually Jen, you know you call 'em deep, meaningful conversations.

- Yes.

DMCs.

- Like we love hiking mountains, and doing high points and being outside, because just feel like that's when you can get real.

- Yes.

- [Greg] Right.

- Jen, when Greg and I, when we step onto the mountain like right away when we start with the high five.

- [Jen] Yes.

- Right?

We get into that mindset, that positive mindset.

So I'm interested to know what was your mindset when you were stepping onto the mountain?

- Huh.

When I was doing the record the one phrase that I kept like going back to is, "I belong" because you face a lot of self doubt as well as like external criticism and negativity.

When you're really putting yourself out there and people think you're a long shot no one thought we had a chance at the record.

But when I'm in nature, I always feel like I belong.

Like I'm a part of it.

And even though I didn't have the same resume as the guys who had set the record like my body had done similar things I had trained for this, I was prepared, I could do the miles.

So even if I didn't look like someone else even if I was a long shot, I would get out here.

And in those low moments I would tell myself like, "I belong.

I belong."

- Well thank you so much for sharing that with us.

- Yeah.

DMCs baby.

- Yeah.

- DMCs.

- Yeah.

Well we're about halfway to the summit.

- Yeah.

So it's getting that mountain's getting taller.

- Yeah.

- Yeah.

- I think we're making pretty good time.

- Yeah.

If you guys are ready, grab some water- - Some more water.

Okay cool.

- Ready?

- Yeah.

- Okay.

Let's do it.

♪ Me I ain't yet giving in ♪ ♪ In this world I'm living in ♪ ♪ 'Cause I know who the futures out of sight ♪ ♪ Whoa-oh-oh-oh ♪ ♪ They're calling to me from the other side ♪ ♪ Oh-whoa-oh ♪ ♪ I'm another scarecrow learning how to fly ♪ ♪ Oh-whoa-oh-oh-oh ♪ ♪ They're calling to me from the other side ♪ - Well guys, this looks like a really good stop.

- Yeah.

- Man.

This is beautiful.

Jen, man, this is like your backyard.

- Yeah.

- This is awesome.

- Do you guys feel this elevation at all or no?

- A little bit.

- A little bit.

- A little bit.

- How do you feel?

- I feel good.

I mean, this is a tough uphill.

I do feel like it gets a little thinner the air.

- Well we always say, you know, the higher we go the deeper the questions get.

We want to dive- - Oh, that's so awkward.

- Dive deep into Jen's mind.

- [Greg] We know you've achieved so much in the hiking world, the endurance world.

You have a husband, you have kids.

I have kids of my own.

- Yeah.

- I'm curious, how do you balance all that?

- You don't.

I don't believe in balance as like a daily practice.

Like I think being outdoors has taught me a lot about seasons of life.

And there are seasons when you have more energy and there's more daylight and you're more active.

And there's seasons where you withdraw and you spend more time at home and are less active.

And though we spend a lot of time just camping, playing outside, paddling, hiking, and yeah it's good for our just family morale.

- I think that's a good message for everybody to hear and yeah.

- [Branndon] Well, what do you guys think?

- We're almost there.

- We're almost there.

We got a little bit more climbing.

(Jen grunting in exhaustion) (Greg laughing) You guys ready?

- Yeah.

- We can do it.

- Let's go.

- Let's do it.

- Let's do it.

(gentle music) (music picking up tempo) - Oh wow.

Okay.

Here we go.

- [Branndon] Woo!

- [Greg] There it is.

- Mount Mitchell.

- [Jen] We did it.

- Yes.

Nice Job.

High fives, high fives.

- Yes.

Bam.

- Touch the sign.

Make it official.

- Okay.

Jen, we had this beautiful hike up here.

Yeah.

No pressure at the most unique high five of all time.

- Yeah.

Okay.

Put your hands up like we're gonna double high five.

Now you gotta keep your feet still.

Now do you know this game?

- No.

- You're next round.

- Oh you- - I win.

(laughing) - [Greg] Dang it.

- Come on!

- What happened to the balance?

- You're so competitive.

- I am.

Kind of.

I just won.

I'm the winner of Mount Mitchell.

- Nice.

- That's good.

- Well we really appreciate it.

Thank you Jen, you've imparted your wisdom to us.

- Yes.

- And you allowed us into your backyard so thank you so much.

- Well, this is a great high point for kids.

So if you come back and you're an adventure do it the hard way.

If you come back and have a family or you need an accessible trail, this is a great high point.

- Yeah it's been awesome.

- Yeah, it's been great.

Thank you so much.

- You're welcome.

Thank you guys.

- Yeah.

- Visiting North Carolina has allowed us to revisit old childhood memories.

- And hiking the trail to the top of Mount Mitchell with one of the best ultra hikers of all time, has taught us that our minds or powerful tools.

- Whether you're an elite athlete like Jennifer, achieving impressive trail records.

- Or a parent trying to create lifelong memories with your children.

- We need to be intentional with our words and experiences we create.

- So until next time, we'll see y'all on the next summit.

(upbeat music) - [Branndon] For more information on the Bargo Bros High Point Adventures visit us at thehighpointers.com or at The Highpointers on YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook.

- [Greg] The Highpointers is made possible by Burnsville North Carolina, A small town with big adventures, big peaks, and home to Mount Mitchell.

Information on hiking and more available at exploreburnsville.com.

Acroball, advanced ink pens, engineered for extremes.

Pilot, power to the pen.

Ohio Caverns an adventure for the whole family.

See and discover formations year round for information at ohiocaverns.com.

America's most colorful caverns.

FRBO, bringing owners and renters together find vacation rentals online.

Live local, feel at home, FRBO.com.

Gossamer Gear, makers of lightweight packs, trekking poles and shelters.

Take less.

Do more.