We asked our readers, awhile back, for their favorite images of their dogs in the mountains. And as so often happens when we ask for photos, did they ever come through!
Photo Above: Lily, owned by Scott Ramsey, stands sentinel at Black Balsam Knob, near Milepost 420 of the North Carolina Blue Ridge Parkway, looking west at a beautiful sunset.
To the extent that these few are just a tiny sampling of the scores and scores of great shots. And to the further extent that the next issue that will have room to run more of them is November/December 2020!
So enjoy these and please check back in the fall for more.
Justin Matthews’ dachshund, Bear, broke his leg a little while back but that doesn’t stop him from climbing Hawksbill, the highest peak in Virginia’s Shenandoah National Park, at 4,050 feet. John Powell’s Chocolate Lab Harley takes a break at Roanoke, Virginia’s Green Hill Park. He is, according to Powell, “proof of the statement about man’s best friend (wife loves him also).” Rescue pit bull Annaka and rescue German shepherd Ruger pause at Price Lake, off the North Carolina Blue Ridge Parkway near Blowing Rock. Their owner is Marietta Dennis. Mandy Quiniz’s Colt, a blue heeler/mountain feist mix, rests at Cowee Mountain Overlook, Milepost 430 of the North Carolina Blue Ridge Parkway. Colt greets everyone who arrives there to catch the great sunset. Jordan Nichols’ dog Lilly is a beagle mix who enjoys “getting on top of a rock and feeling the beauty of nature.” Her perch here is overlooking Carvins Cove on the Appalachian Trail near Roanoke, Virginia.
More than 70 years after she first took to the rails, the legendary Norfolk & Western Class J No. 611 continues to inspire both passengers and the volunteers who keep her running.
More than outposts for gearing up, these seven mountain communities are destinations in their own right, pairing easy access to some of the region’s best outdoor adventures with walkable downtowns, local flavor, and much more.
Long before modern healthcare reached many Appalachian communities, Granny Women became trusted healers and caregivers, delivering babies, treating illness and injury, and preserving generations of healing knowledge.
Ten years after this poll’s inaugural launch, we once again turned to our knowledgeable readers for their picks. The results? A brand-new collection of 71 exceptional Blue Ridge communities that excel at bringing big smiles to the faces of both residents and visitors.