If, like those amphibians
so long ago, we emerged from the sea and traveled west
across North Carolina, we would find all along the way
remnants of its ancient mountains, though they lie
hundreds of miles to the west. Sand and pebbles and
stone eroded thousands of years ago have been carried
down the steep mountain slopes by water and wind racing
toward the sea, covering the soft Coastal Plain and the
wide Piedmont province.
Not until the town of
Hickory do we first catch sight of these mountains. Just
around a curve in the road, they suddenly reshape the
horizon and, for a moment, make our breath catch. They
are beautiful, majestic, glorious, and for the lucky
ones, home. Magically, once they are in sight, we seem
to coast toward them, even though the journey courses
uphill the rest of the way.
The mountains of North
Carolina are a complex compilation, no easy lines of
parallel ridge or ranges. Geographers help us understand
the lay of this up-and-down land, while geologists teach
us distinctions between the myriad rocks and formations.
Both disciplines refer to this region as part of the
Blue Ridge province, but for the purposes of our book,
we created divisions based on geographic considerations:
the way the mountains lie, how people travel within
these natural boundaries, and where sites and
communities are clustered. Each section is named for a
range dominant within its boundaries, whether because,
as in the Black Mountain section, those mountains tower
above the rest, or, as in the Snowbird Mountains
section, because that name has become synonymous with
the area.
Finally, as much as this book is about geology, flora,
and fauna—the sciences—it is also about the experience
of living and visiting here, about appreciating and
looking at all the wonderful things found in the North
Carolina mountains. Which is, in part, why our hearts do
funny turns when we see them on the horizon. We know
that within their ancient boundaries flourishes one of
the most divers ecosystems in the United States,
resplendent with exquisite flowers, towering old growth
trees, clear waters home to abundant fish and
amphibians, a lush understory harboring mammals and
reptiles, and a dense canopy offering shelter to
migrating and resident birds. This book is your
introduction and invitation to explore and appreciate,
conserve and enjoy these wonders in the mountains of
North Carolina.
|