People of the Mountains

Bluehead Chub. Directly below a footbridge on the Appalachian Trail in Virginia, a male bluehead chub (Nocomis leptocephalus) is in the process of building a nest mound, a giant pile of thousands of pebbles in which a female chub will lay her eggs. Each spring, male chub spend days on end collecting stones with their mouths and carefully piling them together, a behavior which is fascinating to watch. Numerous other species have also evolved to spawn in the chub’s mound, and will swarm in the hundreds over the mounds.

Another World: Loughran Cabe Goes Gloriously Underwater

This young photographer uses river snorkeling to raise awareness around Blue Ridge waterways.
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The Mountain Q&A – Charles Sellars: Parks Veteran Lands at a Gem

He grew up in the Appalachian Mountains, and his career with national parks spans nearly 40 years. Now he is leading America’s newest national park.
Children of Woodrow and Lavada Golding pose at the welcome sign at Rocky Knob Visitor Center, 2015. Left to right, oldest to youngest: Shirley Williams, Janet Breen, John Golding, Eula Walters, Ernie Golding, Kay Wood, Nancy Pharr and Allison Golding.

A Dress, a Pitchfork and a Threat of Rain: The Haystack Picture

There are many discoveries to be made along the Blue Ridge Parkway, not least among which is a family at last seeing a part of its heritage selected from hundreds of photos for public display.
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The Mountain Q&A – Tammie Nazario: Director, Kentucky Wildlands

A true daughter of Southeast Kentucky, she grew up biking and “running the creeks” in rural Stearns. Today, she is the head of a growing nonprofit and leading the effort to make this 41-county region the state’s first National Heritage Area.
Dr. T. Keith Edwards, now 95, wrote the magic prescription for a 5-year-old in 1957.

The Perfect Medicine

Sometimes it’s the simplest, coldest dose.

Departments

Behind Blue Ridge Country

Even More Sweet Virginia Breezes

Casually cruising to Claytor Lake in southwest Virginia, I felt like I had come home – back to where it

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