| The Southern Highlands |

The following collection of photographs were taken during my hiking/backpacking trips in the highlands of Kentucky, Virginia, Tennessee and North Carolina. This area is recognized as the core of southern Appalachian culture-folklore and the ancestral home of the Cherokee People.

Please take your time looking through these photos and try to visualize that these mountains are the ancient remnants of a mountain range that was once higher than today's youthful Himalayas. Imagine the hardships the independent Scots-Irish suffered when they started settling here 300 years ago. Feel the indignation and the heartbreaking pain the native Cherokee endured as their homeland was invaded and fenced and mutilated by immigrant Europeans. Indulge in the unparalleled diversity of flora and fauna the Southern Appalachians support in these hollows, mountains, forests and rivers. It is a land of Joy, Pain, Beauty, Bounty and Sorrow. It is the soul of Eastern North America.

After some time spent reflecting on your surroundings, pick up your hiking stick, shoulder your pack, breathe in the mountain air and hike out across a bald, up to a summit, through a stand of old-growth hemlocks or tulip poplars or down to a cascading stream...
It's an infinitely more rewarding experience than visiting those family restaurants and outlet malls, don't you agree?