The mountains of Ohio and Pennsylvania straddle the line between central / southern Appalachia and the cooler climes of the north country peaks.

A Migration Corridor in Need of Federal Designation

By Jared Schultz

Photo by Rhys Asplundh

“The Broadwing is dive bombing the Red Tail!” cried an enthusiastic young volunteer as she looked through a pair of binoculars at Pennsylvania’s internationally renowned Hawk Mountain Sanctuary.

On a recent afternoon trip to Hawk Mountain, gazing out from the South Lookout at the forests below and a broad swath of white amid the trees known as the River of Rocks, I was treated, along with other visitors enjoying a Mother’s Day hike, to the site of a Broad-winged Hawk and a Red-tailed Hawk locked in a battle for territory amid the usual Turkey Vultures gliding between the mountains.

Autumn is generally the best time to see annual hawk migrations in the sanctuary. Each year draws close to 70,000 visitors to witness the event.

Organizers of the Kittatinny-Shawangunk—the name of the migration corridor where the hawks and other species travel—National Raptor Migration Corridor Project are hoping these unique wildlife interactions will ultimately convince U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar to give the corridor federal designation. From an ecotourism standpoint, the designation would not only be a boon for raptor conservation efforts, but it would strengthen the local economy.

“Any designation would make the locations along the corridor something viewed as more attractive to visitors,” said Dr. Keith Bildstein, Hawk Mountain’s Sanctuary Director of Conservation Science.

Hawk Mountain is just one of a number of locations along the migration corridor that stretches up to the Mohonk Preserve in New York State. According to John Rogers, Principal of the Keystone Conservation Trust, the eastern edge of the Pennsylvania Appalachian range generates $460 million in recreational activities per year.

“Forty-two percent of Berks is still in woodlands, so it’s a rich resource from a recreation standpoint,” Rogers said. “The higher quality the resource has, the higher its value as a destination.”

Hawk Mountain is already seeing the benefits of conservation efforts in the increased numbers of hawk species reported in 2010, an above-average 20,498 birds of prey, according to a press release. But the second goal in these efforts towards attaining federal designation is to preserve and boost that local economy.
Rogers says there has been something of a flaw in economic prioritization in the area—business developers believe the land is valuable only if it is developed.

Hawk Mountain. Photo by Joe Pasquale

“But we should only develop if there is a clear value,” he said. “We’ve lost a lot of important areas without realizing it.”

Rogers recently conducted an economic assessment of the area and concluded that 50 percent of people surveyed were planning to increase their outdoors use, and kids are exhibiting more interest in outdoor activities. Preserving the sanctuary as part of the Migration Corridor initiative could greatly help and expand business in the area connected with outdoor recreation.

“If Hawk Mountain became developed, it would lose its value,” Rogers said.

Visit: raptorcorridor.org.

As the Old North State embraces ecological protection and heritage tourism, visitors flock to the mountains and foothills.

Hot Springs: Peace and Quiet With A Splash of Adventure

By Jillian Randel

Resting between two ridges in western North Carolina, Hot Springs is a rustic town well-known for playing host to Appalachian Trail hikers. Hot Springs has quietly placed itself on an area smaller than a city block, yet offers travelers more than enough adventure to keep busy—if you can rouse your mind away from the tranquility of the stunning vistas.

The center of town holds, in its modest streets, ArtiSun Gallery, where I stop to admire pottery, jewelry and other local art. As I walk down the street, I pass locals selling crafts outside of the Harvest Moon Gallery and Gift Shop. I buy a cup of fresh squeezed lemonade and talk to the owner.

Artisun Gallery in Hot Springs North Carolina. Photo by Jillian Randel

He tells me that if I want a bit of nightlife later on, some live bands usually play at The Iron Horse Station, a restaurant and hotel in town. But, for afternoon entertainment, he suggests a few hiking trails and off I go.

Lover’s Loop is my destination for a short afternoon hike. As I enter the trail, I am greeted by the river meandering along. I meet a few backpackers camped out along the way—I assume from their rugged appearance they are thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail, which runs almost directly through town.

At an opening along the path, I catch a screenshot of some tubers floating down the river. I watch as they laugh, splashing down a small rapid. I wish I was out there with them. The French Broad River offers some great moderate level rapids for those wishing to raft, canoe or kayak.

I head back to town after my hike and hit up Bluff Mountain Outfitters, an outdoor recreation store named after Bluff Mountain—one of the highest peaks in the area and a great place for hiking and mountain biking. In 1997, local groups fought hard to stop the mountain from falling to the hands of timber harvesting.

I grab a bite to eat and, as dusk falls, I head down to the Hot Springs Resort and Spa. Discovered by Native Americans, the healing mineral springs have attracted visitors for 200 years. A reservation is recommended for those wishing to take a dip in a jacuzzi-style hot tub. I relax into the water. For Appalachian Trail hikers and lovers of mountain soaks, it just doesn’t get any better than stretching out in a tub of warm mineral waters next to a meandering river—all wrapped in the ridges of some of Appalachia’s most resplendent mountains.

Located near the Pisgah National Forest, Blue Ridge Mountains, Appalachian Trail and the French Broad River, Hot Springs is perfectly placed, unimposing and offers travelers a unique, relaxing and active place to spend a weekend or a week.

Visit: hotspringsnc.org/index.php for a detailed list of activities and eco-friendly places to stay.

John C. Campbell: Vacation Destination for Life-Long Learners

By Julie Johnson

Vacationers looking to immerse themselves in Appalachian history, craft, music and dance in a peaceful mountain setting should look no further than John C. Campbell folk school in Brasstown, N.C.

A painting student finds inspiration on John C. Campbell’s campus. Photo by Keather Weideman

The school offers a catalog full of week-long and weekend classes in subjects that offer a broad understanding of Appalachian mountain heritage. Students can learn to weave or spin, blacksmith, play the banjo, contra dance, garden or forage for edible forest plants–and that’s just the beginning.

The school was founded in 1925 by Olive Campbell in memory of her late husband John. During her travels in Europe, Olive visited the folk schools of Denmark and Sweden, and resolved to bring the concept to Appalachia.

A folk school, she reckoned, would help to preserve mountain crafts and offer a source of education and moneymaking that did not require students to abandon the family farm or their traditions.

With enthusiastic support from southwestern North Carolina residents, land was donated and buildings constructed, and the folk school began. To honor the original mission and the Brasstown natives who were essential to the founding, the school still offers tuition discounts and scholarships to local residents.

While traditions at Campbell still remain much the same as in its infancy, school administrators have not been afraid to veer slightly into the 21st century. Recently, construction was finished on the campus’ first Energy Star rated building, featuring a solar water heating system.

The folk school is also collaborating with Young Harris College to study the effects of a predatory beetle on the woolly adelgid, the invasive pest that has been devastating old growth hemlocks in Appalachia, including the school’s grove.

To begin your journey to the heart of Appalachian handicraft , both traditional and modern, visit folkschool.org.

Bryson City: A Hub for Outdoor Adventures

The Train Depot in Bryson City. Photo by Brian Stansberry

For those looking to explore the quieter side of the Great Smoky Mountains, Bryson City, N.C., provides the perfect hub.

The thriving town is located just outside the eastern boundary of the national park, and is bordered to the south by the Nantahala National Forest and the Cowee Mountains.

To the east of town, the 469-mile Blue Ridge Parkway reaches its highest point at the 6,053-foot Richland Balsam overlook.

The Great Smoky Mountain Railroad departs daily from Bryson City for tours through the Nantahala Gorge or by the Tuckasegee River. The railroad follows the path of the historic Murphy Branch rail line originally laid in 1884. Visit greatsmokies.com for more information.

Memorial plaque for poet Joyce Kilmer, Photo by Michele LaCatena

Branching Out Inspiration

By Meg Holden
Joyce Kilmer, author of the poem “Trees,” inspired many people to take pleasure in the natural world around them. The Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest was established to honor Kilmer’s works and service, and is part of the Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness—18,000 acres of virgin wilderness in North Carolina and Tennessee. Some trees within the forest are over 400 years old. An easy, figure-eight shaped trail loops through the forest. The lower loop, 1¼ miles long, passes the memorial plaque, while the ¾ mile upper loop passes by a stand of yellow poplars that are over 20 feet around. Visit: Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest.

From the high mountains to the hills of bluegrass country, Kentucky invites visitors to experience the rich history of its culture and environment.

Two Towns Face Trouble Preserving The Past

By Jillian Randel

Nestled at the bottom of Black Mountain, home of the tallest point in Kentucky, are two unique historic towns, famed for once having been the site of the most productive coal mining in the world.

“Benham and Lynch are towns our forefathers had the knowledge and wisdom to protect the historic buildings,” said resident Carl Shoupe. “We’re still trying to do that.”

Benham Coal Miner's Memorial Statue and Caboose. Photo by Roy Silver

Recently named one of America’s 11 most endangered historic places by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the citizens of Benham and Lynch are fighting to keep these towns from falling into the hands of coal companies Nally & Hamilton and A & G Coal Corp.

The two companies have proposed strip and auger mining projects that would threaten the health of the community and the new economy residents have been working so hard to develop. The proposed mines would be located in close proximity to the new Portal 31 Underground Mine Tour—Kentucky’s first exhibition mine site.

When the coal industry died down in Benham and Lynch, residents knew they would have to build an alternative economy, so why not use goods and services they already possessed—a unique history of mining and a town filled with historic buildings?

Red River Gorge

Photo by Jarek Tuszynski

By Meg Holden
The Red River Gorge in Kentucky’s Daniel Boone National Forest is known for its unique geologic features, including over 100 natural stone arches, sandstone cliffs and unusual rock formations.

Because of its varied terrain, different environmental conditions provide habitats for a diverse selection of plants and animals. Archaeological remains as old as 13,000 years can be found in the gorge’s dry, protected rock shelters. A nine-mile stretch of the Red River is designated as Wild and Scenic, and the Gorge’s Clifty Wilderness area contains over 12,000 acres of rugged terrain preserved in its natural condition.

The Red River Gorge Geological Area provides its visitors with camping, hiking, rock climbing and educational opportunities. For more information: US Forest Service.

The Kentucky Coal Museum—built to honor and preserve the coal mining heritage—was built in the old commissary; the old white school was turned into a bed and breakfast; the old black school is now the Eastern Kentucky Social Club; the theatre has been renovated and is still in use. Many of the old buildings downtown have been renovated for use as offices for local businesses.

Benham and Lynch are unique in that they were home to model coal camps. The coal camps were so unlike typical coal camps because the companies took care of their employees.

“They provided a better life than typical coal camps,” said Roy Silver, town resident and professor. “Families had schools and good quality, still-standing houses. By the 40s here in Benham, almost half of the graduating class went on to first year of college. That is really important.”

Almost two years ago, the Portal 31 Underground Mine Tour was built. Visitors adorn traditional mining gear, step into a rail car and begin a tour of Black Mountain. Railcars enter underground and travel the mine as they learn the history of three generations of an immigrant family working in the mines.

Portal 31 is less than 500 feet below one of the newly proposed mine sites, located on Looney Ridge, near the lower half of Black Mountain. If the proposals pass, the Looney Creek, which merges with the Cumberland and eventually flows into the Mississippi, would be threatened by toxic and heavy metal pollution as a result of mining.

View of the old Portal 31 entrance. Photo courtesy of Portal 31 Museum

“You have a strong, deep mining tradition here,” said Silver. “People are very aware of what strip mining does. The governor came to visit and he was impressed with the residents and got a better idea of people’s concerns.”

Residents have filed a Lands Unsuitable for Mining petition, in an attempt to stop the mining. Residents and local organizations also requested a review of permitting from the EPA. To keep up to date with these actions, please visit: kftc.org.

Mother Forest of the United States

By JW Randolph

More than 480 million years ago, the great Appalachian Mountains were born during the continental collision that created Pangea, the “super-continent.” The Appalachians rose to an elevation higher than the modern day Himalayas, and at their present state have lost more than three miles of vertical height over millions of years of natural weathering and erosion.

Cucumber Run in Ohiopyle State Park. Photo by Curt Beal

During this topographical transformation, an incredible forest evolved and would go on to cover nearly the entirety of Pangea. Its relics remain today in the mixed mesophytic forest, now found only in Appalachia and small swaths of southeastern Asia.

Spanning over 70,000 square kilometers—an area roughly the size of South Dakota—the American range of the mixed mesophytic forest runs along the Appalachian plateau from eastern Pennsylvania, through southeastern Ohio, and encompasses nearly the entirety of West Virginia, through the Cumberland Plateau in Kentucky and Tennessee and into central Alabama.

The states in this eco-region thrive off of the multitude of travelers and tourists who visit this region for its sublime beauty. Dr. Harvard Ayers, naturalist, professor and founder of Appalachian Voices, calls this the “mother forest” for much of the United States. During the last ice age, glacial activity destroyed enormous swaths of northern forest. When the glaciers retreated, the mixed mesophytic forest played a critical role in re-seeding the rest of the eastern United States.

“Its diversity defines it,” says Ayers. The region houses more than 200 species of birds, over 70 species of mammals and contains the highest salamander variety of any place on the planet.
Famous globally for diversity, the highly evolved mixed mesophytic forests contain thousands of botanical species—as many as 30 different canopy trees can be found at a single site.

Some of the most common species are the oaks (Chestnut, White, Northern Red) and hickories (Mockernut, Bitternut, Pignut, Shagbark), along with numerous hemlocks, locusts, maples, elms, cherry, beech and buckeye. Species that are endemic to the mixed mesophytic region include the Allegheny plum and the Black mountain salamander.

In the past 100 years, developments in the mixed mesophytic woods include the disappearance of a once dominant patron—the American Chestnut— due to blight. But other dangers now face the rest of this ancient forest, which is listed as critically threatened. About 95 percent of the original habitat has been lost or altered in recent centuries, and the forest faces increasing threats of habitat loss, fragmentation and destruction associated with logging, development and surface mining.

“Various types of air pollution are also a huge threat,” said Dr. Ayers. “[It] weakens the trees, making them more susceptible to blight and disease, without necessarily killing them. It’s a lot like human AIDS.”

A forest under such duress will have little chance to achieve its old growth climax state.
Just a few of the places in Kentucky where you can enjoy this living history include the Daniel Boone National Forest, Cumberland Gap, Pine Mountain in Letcher County and the Blanton Forest in Harlan County.

Bourbon Anyone?

One of Kentucky’s more popular trails isn’t geared for the outdoorsy types. For those who are less enthusiastic about hiking, the Bourbon Trail offers a look at the inner workings of six of Kentucky’s bourbon distilleries. The distilleries are within 70 miles of each other and can be seen in two days by a motivated visitor. Samples are available for visitors over 21 and gift shops sell each distillery’s product, though Kentucky law prohibits visitors from purchasing more than three liters of bourbon per gift shop per day. Getting your Bourbon Trail Passport stamped at each of the six distilleries earns a free official Bourbon Trail t-shirt. Visit: kybourbontrail.com. — By Meg Holden

The beautiful rivers, remote mountains and rich foothills of Tennessee
stand their ground against encroaching industrial pollution.

Longtail Salamander in Royal Blue. Photo by Matthew Niemiller

Royal Blue Wildlife Management Area

By JW Randolph

Tennessee’s Great Smoky Mountain National Park is the most visited national park in the entire United States. People flock from all over the world to see the rolling hills and scenic vistas of the beautiful eastern mountains.

One special place travelers often miss is the Royal Blue Wildlife Management Area. Royal Blue encompasses more than 50,000 acres of majestic mountain forests in the Cumberland Plateau, and includes elevations well over 3,000 feet.

This central Tennessee hideaway has become a favorite of hikers, bikers, horse-back riders and off-highway-vehicle enthusiasts, as it contains more than 600 miles of thrilling trails and roads, many former logging routes. Visitors enjoy such woodland wildlife as wild turkey, beaver, an occasional black bear or the newly re-introduced elk.

Hook and bullet enthusiasts will find a fantastic place to relax with big game hunting. In 2009, Royal Blue hosted the first managed elk hunt in Tennessee in over 150 years, with elk as large as 750 pounds going to a privileged permit holder.

Fishing for blue-gill is another favorite local past-time. The area is peppered with serene swimming holes, lakes, and waterfalls, and great fishing for blue-gill and other delicious swimmers.

However, this special area, like much of the surrounding landscape, is severely threatened by strip-mining. Tennessee has a complicated relationship with the practice, as it produces very little coal, and the coal industry has a relatively small impact on state politics when compared to its northern neighbors like Kentucky, West Virginia and Virginia.

The Tennessee state legislature has enacted legislation that would ban strip-mining on certain ridges, with coal-allied lawmakers going to great lengths to keep the bills from becoming law.

While strip-mining still poses a great threat to many of the states amazing assets such as Royal Blue Wildlife Management Area, the practice of filling in valleys with mining waste has become almost non-existent in Tennessee.

Grassroots groups like Statewide Organizing for Community Empowerment (SOCM) have fought for citizen protections from surface mining, and note that while there is less mountaintop removal in Tennessee than in past years, there is more cross ridge mining.

In the fall of last year, Governor Bredesen asked the Office of Surface Mining (OSM) to administer a “Lands Unsuitable for Mining” (LUM) designation for the North Cumberland Wildlife Management Area, which includes Royal Blue. The LUM, if finalized, would protect 600 feet on either side of the ridgeline from coal mining.

After receiving more than 20,000 comments regarding these protections, the OSM is currently finalizing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), which will lead to a draft proposal and further comment period.

“If the LUM goes through, that just saves the ridges of Royal Blue. It is a great first step at protection, but there’s still a lot of strip-mining that could be done outside of that 600 foot zone,” says SOCM organizer Ann League. “These Wildlife Management Areas are little gems that protect something we all hold dear, and we need to make sure that they stay there.”

For more information on LUM, visit SOCM.org.

Cherohala: View the Mountains from Among the Clouds

Photo courtesy of the Monroe County Department of Tourism

By Julie Johnson

Have you ever wondered how the Appalachian Range looked to pioneers hauling a wagon through a high mountain pass? Or to a Cherokee traversing a dividing ridge on foot? A trip on the Cherohala Skyway provides an approximate idea of how the virgin peaks and foggy hollows must have looked in days gone by.

The scenic byway winds 50 miles across the high mountains, connecting Tellico Plains, Tenn. and Robbinsville, N.C. It soars to an elevation of 5,390 feet, and offers multiple overlooks, miles of hiking trails and incredible off-road destinations.

The name combines the “Chero” from the Cherokee National Forest in which it begins, and the “hala” from the Nantahala National Forest at its eastern terminus. The route was conceived in 1958 by the Tellico Plains Kiwanis Club as means of connecting Tennesseans with their Carolina neighbors and creating employment and education opportunities. The Skyway officially opened in 1996.

A well-planned Skyway trek can provide a perfect mountain weekend, beginning at Tellico Plains and concluding at the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest, a stand of old-growth forest just off the eastern end of the Cherohala.

From Tellico Plains you ascend fairly quickly, crossing Stillhouse and Lyons Creek and running alongside the Tellico River. After five miles on the Cherohala, take a right turn at a ‘Ranger Station’ sign. Follow this to Bald River Falls, an incredible cascade at the confluence of the Bald and Tellico Rivers.

Head back to the Skyway and continue east. The road ascends almost 1,000 feet in a 10 mile stretch. An unpaved road on your left marks the entrance to a campground on pristine Indian Boundary Lake. The sites are well-maintained and have picnic tables and lantern posts. A 3.2 mile trail circles the lake and exploring by canoe is a must.

Once you’re back on the Skyway, there are multiple hiking opportunities as you cross the highest peaks around the state line. At the Mud Gap pull off, you can access the Whigg Meadow Trail to a high mountain field perfect for picnicking.

Slightly farther east is Hooper Bald. A leisurely quarter mile path, clearly marked from the road, takes you past rocks with Spanish carvings dated to the 1600s.

In the early 1900s, the bald was home to a hunting lodge, and the area was fenced in and stocked with wild game. As the lodge fell to disrepair, legend has it, wild Russian boars escaped from the broken fencing and proliferated in the nearby mountains. It is said that more than 100 roam there today. The view from the bald shows the incredible vista of the Snowbird Mountain backcountry.

As you descend the Skyway—following the path of Santeetlah Creek—the Cherohala highway will dead end at NC Highway 143. Taking a left here will put you on Country Road 1127, and a well-marked left turn off of this will take you to Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest.

The loop trail through this stand of gorgeous old-growth forest is the perfect finale to your look back in time. Some of the poplar trees in this grove have been standing for over 400s years.

Nearby Horse Cove campground provides creek-side sites so you can end your journey sleeping with sounds of the Little Santeetlah Creek rushing towards Santeetlah Lake.

Fly-fishing in Eastern Tennessee

Photo courtesy of the Tennesee Department of Tourist Development

The tail-waters of the South Holston and Watauga rivers in Eastern Tennessee rival fly-fishing destinations around the country.

“They’re as good as most rivers out west,” said Slate Lacy, owner of Foscoe Fishing Company.
Though Lacy’s business is located an hour and a half away in Boone, N.C., he guides most of his summertime fishing trips along these paralleling tail-waters. Since the South Holston waters are dam released, the water is always cold, which is ideal for catching trout in the summer.
– By Jesse Wood