The sun sinks lazily behind the undulating crests of the Appalachians, stretching out its last rays of light. I gaze at the landscape from the top of a cliff, eager for night to fall so I can experience for myself whether all the legends told to me before my journey will be real. The Brown Mountains slowly transform, blending their oranges into pinks until they dress in night. The sounds of the forest also mutate. In the distance, the horizon seems to reveal something more than mere shadows. I hold my breath and open my eyes as wide as possible, feeling how the magic of the place settles inside me. And then…
Covered by dense forests and crossed by valleys, these mountains do not stand out for their size. I had pictured them as gigantic in my head, and before me I realize they barely reach 700 meters above sea level. Yet their charm lies in the privileged atmosphere that surrounds them.
These knolls form part of the chain of the popular Blue Ridge Mountains, and they are located inside Pisgah National Forest, to the west of North Carolina, in the very heart of the Southern Appalachians. Peaks that contrast with the depths of Linville Gorge, known as the “Grand Canyon of the East”. The forest is considered “cradle of conservation” in the United States, as it houses the country’s first school of forestry. Here, nature reveals itself at its height, with rivers that carve deep gorges and waterfalls, trails winding among ancient trees, and viewpoints opening onto hypnotic panoramas. A wonderful paradise for hikers to reach from Morganton, a small town that, despite its size, boasts a lively historic center full of craft breweries.
