Wildlands of the Upper South 0792268938, 0792275748, 9780792268932, 9780792275749

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I

wildlandi

of the Upper

South

ands

of

the

Upper

5Lj John otographs

M.

South

Thompson

by Ratjmona

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC WASHINGTON,

D.C.

Gehman

estern Virgnia. Jefferson National Torest cloalcs the Alleglienies in southw l Forest beclcons Page one: An overgrown trail in the Monongahela Nationa a blazing star. .hilcers to explore. Pages 2-3= A monarch butterfly rests upon

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the Coastal

Plain 12

the Piedmont

^

the Shenandoah

the Alleghenies

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the Smolci'es IZ-f

Icarstlands driver valleys \y\

site addresses \&6 about the author & photo^apher 155 su^ested additional reading 155 index \&$ credits 1^2

wildlands Springfield ^ 90"

of the

Upper

South Springfield,

Lancaster, Middletown OHIO • Circleville , Dayton Chillicothe. Haute [ ^ [) l\A In A "l i ^•Hamilton Bloomlngton* Vcolumbus Cincinnati Connersville,

ison (W Albany.

t-^'/'^f9 sjp.Bon^jck ■

Portsmouth',/■

Maysville . ~' , ington j \ Lex,Cynthiana

•Louisville ^Frankfort A?[."m J-^^ Natural Br.dge DANIEL fh State Resort Park □ ^anKa^ Ei,zabethtowr,/^:^St • Rich.or^d ^^^^ . Cainpbellsville \

NATIONAL

Willi am so'n

Hazard* Jenkins^.x"-'' \ V^-/^-^ MAMMOTH CAVE ■ ' / Paducah ^ / , NATIONAL PARK^^lorT^ .SMierss!, N BETWEE ^ LAND * □Lake S.kestor, J State- • Metropolis THE LAKES Bowling Green , Glasgow _ ^jy^X^VfOREST^ Nature Preserve N R.A, , .unfcer/fmf/^ ' ' Corbi^ • ^ I , ,. Hopkinsville Cumberland Falls A^„^^/> /" I' '^^yf's''' ;„rA/pX) / ■; - ^ State Resort Park \/'^'esA _ ' K , \ O .LJnion City 5 / BIG SOUTH FORK ("^ \ y ^^^^^ iGr^sporttJ^f ,Clarksville O NATIONAL RIVER AND REC. AREA/ ^ > / \ 'CHEROKEII lfR-oo,t ee.W. Cross Creeks >^ 3 /R ;/ /tr •il.nn -*M

■■■f— - , Dyersburg •Blvtheville Tennessee 'Milan N.W.R.Q T >^ .Covington ^ ^'jackson

Ob^W,,d^ ^_n,HeadS P .^0^;!^^"^" 1 Nashville®' ^"^"^ SSoVevitle-._Jl!"" ^'"q V ^and Natural Area ' ^ . .Greeneyrf(e.| OakRidge* ^)j5noxvmr\^^ '^"'^'•eesip /lOKY MAT . £ Columbia*

MEMPHIS

! Oxford,

^

Corinth* '"X^Holly Springs i78i .New Albany

^Savannah LaUwrenceburg, Florence , Sheffield* ;; Decatur* 1 '""ssellville

Shelbyville

Fall Creek Falls State Resort Park

/ -Pulaski 1

MOuTjTAiNs'NR.^OV C ''''^^ / . ' *i^^ ... ■••"' ■" OK C^ Y K> Willsi hens ''.At '1^° ^ SM .T , . / ■ {'GREAT S^Blue Ridge-.. / \ ^1 „ V ^ ■/ ^ e» ""-V Parkway ^ /^O^SY"'^^\ Hm^M^UK y ^.A> Greenville^r^ ■ /qnatIpna^Jforesx^-^-.*»..^ "-r^ ^..X^ ■ r r h< * T Vi

,Huntsville Dalton.^ Scottsboro. ^ VV /| yP ! Guntersville, / ,

M I S S I S S IiP P I 'Grenada

Aberdeen , Columbos

Starkville* *

ALABAMA Jasper, V Opeonu. V

:

NATIONAL APPALACHIAN Toccoa n.^T. .^m*'SCENIC TRAIL

^

Gadsden Anniston, Cordova* • Birmingham Bessemer, * Talladega

, Louisville

^.C

^^,^^1

.Gainesvll -/^ .Athens' ' .Covington ^^^^ ma Clark-, Lake \ \ 'ATLANTA

.Newnan

KoitiU'.ko Kilometers 50 100 Statute Miles 50

.SyLic'i:

100

Anders6n ,

Millodacvilif..

* Reading

(PITTSBURGH / Johnstown* FEN

Altoona

Valley For^^^ Trenton NEW j^Harrisburg Lancaster '.I- N I A N S Y L V^V PHILADELPHIA Chambersburq • • CjettysDurg ■ York

City ,

JERSEY/' ^ew Castli ,Vineland Bridgeton 'Atlantic ^1:/, , Clarksburo towh ^agers ■'nc/4,,J^.. ■ Rocl()ii.ser\aiic-v c hipped ill a c-()iii[iaral)le aiiiduiit ol land tlie same \'eai". Now the pride ot (iates Couiilw the park preserves the bayou-like inillpoiid and the Lassiter Swamp seetion ol Bennetts CJreek, wliieh feeds the pond. Spanish moss dangles from old bale! expresses, whieh stand knee-deep in tlie ink-v', acidie water. Resurreetion ferns line the hanks, while eow lilies and lloatine; dnek"\\('eds stipple the surfaee of tlu' pond, paintinti; a seene ol eonstantK ehant^inti; colors, te.xtnres, and moods. On drizzly da\s, raindrops pimj; the glassv siniaee ol tlie poiul, ripplinij; the relleetions of express knees ami limbs. A heron llaps silentK' across tlie water, while crows and woodpeckers make liecklint;; noises in the distant reaches ot the forest. An otter peeks out of the murk-\- water along the edge, then ducks away with scarcely a flutter on the surface. On other da\s, caipenter frogs, leopard trf)gs, and various tree frogs trill and croak, lending a \'oice to thi' primortlial landscape; cooters and snapping turtles take the sun on partialK submerged logs. Two ancient fish species, the long-nosed gar and the bowfin, coastal plain inhabitants for millions of years, cniise the pond waters. The alligator, another ancient species, lias been spotted in the park onlv in the la.st few years. RareK' found this far north, the gators ma\ lia\ e been released or tliev ma\' possibh have migrated Irom a similar habitat to the south. If the latter, it indicates diat Merchants Millpond has become a much-needed ix'fnge for a varietA' of animals.

I he Outer Banks are along, penciled c-\cbrow of barrier islands sweeping out from the Albemarle and Pamlico Sounds. More than 125 miles of the banks are protectetl as national seashores. Bearing the relentless onslaughts of wind, currents, storms, and sun, the flora and fauna that lix i-on the banks are liaixK sun ivors. Shifting dunes up to 100 feet high shelter in their swales a suiprising ilixi'isitx of grasses and w ildflowers — goldenrods tilt genth' o\ er bunches of tiny asters, while gaillardia and flowering pennywort create vivid little paislev -patterned gardens close to the ground. In a few places the islands are v\ide enough to support a si/.abk' maritime forest, giuuxk-d on the seaside bv high dunes and a wfather-touglu'iied Iront line ot stunted cedars and live oaks. Southern .species such as \ aupon and dw arf palmetto grow under the protection of willows, gums, and pines. And songbirds, foxes, deer, and other creatures live on a slender margin, far from the mainland and onlv a few hundred v ards from the high-tide line. During hurricanes and iiorCasters the animals hunker dow n as best tlie\ can to ride out natures Nags Head Woods PreseiAc is a l,2()()-acre jewel of ()ld-growi:h maritime forest— and one of the best-kept secrets of the Outer Banks. More than 300 kinds of plants gnm in the species-rich forest, protected from the battering sea In an earthwork of ancient ilnnes. Huge hickories, oaks, beeches, and jiiiies, some ol them the Coastal plain

liuiKlrcds ()( Ncars old, rule the old dune ridges, while black willow and gum trei'S preside in swanip\ swales. In addition, tln' water violet and the mosquito fern — both excjuisite — thri\'e in these woods. The Sweetgiun Swamp Trail loops into various plant communities in the heart ol the presenc. Yellow-bellied slider turtles edge toward a pond and disappear with small plops, pine warblers sing puiposefullv in the nearby woods, and rare wooly beach lieather giows in the sandv areas about haltwa\' around. The Roanoke Trail leads thnjugh a salt marsh, where waist-high cordgrass and black needlerush ripple in the breeze; the trail ends with an expansive view of Roanoke Sound. In summer, a small orchid called southern twayblade grows alongthe trail, as does the pink lady's slipper also an orchid. Windblown, barren, and mounded high, nearby Jockey's Ridge has the look and tallest feel of" sand a desert height of 80 coast. to 100 Itfeet ridge ranking the dunelandscape. svstem onItsthe Atlantic sits gives at thethesouthern end of asa range of massive dunes that run all the wav to Virginia. In dune-speak, fockev's Ridge is a medano, a tremendous pile of sliifting sand free of \egetation. The sand likelv came from offshore shoals; hurricanes and other storms roll the shoals, depositing sand on area beaches where it later can blow inland. Earlv seafarers used the high dune as a na\igational landmark, but the origin of its name has been olisciu'ed o\ er time. In all likelihood the appellation stems from the earlv lyth-centun' practice of racing wild horses along the base of the dunes. As Nags Head grew in the 20th centun' into a popular vacation destination, development began crowding jockey's Ridge. In 1973 the area directh below the dune was targeted for residential de\ elopment until a local woman actualK put herself in front of a bulldozer A presenation organization was formed on the spot. One year later tlie tlune was designated a national natural landmark, and jockevs Ridge State Park was established in 1975. One of the interesting — and problematic — features of the duuv is that it mows. Pre\ ailing northeast winds in winter push the sand southwest. The opposite is true in summer, meaning the dune more or less should stav put. But over time, the general trend is toward the south. The dune wants to move. People want it to sta\- in jilact'; A state park that mows three to six feet every year is going to start tnixcliug oxer roads and buildings, creating ha\'oc. In fact, with tlie hurricanes ofthe eark 19S0s, the dune pushed out 600 feet in some places and engulfed a putt-putt golf course. Roads and driveways are continualK under threat from the I().4-million-cubic-\ard sand jiile. Tlie park senice has alreadv bought out si.x homes — one lot is now cox'eri'tl in sand. Other than chasing the dune, what's the solution':' One (jbvious answer is to stabilize part ol tlie dune with grasses, as was done on Kill De\ il Mills in the late 1920s. Cirass oxer the entire dune, though, would completeK change the nature of tfie park, which is now a living, shifting mountain of sand. In the meantime, the park periodicalK hauls sand Irom the south

wild lands of tfie L Ipper South

e.ot±ae,es line the shore of Na2,5 Head, as seen from the top of lOO-foot-high Joclcey's Ricl£;e, the highest sand dune system on the Atlantic Coast.

side around to the north — most recently trucking 112,000 cubic yards at a cost oi nearly $500,000. But there's not mucli the park can do to restore the dune s diminishing height: Since 1974 the dune has lost about 20 feet. Though some people have speculated that surrounding development has blocked sand from replenishing the dune, or that erosion has been caused, at least in part, by tourists, most experts beUeve the relentless winds are simph- redistributing the sand and thus flattening the dune. Regardless, the dune is exj^ected to remain the dominant coasttd feature for centuries to come. The pull of the dune is irresistible — it is not a long walk to the summit, but the loose sand and the somewhat steep pitcli of the east face offer a bit of a workout. Pretending I was on the final pitch of Everest, I slogged to the top, but really without much huffing and puffing. From there I had a wonderful panorama of the bare dune fields, the ocean, Roanoke Sound, and the cottages of Nags Head. The bright sails of hang gliders hung on the air — the steadv light wands and the gentle slope f)f the dune offer exceptional conditions for begiimers. Not coincidentallv in 1903, Omlle and Wilbur Wright made the first manncnl, motorized (lights only a tew miles nor th of here at Kill Devil Hills. A 1.5-mile nature trail winds along tlu' an meadow in rairfax, \/ire,inia. Opposite: On Theodore Roosevelt Island in the Potomac River, a maple snags the lie,ht of a late afternoon in fall.

From Pilot Mountain, tlie R. [. Reynolds huilding and other Winston-Salem landmarks are also \ isible. rising in the southeast, seeminglv isolated in a vast forest. But it is onl\ an illusion. For nearly three eenturies the Piedmont has been the region of elioice for N'irginia and North (Carolina's human population. The ela\' and limestone soil and the moderate elimate combine to make the region the tobaccoproduction center of the nation. Farming and logging have reached practicallv every corner of the Piedmcjut, with man\' cutover areas now in various stages of forest regrowth. .Still, excn as the forest recovers, large tracts of the Piedmont are disappearing. A recent study estimates that some 14 acres of North (]arolina's Piedmont vanish every hour — mostly from urban expansion. Yet despite the growth of urban corridors, the Piedmont still holds huge forests and fields where wildlife can li\ e umnolested, and more and more of these semiwild locales are being set aside as parks and preserves. From tiny Theodore Roosevelt Island to the generous spread of Prince William Forest, the protected areas are generally established for one of two reasons — to give people a break from urban living or to gi\e the natixe plants and animals a break from people. Either wav, both people and nature benefit. The landscapes tend toward the gentle and serene rather than the spectacular, but several places near the Blue Ridge do provide dramatic views of the topographical shift from moimtains to foothills. Other areas capture the essence of the Piedmont forest — limited on long views, but filled with photoworthy meadows, glens, rippling creeks, and tall trees. Tve lived iiKJst of my life in the Upper Souths Piedmont, and 1 can honestly report that this subtle region of woods and rivers is not to be overlooked.

Cjreat blue herons, white-tailed deer, wildflovver-dappled meadows, stream-laced hills, towering oaks, tulip poplars. To find such natural beauty in abundance anywhere is a treat, but in a big city it is a rare blessing. A long lozenge of green, Washington, D.C.'s Rock Creek Park ranks as one of the largest urban parks in the countiy. More than twice the size of New York's Central Park, this haven of wildlife and hilly woods has provided respite to capital city residents and visitors since 1890. Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan, the latter often enjoying the bridle trails, number among the parks devotees. Native Americans lived in the area for more than 5,000 years, hunting and gathering fruits and nuts. They cleared fields with periodic fires in order to farm scjuash, corn, and tobacco, and they traveled from village to village by canoes made from tall tulip poplars. the late ITOOs, settlers had displaced the Indians and were steadily clearing out more woods and putting up creek-powered gristmills. In 1S61, Union armies built 68 forts around Washington, D.C.'s perimeter to guard against Confederate attack; renmants of some of these forts lie within the park. After the Civil War, Rock Creek \'alley was briefly considered as a salubrif)us site for a "sunnner" Wl Idlands of the Upper Sc^utK

wiidflowers Frovidinga visual bancjuet for Kikers and other outdoor lovers, wiidflowers in hundreds of varieties blanket the fields, forests, and streamsides of the Piedmont. One harbinger of spnng the bloodroot, a poppy, begins showing its orange-centered white flowers in rich woodlands as early as March. Possessing eight to ten pe tals, the l.;?-inch flower blooms briefit), opening onlcj during daylight. Indians used the underground stem for a red dye. The cut-leaved toothwort, another small white Jewel, grows in moist thickets; it has only four petals. At the other end of the scale, the diamond-in-the-roughjimsonweed grows up to five feet tall and is distinguished by its rank odor, its poisonous fruit and leaves, and its striking beauty. Sporting creamy, trumpet-shaped flowers, jimsonweed is often found in abandoned lots and barnyards. Bellworts, members of the lily family, are common woodland flowers from April to June; their elongated yellow blooms hang like bells. In damp woods, thickets, and clearings, peel your eyes for tiny but dazzling spring beauties. With pink or lavender candy-stnpe veins, these five-petalled blooms look similar to wood sorrel but are a bit smaller and have long instead of clover-like leaves. The pink lady's slipper, a wild orchid, g-ows in dry pine forests, its name taken from its bright pouch; the rarer yellow lady's slipper prefers a moister environment.

Arrestingly vivid, fire pinks bloom April to June in thickets and open woods.

h'olislned 5k)ne5 .ind wck)c1 line the bcjnLs dI KocL '^icck, which hvist^ and turns for nine miles thrciut^h Washink:;t:on, D.C.

\Miitc I lonsc. hilt tlir location scout thon(i;lit tlic area better suited for a |iublic park. H\ tlie turn of tlie 2()tli ceiitiin', tlie woods liad liegim throwing l)acl< in, starting with siicli pioneer spec ies as tlie N'irginia piiu', which later \ielded to second- and thirdgrowth species such as oak, liickon, hei'ch, tulip poplar, and other hig haixlwoods. Toda\. So to 90 percent of the park is woodland: it frames the winding course of Rock (-'reek just al)o\e its junction with tlu' Potomac Hi\'er. In addition to playgrounds and fields, there are uearK 20 meadows scattered about — openings where gokl find ICS feast on thistles and great horned ow Is pick ( )f f slue 'ws and mice. In spring the woods bloom w ith dogwood, redbud, a/ak'a, and w ildllowers, and in autumn the burnt orangi'S and lemon \ellows of fall spread throughout the park. Such beauty some times paws a price lor cit\ living — dogwoods infected with anthracnose and oaks hit b\ gx'psN moths often cannot sunixc in areas where tlie\ art- alreacK' stressed hy liolliiliou. compclition with uou-uatixe species, and other urban pressures. Small accidents, such as a pesticide sjiill. can serioiisK imbalaiice an ecosxsteiii as small as Hock (a'eek Park. Yet peojile, plants, and animals earn' on as best the\' can. li\iiig in close proximitx to each other. Miles of trails crisscross the park, oMering nature enthusiasts a wealth ( if opportunities toget awa\ w itiioiit e\ cr lea\ ing the cit\. ( )n a recent \ isit I made a two- mile loop b\ crossing .\Iilitan Poad lU'ar the park s nature center, heading past the earthworks of I'ort DeRussx', and walking up the cool corridor of Hock Clreek to the old Milklioiise i'^ord, instead of (.■rossiiig the O0-|oot-wide ci'eek here, where it ripples wildlind.s of tfie C Ipper South

over a concrete slab, 1 kept hoots (lr\ 1)\ lieailinu; npliill, tlieii takiri'j; a lelt at the Western Ridtje Trail. For most ol tlie \va\' I had iiothinon molecules, w hich refiact enough sunlight to ci'eate the blue ha/e that [lei petnalK hangs over thi' mountains, gi\ ing the ridgt' its name. Also, as in the Smokies to the south, dense' fog and nnst can gather in the yalleys when warm air rides abi i\ c a la\ e)' of ccjld air, creating little island peaks; the x eil slowK' lifts with the morning sun. I^'all splashes the hillsides with such brilli;int hues th;it the parks Skyline Drixc has become a re walked. Taller \ellow birches push to the canop\. as do tulip poplars, oaks, and hemlocks. Bet\\een falls, the creek provides a lo(]uacious commentan. its mist watering thick caqx'ts of moss and little gaixleus of Christmas and poKpocK terns, trout lilies, and rattlesnakt' plantains. \\"e spotted the string\ \ ellow flowers of witcli hazel, bright red partridgeberries — coimnon in fall — and the smaller but similarK' red spicebush. ("rushing some of the hitter's berries released a refreshing smell reminiscent ot lip balm. And amoui^ the fori-st duff we found a few fallen clusters of wild grape.s--a delicious little snack that had escapeil the attention of liirds and other creatures. From the top overlook, we could see the upper falls and the folded hills that define the T\ e Ri\ er \'alle\. .Slashing up one slope w as a brigade of dead hemlocks, recenth' killed In the balsam wooK adelgid. presenting a \i\id pictiu e of the damage an introtluced pest can inflict. (Continuing about fiO miles south on the Blue Ridge Park^vaN'. we stopped at the Shaqi Top Trail, wliich takes off from the Peaks of Otter \isitor ('enter. One of the region's greatest hikes, the trail is particularK' peaceful in winter, with snow squeaking imdertoot and bouldei's rimed with gloss\" carapaces ot ice. PartK pa\'ed. tlie trail zigzags steepK to a series of steps and. on the tip-top, along with huge lichened boulders adorning the Inild peak, a pulpit of stone otters an uplifting 36()-degree scan of the Piedmont. Blue Ridge, and — across the \ alle\' — the Alleghenies.

u the (ieorge Washington forest west of Staunton. Ram.se\"s Draft \\'ildemess Area embraces one of the state's largest tracts ot \irgin woods — some giant trees are more than 300 \cars old. Large hanlwoods such as tulip pophu'. basswood. I'ed oak. and cucnmlier trei' mix with hemlocks that tower o\er lush fenis and mosses. The draft — a local name tor "creek" — nuis thi'ough the middle of this woock-d wilderness, freshening tlie ail' and bm"blinanaan sta\ s i'elati\ cK' cold, with an axerage annual tempeiature ol 44 degrees Fahrenheit and a I'ecord low ol minus 24. The result is a lo\el\ mosaic of boreal forests, meadows, and liigh-ele\ atiou bogs and alder swamps inhabited b\ bea\ers, minks, mnski'ats, ducks, and geese. Nearly one-liltli ol the \alle\ s plants are northern specii's. including red spruce, balsam fir, sphagnum moss, glade spurge, and highbnsli cianberrx. 'l1ie spruce and fii' conniiumties lia\e been here since the last ice age, when tlK'\ migrated dow u in adv ance of the glaciers. These I'enmant boreal forests persist because ol the high elex ation. 1 lowex er, nmch has changed in the past two centuries. Before settlers and loggers came through, red spruces towered 90 feet tall and hemlock and birch grew in dense stands. I loping to grow bluegiass lor their livestock, larmeis cleared much ol the vallev with fires, which ate down into the humus lavei' ol the soil, making it hard lor the spruce to legenerate. \owada\s von will lind such northern hardwoods as sugar maple, wllow birch, beech, and black chern, but oulv scattered stands ol small spruce and lir. The woods and wetlands supj^ort an enormous ((uantitv ol wildlite. A valuabK' slice ol the \ alle\ is protected within ( ,'anaan X'allev National Wildlife Refuge, established in 1904. To hone mv birdcall and animal track identification skills, I took a guided snowshoe walk through tin' reluge from the White (irass Touring (Jenter.

"'4

wildlands of the Upper South

A weather-beaten farmhouse lends an air of old times to a pastoral Canaan Valletj landscape. The valletj was named in the l/OOs for its lilceness to the Promised Land.

Vole trails skittered across the snow and into a hole, the brush of wings perhaps indicatingpredator; a deer tracks disappeared into silent woods; a red-breasted nutliatch quietly stole a cone from a fir tree, while somewhere nearbv a pileated woodpecker knocked for insects. Over near the refuge headquarters building, a spring-fed stream lined with heaths and sedges gurgled through a stand of aromatic balsam fir Trees all around sported a ring of missing greenery at about waist height, a sign of browsing deer Unfortunately, my guide informed me, tliis relict forest may eventually succumb to the deer and the balsam woolv adelgid insect. My appetite whetted for more nature, I snowshoed over to the stunning highland wilderness area of Dolly Sods, which lies adjacent to Canaan Valley. (Since the roads into the Sods are unplowed, vou hax e to get there on \'our owai steam in winter Another approach from the west side is to buy a one-way lift ticket at nearlw Timberline, head to the top of the mountain, and ski ox er to DolK' Sods for some unforgettable daylong or overnight achentm-es. I once did this with a friend — the hard part was perching on a ski lift while wearing a fully loaded backpack.) DolK' Sods — aftectionateK' kiiowai just as the Sods — is a magnificent patch of high bogs and plains tliat covers .some 10,215 ;icres. It draws its name from the Dalile family, who grazed sheep here in the mid-19tli centuiA' on the high open plains, which the\c;illed "sods. "A series of accidental fires helped keep the area open, hut the\- burned thiough the soil to the rock layer, destro)ing the forest's abilitv' to self-regenerate. To the Ailee;henies

105

Momentarij master of the heie^htft, a hiLer explores the cliffs of Bear RocLs vopposite^ in the Dollq Sods Scenic Area. Situated aL:)ng,t!ie eastern continental divide, Be£3r RocLs skives onto the enticine, ban"ens and bo2,s of Dollt| Scids vabove) , as well as the North f orL Vallet) to the east.

reestahlisli the woods, the forest service put in about 700 acres of red spmce and pine plantations in the 1930s. But much of the Sods remains clear and tundra-like, partly because of the extreme climate. Here where the elevation exceeds 4,000 feet, the winds can be severe and sudden, whipping in from the west and rippling across the laurel thickets, stunting the red spruce to one-sided dwarves. Rhododendron and blueberiY bushes rarely top four feet high. Yet, in anv weather, the Sods is remarkable, with open views and Canadian-tvpe flora gi\"ing hikers the distinct feeling that the\ 've stumbled across a forgotten world, shaken loose from the far north and plopped down in West Virginia. The Dollv Sods Scenic Area on the north end receives relatively heavy use, but the high windswept bogs and plains, punctuated with beaver ponds and grassy knolls, are wide enough to offer some solitary communion with nature, especially on weekdays in fall, winter, and spring. Flatrock Plains, a less well known backcountry area, lies in the southwest comer of the Sods. I've spent many unforgettable days and nights up here and on the adjacent Roaring Plains. Nothing but wildlands are visible in all directions, and it's easy to feel like you owit the world. The mountains roll onward to the horizon, while winds roar and whistle across fields of boulders and rock slabs, dotted bv patches of hardy vegetation. Hawks tilt over the plains, reading them for the little movements that spell food.

I he Spruce Knob-Seneca Rtxks National liecreation Area, south of I3oll\' Sods, is another region of rough beauty that beckons hikers. Deep forests open to clear hillsides dotted with tumbledown cabins and cliiume\ s from I SOOs homesteads. On occasion, I'\ e ducked into some of these cabins for shelter while out hiking — the smell of old smok"\' wood and the sound (if rain drumming a metal roof transported me to another centurw The region's cool clear streams, hidden caves, and high rock walls also attract ri\er runners and fishermen, spelunkers and rock climbers. Named for its mists and fog, the Smoke Hole on the eastern side of the recreation area is a half-mile-deep gorge wom by the South Branch of the Potomac River as it worms its w a\ between North Fork Mountain and Cave Mountain. Smoke Hole l^oad crosses the North Fork Ri\cr (ofiicialK the North I^'ork of tlie South Branch of the Potomac Ri\er). then travels in the shadow of North Fork Mountain. Several trails off this road head west up to the North Fork Mountain Trail, which runs for 24 miles along the ridge of the mountain. Numerous rock outcrops and clearings among the oaks and pines gi\e terrific \iews of tlie Nortli Fork N'allev and Alleghenies to the west; in the sk'\, \ ultures and hawks soar on updrafts. Seneca Rocks, the signature feature in tlie l()(),()00-acre national recreation area, rises 960 exhilarating feet. The l(jng. shaip fin of rock was made from Tuscarora sandstfjue laitl down 400 million \ ears ago and compacted in places to (juai tzite. The

wilcllanis of the CIpper South

gkji'ioiis wall once la\' Hat, Init 275 million years ago the Ap[)alaeliians began lorining, buckling the Earth here to a \ ertical position — Seneca rests on an anticline, or upward fold, of the Earth's crust just east of the Allegheu\- Front. Erosion exposed and sculptured the knife-edged profile visible today. Indians used the area as a camping ground as far back as 12, ()()() \ ears ago. In fact, the field in front of the Seneca Rocks Discovery Center is a protected archaeological site holding the remains of Indian villages 600 to 800 years old. Toda\, rock climbers flock to Seneca to test themselves on an endless series of challenging routes with such names as Malevolence, Neck Press, and Cottonmouth. The first modern climb of the south peak was made, according to an inscription foinid there, in 1908. The U.S. Arm\ 's lOth VIountain Division trained here in preparation for European dutv in World War II. Recreational rock climbers soon began trickling in. From personal experience, I can attest that the thrill of standing 900 feet up on a 5-foot-wide wedge of stone is hard to match this side of the Rockies. But you don't have to be proficient with a carabiner to enjoy the excellent views from Seneca Rocks. I recentlv took the 1.3-mile walk from the parking lot to the observation platform nestled on the north end of the wall. Inteq:)retive panels along the switchbacldng trail explain Seneca's geology and flora, and they offer a nice pause from the 900-foot ascent. The boulders scattered along the lower section of the trail fell when ice and tree roots widened cracks in the rock above, eventuallv sending big chunks plummeting to the ground and adding to the talus slopes. A stunning displav of such action occurred in 1987, when a 30-foot-taIl piece of rock weighing 20 tons toppled, crashing into pieces. The vegetation along the trail changes as the trail ascends and the soil thins. At the lower elevations, flowers such as jack-in-the-pulpit grow in moist, shadv areas; higher up, lichens, laurels, and table mountain pines find niches in drier conditions. The overlook at trail's end faces west toward the Alleghenv Plateau. Seneca Creek can es down the mountain out front, sheep and cattle pastures green the hillsides all around, and the barks of farm dogs rise from far below. The national recreation area's other focal point is 4,863-foot Spruce Knob, the highest peak in West Virginia. The peak rises at the south end of Spruce Mountain, a 12-mile-long ridge running northeast. A steep and winding 12-mile road with few guardrails, but lots of scenic overlooks, climbs toward the summit. An obsen ation tower on the top rewards determined motorists and hikei's with sw eeping panoramas of grassv pastures and forested movmtains. The half-mile Whispering Spruce Trail that circles the summit offers a close look at the knob's high-counti'v vegetation. The winds and temperatures up lierc can be severe, pruning the hardv red spruce and mountain ash to a krnmmholz foi"est of chest-high, gnarled trees, some of them wearing thick vegetation low to the ground and others taking a flag shape — flag spruce have a webbing of dead branches to windward, protecting the greenen- on the other side, similar to wind-pruned trees on the Outer Banks.

the Allegh enies

log

Delicate looking^, but hardtj survivors, marsh mane,olcls usbove^ and other plants in Cranberrtj Glades botanical Area mi2,rated south with the Ice Age and remain in hie,h pocLets of cold air and boagi] soil. Tender curled shoots of skunL cabbage (opposite^ emerge in spring when bruised, the plant releases a foul odor of decaqing meat that attracts pollinating insects.

Ill

I .ocatt'd in the southern part of Monont^alu'la National Forest, Cranbenv Glades is another ol the haiullnl ol places in West \ irginia tliat has remnant boreal plant coiinnunilies from tlie Ice Age. But none ha\ e as extensive an area of open glades as ( >ranl )ern . Linnied by dark-green borders of deliciously aromatic spruce and hemlock, the four bogs here spread out in imexpected gardens of northern flora. Mats oi deca\iug sphagnum moss form a spongv' laver of peat more than 12 feet thick that composes the floor of an acidic wetland. These bogs, or muskegs as the\' are called in the far north, support carnivorous sundews, sedges, orchids, mosses, and other plants that can tolerate the acidic soil and cold climate. The CranberiA' Glades Boardwalk offers a delightful, short educational stnjll across two of the bogs, starting in a forest of shallow-rooted vellow birch, hemlock, and red spruce, then emerging in an open glade. My children had great fun making one discovery after another here. A wide caipet of wet sphagnum moss is leavened with ferns and the small \ines of cranl)erries — in summer tinv pinkish white flowers bloom, followed b\ the dark red berries. Haircap moss, reindeer moss, and bog roseman,- are among the man\- otlier plants growing here. Swaths of cotton grass bloom in white puffs in late summer, and skunk cabbage wafts its foul odor in nearbv thickets of shrubbv spotted alder, attracting insects. Sprouting rapidly and as early as Februan, skunk cabbage can melt snow with the heat of its cellular respiration. A bruised-looking green and puq^le-browu spathe covers the tiny flowers, which give wa)- to huge cabbage-like leaves. The boardwalk crosses Yew Creek, which waters a stiip of bog forest, then heads around to Flag Glade, where in earlv summer vou ma\' see tin\' sundews and a minibcr of orchids, including the delicate violet-tinged i"ose pogonia. Spreading north of the botanical area are the contiguous 35,864-acre Cranberr\' Wilderness and 2fi,()()()-acre Cranbern' Back ('ountiA; together forming a \ ast tract of formerK' cuto\er forest that list's to more than 4,600 feet in ele\'ation. Motorized v ehicles are not allowed in the backcounti"\ ; the wilderness goes a step furtlier bv not ev en allowing bicvcles. W hat vf)U have here is about 75 square miles of wildlife-filled, stream-riven, wild countiA lor exploring on foot and skis. Motorists can explore the edges of this v ast area on the 45-mile Highland Scenic Highwav; it begins along the winding Xortli Fork ol the {Jheri"v l^iv er. then shoots north up State Route 150. Overlooks of(ianbern (blades and the surrounding ridges and valleys offer a birds-eye view — breezes corkscrew through the high grasses, niffling them into changing textures and patti'rns. The ( Cherokee called tlie neai'bv wide, shallow Cireenbrier 1-liv er Watauga, "the river of islands." For several miles the river winds along the borders of West \ irginia's largest state park, swashing around little islands and sandbars. Cloaked in a dense forest of hardwoods and hemlocks, Watoga State Park is bordered bv moi'e woodlands — ( Calv in Frice State Forest on the south and Monongahela National

i 12

wildlandsof the Clpper South

Monongahela A

wilderness

areas

few wildernesses in the Monongahela warrant special mention. The lovelu

20,000-acre Otter Creek Wilderness north of Alpena harbors black bears, snowshoe hares, and white-tailed deer in its heavLj forest, which varies from native red spruce and planted Norway spruce in the high elevations to black cherrtj, Ljellow birch, and other hardwoods lower down. In keeping with a designated wilderness, trails are unmarked and minimailL) maintained. Hikers follow ndges and streambeds, thou2;h in places the rhododendron and laurel thickets make the going impossible, riash floods are common during heavy rains, as streams course into the natural bowl formed bt) Shavers and McGowan Mountains, in the early I5'70s, hikers and hunters joined ranks to ban lo^ngand dirt bikin2,from the area and turn it into a wilderness; Congress designated it as such in \97'ySoutheast of Clady, the less well known Laurel i^ork North and South Wildernesses cover 12,0;52 acres and share with Otter Creek a history of losing and burning. Since 1^55? both areas have been left to revert to their natural state; however, the timber management from the l^cOs has resulted in some strikingly open, high-ceilinged forests of tall straight trees — including beech, cherry, maple, birch, and tulip poplar. Now deer, wild turkey, bobcat, and beaver make homes here.

Cranberry creepers entwine a mat of sphagnum moss.

"4

Higli ctition in Cranberrt) Clades: Cirowine, up to four feet tall, tawnL| cotton g^rass thr

Forest on the east and nortli. White-tailed deer abound in these hillv woods, as do black liears, grav foxes, wikl turkex s, raccoons, and woodchucks. In winter, snows sugar tlie heuikicks and rh()(k)dendrons and ice edges in on the kike and streams, gi\ing the park a fain knid kK)k. Mountain kiurel and rhododendron flourish along trails that loop through woods and clearings. More trails course through the park's Brooks Arboretum, which holds a huge \ariet\ of native trees and shrubs: tulip tree, hemlock, red maple, beech, rWvr birch, black gum, lilack chern', ser\icebem'. dogwood, oak, and hickoiy, to name but a few. Also growing here are saplings of American chestnuts. Though the great chestnut forests were wiped out by blight in the 1930s, their progeny grows f rom old stumps, sometimes reaching 20 feet before succimibing to the fungus. The southei'u part of the park has been left undeveloped; onlv a few trails and old logging roads venture into this wildlife haven. The Arrowhead Trail, one of the most rewarding trails in the park, begins at the riverside campground and makes a steep one-mile ascent to a lookout tower. About half\vay up on one hike I saw turkey scratchings on the ground, then heard rustling in the thickets of rhododendron; prettv soon I saw the birds themselves flapping quickly out of the way. Woodpeckers called with a raucous (juect quect qiieet and rapped their beaks high in the treetops, while deer scampered for cover. The sound of the ruffed grouse slapping his wings together to atti'act a mate echoed in the woods. On top of the ridge, hucklebeny and wild phlox grew in profusion in a clearing. From tlie two-ston' lookout tower I had a w(jnderful westward view of the moinitains and farmlands, while down below the Greenbrier River rushed along it.s course.

I he New Ri\'er writhes its \\"a\' north from North (Carolina over the rugged Appalachian Plateau, caning out a dramatic gorge some 1.600 feet deep and 3,000 feet wide in southern West X'irginia. Flanking 53 miles of this stretch of the ri\er, the long inid sinuous New l^ixer Gorge N;itional Ri\er is a ha\eu fcji" white-water enthusiasts and fishermen, and it has allowed the forest to reclaim coal mining tow ns ;uid sites that flourished from the 1870s to the earlv 1950s. The New w;is once part of the ancient Te;i\s River svstem that flowed north through West \ irginia ;uk1 ;icross central Ohio. In tjoiit^ed out gorges 500 feet deep, lined w ith iiiagiiilieeiit sandstone hliilfs; theirwidth, tliougli, ereates an effeet that is more peaeelnl tlian hreatlitaking — an ctieet tliat ean sometiilies cause inexperienced ri\ er nmiieis lo discount the "wild" jiait ol the ii\ ers wild ami scenic Ha|)ids \ ar\ Iroiii ( .'lass II to ( .'lass with some of the most exciting (,'lear (.reek lietwcen LilK Bridge and the creek's junction witli the just Ix low the iiiiiction aic some good rapids as well, with names like and W idow Nhiker.

designation. paddling on Ohed River; Canoe H(jle

lint \()u do not ha\c to he a kavakei" to enjo\ the river Plenty of fine swimming holes ahouiid. rlie one at Nemo Bridge, about six miles southwest of Wartl)uig, is especialK entiling. A rock-x' heacli lines a wide section of tlu' Emon Ri\'er here, w here one can wade in o\ er slipjien rocks, then swim. The cooIim" water lower down leels wondeiiiil on a hot da\. \'isil)ilit\ is gootl enongli that, with a mask, one can catch a glimpse of the turtles, hig hass, and catfish that make homes here. The forest acioss the bridge is coni]:)osed of second- and third-growth oaks, hickories, beeches, maples, and pines. In cooler, damper areas, hemlocks provide welcome shade, and in the spring azaleas, lamcis, ami whiti'-flowering rosebav rhododendroirs light up the nndeistoiA' with blooms. One mile up from Nemo, at the conlluence ol the ( )bed and F,mor\, nou can bushwhack down to a wonderful swimniiiig hole as big as a small lake. Big flat locks line the ri\crbank like patios, some ol them (hill and artfulK stacked. I had a great swim here, but aften\'aixl discox I'lcd that these w (i( ids are lull ol ticks in summer. Seed ticks — lan ae of the lone star ticks — are as small as a peiiod, and are de\ilisli to remove'. Still, it was worth the trouble for an unmatchi'd pieci' ol rivci'side tranquilitx'.

A

n area ransacked for timber and coal in the fiist hall of the 2()th centuiT is

looking more and more like true wilderness. In the Big S{)ntli P'ork National Ri\'er and Recreation .Area of northeastern Tennessee and southeastern Keiitnck\, trees, x'ines, and weeds lia\c grow u ov er old logging roads and are reclaiming mine sites. The liistoiA ol tln' mining camps has been preser\ ed in several placi'S in Big South Fork, but in other places there is no v isible evidence ol man's long tenure here. It is all a big wild landscape ol lorested bliills, sandstone arches, high clills, and tiiiiibliiig livers. The ( ilear Fork and New Rivers join to form the Big South Fork ol the ('nmbeiiand Hiver. North White ( )ak ( ,'ieek and other tributaries add their flow to the Big South Fork as it snakes north I lirough the ( .'umberland Plateau, draiiiiiig an area ol 1 ..'iS^ s(|iiare miles. Millions of vears ago thick lavers ol limestone, shale, coal, and sandstone formed. Limestone, the oldest laver is at the veiA bottom and is oiilv exposed in a lew locations. .As the area rose to about 2.()()() leel abov c sea lev el, rivers began to cane into the laml. Since the lavers are made ol dilfeieiit kinds of rock.

'.5"

wilclland,s cif tlie Clpper South

A nver otter taLes a breaL in the dappled shade along the banLs of the Ohed Kiver.

they weather at different rates. This differential erosion ox er Innidreds ot thousands of years accounts for tlie sandstone arches, overhangs, and other fantastic features in the recreation area todav. In addition to its geological wonders, the Big South Fork holds an impressive varietv and alnmdance of wildlife. Black liears i'rom Great Sniok"\- Mountains National Park were released for stucK in the niid-1990s and are now found in die park. About 70 percent of the recreation area lies in Tennessee, the rest in Kentucky. Hiking and l)ridle trails M-in the area, luanv of tluMU old logging roads that dwindle into footpaths. The middle section of the park, the Bandv Creek area, holds some of the most gorgeous and rugged territoiA', iuchuling one of the most impressive natural arch formations in the countn. The Twin Arches are two perfectly cui^ved, connected sandstone arches. The combined effect of the two arches together is a powerf ul reiuinder of the handiwork ol time on a seemingly permanent part of the landscape. Thousands of vears f rom now, the arches will iue\ itabK collapse. All over the area are examples of arches beginning, perfected, or past their prime. For a birds-eve perspectixe of the park, uearb\' East matic view ncarlv 500 feet abo\ (' the river. It also shows wh\ All the river-incised hills are of the same level. It looks scraper and flattopped the whole region. Standing here,

Him Oxerlook offers a drathis area is called a plateau: as if someone took a giant I tried to imagine, instead,

the top of the plateau as the bottom of a sea — which, in fact, it once was. the SmoLies

small

gems

of theSmolcies

rrozen Head State Park and Natural Area in eastern Tennessee sticlcs out Lice a sore thumb in winter. The 5,^2-+-foot-high centerpiece ofthis park rises nearltj 2,000 feet above the valletjs, so on cold datjs the pealcsget coated with ice and snow while the lower lands stay bare. Frozen hiead and other mountains above 5,000 feet lord it over a stream-lined forest known for its wildflowers and rock shelters. In the 15'-''0s, convicts from nearbtj Bmshij Mountain State Prison mined these hills for coal, and cut timber for the mine props. With the coal mined out, lowers came and began clearing the woods. Bl-j \'pZ^ just about all the saleable timber was gone. The forest was beginningto come back when, in ]9^1, the area was hit by the worst fire season ever in Tennessee. Now, more than 50 years later, the woods are once again lush with oaks, beeches, yellow poplars, and white pines. Sunlight sliding through breaks in the canopy gilds ferns and elaborate spiderwebs.

A maple blazes red in f rozen hiead State F 'ark.

Trees find footKolds where they can on the sandstone cliffs of Pall Creel< Tails State Resort ParL

Tall Creek Tails State Resort Park receives visitors galore, but its ample boundaries leave plenttj of elbow room. Here on the western edge of the Cumberland plateau in east-central Tennessee, streams have opened up huge gorges and left dramatic waterfalls, including the Icefoot namesake falls. The water cascades over a curved wall into a tremendous plunge pool. In Winter, the fall freezes into a beautiful ice sculpture with columns and stalactites two stories tall;

a chilLj spraLj rimes the nearbti vegetation with sleeves of ice. Along the rim of Cane Creel< Gorge are some of the most breathtalcine; vistas in the state. The roar of wind and water swirls up from oOO feet below. The earliest rocic layers, the limestones that were once the shores of a sea ,lie at the bottom of the gorge. Lip on the bluffs, the younger daric shales and sienna-colored sandstones are burnished gold by the low light of sunset.

V:

■V

there

the

is still much

heart

to

maLe

pound.

Imagine being the first person ever to step into the mouth of Mammoth,

or one of the other large caves in the area, what

heart-poundine, excitement and fear it must have aroused to tread where no one had before, where

perhaps man

was

not even supposed to go. but people did 2p in — at first for shelter, then deeper and deeper in search of crijstals. Later people came

into the region lookin2,for a watj west, for spod

land, for coal, for timber, venturing underground

for gun-

powder material. The virgin forests are spne now, and much of thegrassland. We can't know the same sense of wonder and beautL) felt bij the first people to see KentucLt), but perhaps we can appreciate what's left even more. Underground

and

above, there is still much to make the heart pound.

Precedine; pages: In Cross Creeks National Wildlife Refuge, mornine,mist rises on a scene of waterside beauttj; tfie refuge hosts over 100,000 migrating waterfowl. Opposite: An eastern redf>ud leaf fiangs readtj to fall.

Similar to tlic Piedmont cast of the Appalachians, tlic land to the west takes its time !)(.'lore smoothing out. In eastern and central Kentnck\. the t()poi ill !!)( •(_'ni nc sandst( )iu' and si lalc. Win 'ii tlic t'( )ntincnt rose ahonl 2S() niillidii \cars a'^o and di aincd a\\ a\ (lie sea, tlic rock la\crs lonnd tliciiisclvcs alxne water level. I'Jitcr tlic rain. Watci' percolating; down thronti;!! tlic ^roniid picks up cadion dioxide to lonii a weak carbonic acid, wliicli is stronii; cnon'j;li to cat a\\a\' at tlie limestone. Undciij;ronnd streams lormcd and constantK' prohcd xiilncrahic spots in tlic limestone, slowK 'j;iia\\'in9 vr \Ii..;nti..n l.ird Bl.ii k Ml t;iiiis \ ( : 12S. \:v.\ Blaekwater I'.ills, Bl.iek«;iter I'.ills Slate P.irk W \.i 102-103, 104 Bine lloK- He( ic-.ition Are.i (ieorge \\ .isliiiigtoii National k'orest \a pieiiit spot 92-93Moinit;lins 47, Bine Hidge 7.1-75, SO. ,S.5-S7, 91 12S, 140; ;iutlllllll 9, .S5; lllgliest pointSlieii.indo.ih 1.32; r;i\ ens X.ition.il 6.'); see fil\ Park Blue Ridge Park\v;i\. N a.-X.C, 73. 82-83. 85. 86. 128. 129. 1:52 Boone. Daniel 1.34, 1.5S Brooks Arlioielniii W.iloga Slate Park, \\ \a, 1 16 Biilkilo Mount. Ill) \;itui,il Area Presene, \;i 95 Bntlerlll,.s 2, 175 Bm(1 Willi. nil, 11 20 c aiKuiii \alli'\, \\ \;i 104, 1(15; farinliouse 105 Canaan Valle\ Natioii;il Wildlile Bi liige, W\a 104-105 (:;ille ( ;reek Coige, I'all ( :ieek Falls St.ite Kesort P;irk. Tel 111 1.5:> C^auoes and t .iiioeiiig 1 1 , 4S. 62, 117, 121, 140 C:;ipe Fe;ir Bi\c-i. \.( : 15, hS Ciljle Ilatter.is \.ltioil;ll ,s,.,,slioiv, \ ( : 31. hglitllollse:r,. siu ler.33 < :,ipe 1 koill N;itloll;ll S(.;islioiv N ( : :3S :59 lighilloiise36; sail lll.usll .34-.35 \(4Io\v-lnilged '4;llll,irdl;i 37 ( :.ii o]iiia Iki\ s ,59 40-41 < ,';l\es ;iiid e;i\ c'nis 1(1 I 5.S 165, I6.S. 172; srr also Miliiiiiiotli ( :;i\e Cedar Sink ri;iil, M.iniiiiolli Cave NatioiKil P.u k k\ 168 f :lieidkee Indi;iiis 90 I 12, 129 140 ( :lierokee National l-'oresl Teiiii 129 1:57, 141

I 1 1-1 15 iii.iple tn.es 1.38-139 ( lles.ipe.ike .mil ( )liio l ( :iy( ) I (:;lll.ll .55 (:lles,ipe;ike B,l\ \ld \'a. 15, 42-13,51 10(1 Cliesliiiil lihglit St 1 16 ( :lillleole;igiie N;itloiial Wildlile Heliige \a 16-17; liuils 16 17, 18-19; iiKirslies 12-13, 16. Willi p (es:ieek 14, W16ikk17,rness, 20 ( :itleo ( :lierokee Niitiou.il Forest. T.'iiii. 141 CimI W ar .5S. 48,51 Ci\ .59. ili;iiiS7( 'onsen .itioii Coips ( ."liiigiiiaiis noine, N (.,-Ti-nn 141 1 17 spriK,. 126 ( lolldl.md Hole I, Ho;lli .MollllI, 1111, \ ,( : 1.56 ( :ore 15. inks, ( :;tpe Lookout N;ltloii.il Se.isliore N,C. :5.S-:59 Core Sound, N ( : 34-.35 Cr.llilree \';i .S6Keeleatioll ( :r.llitlee k'.llls \le,ido\\s Area. NC, 1:!3 CniiiI.ern Ckides, Moiioug;iII. -l;i N;illoli;il I'orest, W\a 1,111,112 1 14-1 15 ( ;i-;llles\llle Sw;iliip. \\'\a Aid :)912:i. 123 < :roat,iii N.itlou.il k'orest. N ( : Cross Creeks N;itioii.il W ildlile Belllge Teliu 1.54-15.5, 157 177 17.8-179. ImIIooii Mue 181 Cull.is.i|.i UnerCoige Naiilali.il.i N.ihou.il I'orest, N C 142 ( Ulllliell. 111,1 l''.ills Sl.ite lii-sort P;nk k\ 1,59 164 ( iiiiilH-i knid ( :.ip N.itiou.il llisloiii .il P.uk ls\ T. iiii \a 158, .neilook 160-161 ( :uiulHakiiid .Mount. nil, \'.i 158. 160-161 ( :iiiiilierkiiid 17:5 177 liner K\ 'reuu ( :ili rituek Sound. N ( : 1 1 . :52 E^ilile [.iiiiiK 105 |):iiilel Hooiir N.illoll.il k'oivst.

K\ 1.5S 159, loliaeeo eiiriiig li.irii 159 DDT .50. .55 n(4iiian;i Peiiuisiil.i 16 17 20, 4:5 w;ilerin.ins lio.il 17 Dl.niioiid Shoals C.qie ll.ittei;is. N ( : sliip\Mei ks :!3 Disiuiil 22 Sw;iiiip ( :.iii,il, \',i -N,( :. Dollv Sods, M iig;ili(4a N.ltloil.ll I'olesl W \;l 105, 107, 108 liogs;,lld pkllllsO, 105 10s ehlls 106 1 lliu.lle 99 10s highhnsh hlneliern shnili 8. red spruce 98, IIIS; while-tailed deer 101 Donth.it Sl.ite P;irk. \ a 87 Drununond L.iki' \.i 20. 22 EliAilieth Hi\er \ a 22 Elk Ki\er W \ a 101 176 Faiion KiM i Ti'iiii 1 17 1.50 Kiio Ki\er Stale Park N.C, (58. 69 iaii ■fas. \'a : iiie;ido\( 44 — 1.5 F.ill C:reek Falls St;ile Kesort Park, Teiiii 152-153, 1.53 Fo\ Creek. Va. 88 Fnuiklin. Benjainin 165 Fi.iser |oliii 134 Fieneh Bio.id Bi\er N C Teiiii 1.34 1:57. 140 144-145 Fro/ell 1 le.id state P.u k .tud N.iliii.il Are.i. 1(1111 152. 152

Cj.lllle\ Brid'^e W \'.i 117 C.ullex Hl\er W \a 101 I I'.) 121 r.ilteis 118-1 19 (a-oige W'iisliington N.itioii.il Forest. \'a -WA'a 84. S5, 86: leriis 78, v, e«/s,, Blue Hole Be(.-l*e;ltloil ;\re;l, 15;lllise\ s Dnilt W lkk niess Are;, Cl.iik'Cre, k Ci-ist Mill B.ihi-oek St. lie P.ii k W \ a 122-123 ( u.iudl.ilher Mount. iiii N,C', 129 1,52, 1.3.5 1 34 Ci;i\, \s,i |:54 (u"a\soii llighl.iuds St. lie P.nk, \ a 89 9(1 91, 91

( :ii Ml 1 )iMii.il Sw.uiip \ ( : A. I :i) 11 2.! lllkr, 21 Cr. al Kails Mii -\a 51, 52-5.J, ( ilC.ll SllM)k\.->-) \1( lllMt.llllS \alliiii.il I'ali \ ( Icnn 127 I II, 117 Lla(Kl.. ais I (ti, l'>l srr ilkn ( iMr^liiaris Ddllic Cic. ll lil^rl K\ 17,'! ( ;M ( Ml)iiri Unci w \a nil 112 IK. ..nihil. a 117 j ial|.4lli'^ I!... k Slali- I'ark \ ( : (.:;, h7 dilK (>4-()5 \val. ilall (>(> ')l ( iap.-, N ( : :?l, 32 .« llall.aas I lau I )ii liar.1 VlDUiilaili \a I lauksl.ill \I...Milain Sli, iiaiiil.iali \alM.iial Talk \a M) II, 1. lias islaiiil laiMi s Hivia Slali- I'alk \a "I'l Ii2 ll..,M l.a, k ndiii.^!)!. 129 lliiiii|.l.a, k H..I ks \'a S5 lliirniMii.' IsaL.'l I2()li:il M Ilinniaii.'s25 :il,:53 (c A'^.' ,.1 11)0 1114 111 112 1 Ih 12:; 12S 111 Kit hi.iiaii ( av.'k \ ( : lalls (i(> i-|ii.iliiili ii.li..ii l)li.ss..iii (i7 liilia-iiall.ilial Iilos| .11. a. ■ ICS! a^ IS )S 111 Ida Jaiiii s Hixia \a 15 20 -17 51) (.2 .S2-83 iaiiii-s Hi\,a- HaliMiix l''i'sli\al 58 |,-ll.as..i, Til.. mas Hi5 |,-ll.as..ii \all..nal F..rrsl \a W \a K\ S I 04 |... k, \ s Hiik^,' Slal. I'.iik \ ( 2b- 27 \ lew 11. .Ill I liini ■ 27 \n\vv Kilin. I \allnlial \l. iii..nalK.a. l'..i.sl sl Xalltaliala \ ( : I 1 1 1 4.5 |,i\i.r Kiliii.a ,S|]( knK k Uil.l.aiii^ss, \ C 141 KL.ui.mlia r.iv.a W \a 1 17 Ka\akiii.455 121 1511 K.ailiiik\ Dam K\ 17:! Kill l). \il llills. \ C 2(-., 27 2S Kllmrr, |i,\(r piiian 1 1,4 kliil..i.. kr Slali I'ark \a 4 5

li. a. li 42-4:$ k(is/laialis ijiaiil iiicaK Iiiii; 05 I ^ak.' Wat caiiiaw Slal.' I'aik. \ ( , 40 l.aii.l H. Iwr. ii I'll.- I,aki-s. I, nil K\ 17,'. 170-177 il.', I 17(> miinan li l.iitli ilK 175 praii I.- '^rassrs 174 Lassil.a Swamp \ ( : 25 l,aiiirl l-'i.ik Ni.rtli aii.l Siiiilli Wllil.aairssi'S Miiiii.ii,;;ali. la Nahi.iial l''..i.-sl W\a 1 1:5 I.i'Wis and ( :lalk 105 la.^litlii.iisi s ,4:5 ;$(; IjiimIIi' l''alls I'lsi^ali Natiiiiial K..irst, \ ( : 1:42- 1 :3:!. 135 I.iiimII.' Him r \ C 1:42, 1:5:5 lalll.' ( :all ,\Iiiiinlaiii, Slii-nan.l.iali \ali.inal Park, Va S4 I all li rinn.i. I. ■ ( ;ia\ s.iii Hii^liI.iiiils Sl.il,' r.iik \a 01 lalll.- St.iii\ Man Sill iiaiiili.ali National Park \'a SO I,iiiikin.,iC:lass H..rk, Pist;ali Xalii.iial Kiircsl, N,( :. 130-131, 1 54 Liiiikiiiit, ( :apc, N ( ' :57; «■!• r//sf. ( :-97, 1(11 1 OS 1(19 Sh:li kl,-loi,l H.iiiks, Cape l.ooLniil X.ilioil.ll Se.ishore, N ( : :is Sh.neis .MoiiTil.im W \.i 1 1:! Sh, nan(ki.ih \:.lion:il I'.irk \., 74-75, .SO. 9(1, ,'\mene,ui heel lies 81: deer 70-7] heheM-einereil Ix.les 79 Sheii:ind(.:.h \alli-\, \a 74, S4, 85 Shinini; Hoek Wilderness, PisUah \:aioll.il Forest, \,C, 13.3 Sk\line nn\e, Slienaiid(i:ili National Park, \a, 74, 80, 85: \ieu (roiii 75 Sloans CrDssiii',^ I'oiid, ,\l,Mie moth ( :.i\e \:itlon:il P:nk K\ 170-171, 1 7.5 Smoke 1 Idle Spruic KnoliSeneca Rocks National Reere:iti()n Are:i, W,\'a lOS .South Wash Flats Chmeoteagne N:ilion;il Wildlife Refuge, \ a 14 Spruce Knob-Seneca Rocks National Recreation Area, W,\'a, 108-109 Stick. Da\nd and Fi.uik .51 Ston\ M:iii \loiiiil;uii Shenaiidoah N.itioiial P;u-k. \:i SO Siit;arl:iiid (herlook, Cra\soii Highlands St.ite P.uk, \ ,i 91 Suminersv'ille n:iiii, W,\a 118-119 ar Rner, N C 15 Tr Teays Rner s\steiii 1 16 Tennessei' Nation. il W ildlile Reliige. Tenn, 177, I SO Tennessee Ri\er, Tenn - Al.i K) 173, 177, ISO Tennessee \ alle\ Autliontx I 7.i Theodore lioose\elt Island Washmi^lon, O ( ,', 46, IS 51 Thmiiioiid W\a 117. 121 Toms Co\e, \a 16, 20 Trees American lieeclies 81 lia\ tn :39 41 23, 24, 182-183, 184 dogwood 52-53, 184-185, hemlock 142: maple 24, 46, 138-1.39, 1.52, 170-171 oak 94-95: pine .5(>-57,

123, 181-185, seiMceheriv 101 sprue. 98, II l-I 15, 126 l:im:ii:iek 123 Tuck. ISC •ii li. ( iar\ (aillicrt, I'l oiliiiiinii Dii i iior I'lli liaid S Wain I'loiliii l ion I'lojrrl Miniiii^cr MiTcditli W ilins lllii\l ml inns Assish/nl I )iaiiiii ■ I Ii )si I in liiilrxn Mamifacliirini^ and (^)iialit\ Clontrol ( Jiristiiplii i" A 1 .icilrl. chili I'ininiriiil ( )llii i r I'liillip I, Sclilossn. \liniiimii>_i Dinrlor |iiliii 'r, Diiiiii, ii i liniriil Din rlor Alan Kri i. Mmimu r ( n|l\ iT^liI " • 211111 \.lll ll < .r.i'^i.i|iliH S,ii Hl\ Ml l l'^lils liM'ni-ll l;i|irnillll ll ll lllr wliiilr ill ,ili\ p.ilt ill llir riilllrlils Wllliiilll | il ■ 11 1 1 1-.SI1 in IS {ilnlillilliil Lllil.llA nl ( liili^M'S- ( :,ll.llii^lllU-lll-l'lll.lli .llliill I ),lLl [li.iiiipsiin |iilin \l . |,,liii Mill, 1,1 ll' l')5')W iMLiiiil-,I (..'I. 1.1 111.' i;.iM. 111. Illii|i|),T S.iulli / In |iiliii ■niiiiii|.v.ii |,li.iln^i.i|iiis In ' I 111 ilii r^r.i| ilii. al n '1. ri -iiri 's .mil iiiiliA III! I'Iiiilis ISI',\ {)-''M2W.y\-\ I W llliill,' l.■|ll^.■s--S.,lllllr,ll SI,, I. s 2 W ilil. iii.'ss ;ir,MS--S,illlllr|-n Sl.iirs ; X.iliinil .111 , IS--S.. Mill. 'I ll Sl;ilcs I S.iiillii-rn SI,il,-s--( ;ri..,iia|)ll\ Sniilli.Tli Sl,ilis--l)isr|-||ill.ili aiiil ll.nci (1 Si 11 1 1111 ■ 1 1 1 St.lli A- - II Isl.ilA I,.,, ;il I "llllr S T IS 2(1(1 1 ')IT.i--ili 22 2(10 4(1(171 I I

( )n( • III tl ir \\ I )i"li 1 s larij;! 'st ni inpn ilit sficntilic anil (•iliicatinnal iir^ani/alions. tlif National (j('(>Li;rapliK' Snt ict\ was IouikIccI in IS.SS "lof the iiRTcase and dillnsiiin ol i^cui^i apliic km i\\ Icdm'." I' lillillint^ tliis inissiuii, tlic Socict\ cdiK'atrs and inspires niillinns v\rr\ da\' tlnon^li its ina'2;a/ini's, honks, trlcsisioii [iro^ranis. \idcos, iiia[is and atlases, researcii 'grants, tlir X.itioiial ( a'o^rapliie Bee, teacher workshops, and iniiiA ati\e elassi'ooni materials. I lie Soiietx is siippoited tlironi2;li nienihersliip dues, I harilahle '2;ilts, and iiKonie Ironi the sale 111 its eilneational priiilnefs, llns snjiport is \ ital to National ( a'o'2;ra| illie s inissii in (o iiierease '^lohai i n iderstandini; and pi'oiiiote eoi iser\ alion ol oin planet tlndn!2;h exploialion. n 'searel i, ,inil edneation. For iiiiiie inlorinalion, please eall l-S()()-N(;S-LINK (fi47-.54a-)) or write lo the lollow inii; address: National ( ieo-^raphie Soi'iet\ 1 145 17th .Street N.W. Washington !),< :, 2()0.3(S-4ftSS U.S.A. \'is)t the Soeielx s Well site at w\\A\.nationali^ei);2;ia[)liit'.eoni.

of the Upper

('lou(l-sJii'('ii(Inl j}i-ak\ i>l flic Siiiohics

South

A nioiiiin'h hullciih/ of Kciiliii-hi/'s riicri (illci/s

"Faxtij scdsoii hriii^s a tlisliiirt pcrsoixdifij —d rich profusion of colors (ind scents and sounds — lo the n ild C(n'ncrs of the Upper South. Moi'c lenijicriile than the Deep South hut no less lavish in its hcaulif. the i 'pj)rr South pi'izes its ahundant u ilillife. hird-f idpiented sIkwcs, st reain-etcheil uoodlands, ami inisti/ hlue inountains." S( ) liK( :i\s |( 'rlioiiipson s iiitrodiic-tioii to tins iii\'itin>^;, I'vocativcly illustrated toiii' ot tilt' iiumiiific'cnt and nian\ -splcndorcd world that sweeps from the Atlantie to the Mississippi in a wide swathe that encompasses Virt^inia, North ( Carolina, West Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee. From windswept sand dunes to w ildllower-earpeted forests, Irom lush river \ alle\s to ni