Banner Elk Hike
Brian and I had to pivot today-- as our plans were changed when we drove to Valle Crucis Conference Center only to see that it is CLOSED on Sundays. He suggested that we explore the small village of Banner Elk-- located at the foot of Beech Mountain-- since we were already " down the mountain".
It ended up being a wonderful little outing. We parked the truck at a public parking lot and walked the main drag. Not much is open on a Sunday morning in Appalachian North Carolina, but we found a quaint and family-owned coffee shop. We ordered some coffee { Brian , wo had NOT eaten breakfast before we set out for the morning-- ordered a scone with the coffee.
We sat out on the patio and enjoyed the slightly cool and breezy mountain air. Locals greeted each other warmly and I remarked to Brian how different High Country Hillbilllies are from the people with whom I'd grown up farther north in the Appalachians.
Without seeming rude--- I sense that the High Country Hillbillies are a much more content lot of people that their Rust Belt Appalachian counterparts. While the High Country shares many of the same social problems as does Rust Belt Appalachia, there is a different " feel" to the locals here . It is a phenomenon that I noticed as a child when we came here during the summer that I cannot explain. Perhaps because the High Country Hillbillies call some of God's Most beautiful Creation home.
I was born in Rust Belt Appalachia, and I love my kin and friends who live there, but I could never return. Pensacola is home { of course,} but part of my soul will ALWAYS reside in the North Carolina High Country.
After coffee we drove to a park/ recreation area and walked the woods at the end of the village limits. There is a creek that runs alongside the Beech Mountain Parkway, and it is beautiful. We saw this place last year, but never had time to hike the trail.
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