Nantahala
A half a million years ago, tectonic plate movement in the Atlantic Ocean caused a massive upheaval of solid granite that eventually became the Appalachian Mountains. These lofty peaks at one time were over 100,000 feet high. Exposure to the elements, the many epochs of glaciation, and time itself wore down these great rocky crags to the thickly forested, sinuous terrain we know today. Greatly diminished but still formidable, they beckon for all to explore and enjoy.
Nantahala is a Cherokee word meaning, 'Land of the Noon Day Sun.' The Cherokee have lived in these hills for hundreds of years and Nantahala is the very heart of their culture and being. It is part of a larger tract of occupation known as Katuah, the boundaries of which at one time stretched from Virginia to Alabama and encompassed most of the southern Appalachian Mountains. The Cherokee refer to themselves simply as 'The People' and words like cullasaja, 'sweet water,' wayah, 'wolf,' and many other surviving place names are an enduring testimony to the influence of the Cherokee people.
Nantahala is a land of cool dark coves, rushing streams and high mountain vistas, a land of many uses with pristine forests, trout streams, rolling farmland and scenery unsurpassed in the eastern United States. The unsettled nature of the terrain lures people from all over the world to hike its trails, fish its streams and explore its many serpentine back roads. It's truly a paradise for the adventurer struck by the wanderlust to see what lies around the next curve.
Our tour took us by many of Nantahala's beautiful and intriguing attractions. Occasionally we trade our fascination for the rhythms of the deep, winding curves of our two-lane heaven and investigated some of these strange sounding places. We decided to explore a place called Judaculla Rock.
At a state historical marker, we turn off of Hwy 107 onto a secondary route called Caney Fork Road. There we discover an ancient petroglyph of unknown origin. The rock formation is covered in marks and symbols appearing at first glance to be random, yet upon closer inspection, we concluded that these deep grooves and niches are all in sync with one another and were perhaps carved at nearly the same time. If so, the amount of time taken to complete this monument with primitive tools astounds us. We learn later that anthropologists in an attempt to discern the origin of this oddity questioned elder Cherokees. They replied it was here when they arrived several hundred years ago and had been made by' the ancient ones.' The Cherokee believed it to be the footprint of a giant named Judaculla who lived on a farm near the Snowbird Mountains. In the winter, Judaculla would swoop down from his mountaintop lair to abduct small children and old people using the tops of the mountains as steppingstones. This place is sacred to the Cherokee and we left it perplexed and mystified.
Along Hwy 64 we cannot help but notice the abundance of streams and waterfalls. Water seems to be everywhere. Indeed the entire area is known as 'Land of the Waterfalls.' Cullasaja Falls, Dry Falls, Bridal Veil, and countless other unnamed and unspoiled falls spill forth from one of the highest water tables in the world. We are on a route used for countless generations by Native Americans and, more recently, by Hernando De Soto's conquistadors. De Soto's men probably stopped to quench their thirst and cool their heels in this delightful stream called Cullasaja.
But the road beckons and we wind our way to the Richland Balsam, the highest point on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Our journey takes us by The Cradle of Forestry. The area, formerly known as the Pisgah Forest, contained over 125,000 acres belonging to George Vanderbilt. Vanderbilt immediately recognized the need to manage such a vast tract and brought forest researchers from Europe to maintain the delicate ecosystem balance between forest use and forest preservation. It marked the very beginning of forestry as a science. We are dwarfed by giant tulip poplars and can only imagine what this area looked like when it was virgin forest.
Soon we arrive on the crest of the Nantahala Mountains. Upon reaching the summit of Wayah Bald in the middle 1700s, naturalist William Bartram exclaimed, 'I finally reached the top of this exhausting peak where before me lay the most awful collection of continual mountain tops that I had ever seen! How beautiful!' Bartram was correct in his assessment and we scurry to ride every valley, curve and mountaintop within sight.
Wildflowers abound in these mountains: dwarf iris, Indian paintbrush, Dutchmen's britches and wood sorrel, wild carrot (Queen Anne's Lace) and mountain laurel to name but a few. One cannot help being captivated by the dramatic views and overwhelmed by the subtle power of this land. Even on our bikes we feel immersed in nature as scene after scene flows by and we consume the road beneath our wheels.
The Nantahala River Gorge, paralleled its entire length by Hwy 19, is home to many Cherokee legends and the world-famous Nantahala Outdoor Center. The Cherokee believe that a giant thunderbird lived along the upper reaches of the gorge and represented a balance between good and evil. It is said that the thunderbird would fly out of a cave on the upper gorge, destroy Cherokee villages, and wreak havoc upon certain individuals living less than chaste lives. This terrifying act caused repentance among all evildoers and thereby cleansed the entire nation. At other times the thunderbird was the champion of all things Cherokee and would rush to the aid of 'The People,' crushing enemies in battle, relieving drought and famine, and curing illness.
The Nantahala Outdoor Center is a renowned whitewater destination for rafters, kayakers and wilderness enthusiasts. Known simply as NOC, the center has been in operation for thirty years and was the site for Olympic training on the nearby Ocoee River for kayak athletes participating in the 2000 Summer Olympics. NOC provides the visitor with trips down the river, hiking treks, rock-climbing excursions and spelunking tours to area caves. The center also has a riverside café with affordable meals, overnight lodging, and even shower rentals for motorcyclists or anyone else needing road-grime removal and refreshment after a grueling day on the road.
The motto for the Nantahala National Forest is 'Land of Many Uses' and we found this to be true. Ancient history combined with enthralling beauty and limitless recreational opportunities make this a must-see destination for RoadRUNNERs. Modern accommodations, good food, and friendly people make this a trip we will certainly take again.