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The Voice of Business,
Industry & the Professions Since 1942
North Carolina's largest
business group proudly serves as the state chamber of commerce
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January 2005
Tar Heel Travels
Cold Mountain
If you enjoyed
the book, you'll love seeing the actual location
By Kim C. Brafford
Gazing
on the unspoiled landscape that is Cold Mountain, you can imagine a Civil
War soldier emerging from the woods as easily as you can a 21st century
backpacker. That’s because the Pisgah National Forest wilderness area,
which is the now-famous setting for the Civil War novel “Cold Mountain” by
Charles Frazier, is virtually unchanged from the era in which the story is
set. The only thing that has changed is the number of tourists who visit
the area to see the landscape that inspired Frazier’s 1997 bestseller and
a movie by the same name.
“Cold Mountain” is a story about a wounded Confederate soldier named Inman
who is recovering in a North Carolina hospital far from home. Faced with
returning to a war he no longer believes in, Inman abandons the war and
sets out to return home to Cold Mountain, where his sweetheart awaits.
In reality, there is no town of Cold Mountain. The movie was filmed in
Romania and the town in the film was a Hollywood set. Still, Frazier based
many of the story’s sites on real-life places that you can explore.
First, there is the mountain itself. The easiest place to see the peak is
at milepost 412 on the Blue Ridge Parkway. A sign at the parkway overlook
tells visitors that they are in the shadow of the 6,030-foot mountain. The
spot has become one of the most popular on the parkway as motorists pose
for photographs in front of the sign. Sections of the parkway are closed
for much of the winter, so if you’re going, call (828) 298-0398 to check
on weather and road conditions.
If you’re willing to break a sweat for a better view of Cold Mountain, the
top of Mt. Pisgah at milepost 407 offers one of the best spots. The last
part of the 1.5-mile trek to the top is rocky, so wear good hiking shoes.
Allow about three hours to get up and down the mountain.
If you’re an experienced hiker and up for a challenge, you can be one of
the few to enjoy the view atop Cold Mountain. But know that the unmarked
trails are not for beginners. “It’s wilderness: no blazes and no signs,”
says Pamela Ice, information assistant for the Pisgah Ranger District.
One experienced hiker who has made the seven-hour climb to the summit is
Mark File. “I’d never hiked that trail before, and with all the publicity
about it coming out, I just wanted to see what it was all about,” says
File. “Before the movie came out, you could hike that 10.6 miles and not
see a soul. On our hike, we saw four people. If you want to hike, you’ll
have a lot of solitude.”
Solitude and stunning vistas are hallmarks of Cold Mountain. Wildflowers
of every color bloom in the spring, and blueberries dot the mountain in
early fall.
Because it’s a wilderness area, no campfires are permitted and no more
than 10 people are allowed in a group. As Cold Mountain’s name indicates,
the temperature is normally 10 degrees cooler than at normal elevation. A
geological survey mark is about the only thing that will tell you that
you’ve reached the summit.
“The views are great because you’re up so high,” File says. “Since it’s
part of a wilderness area, it is super quiet.”
So quiet that “you can hear the hum of flying bugs,” adds hiker Phil
Partin of Chapel Hill, who has summitted Cold Mountain about 10 times.
To hike Cold Mountain, start at the Art Loeb trailhead, located at the
Daniel Boone Scout Camp on Little East Fork Road, off of N.C. 215.
If a leisurely day of driving is more your speed, there’s plenty to do in
pursuit of a real Cold Mountain experience. From the parkway, across from
the Wagon Gap Road parking lot, turn onto U.S. Highway 276 North. The
route will take you past Cold Mountain Antiques, through Waynesville and
on to Cataloochee Valley — referred to as “Catalucci” in the book. The
valley was once home to the largest settlement in the Great Smoky
Mountains National Park until families sold their homes to the government
to establish the park. A few years ago, the Park Service reintroduced elk
into the region, and at dawn and dusk, you can watch them graze from your
car. To get there, take U.S. 276 North and turn left onto Cove Creek Road.
You’ll go about 11 miles, much of it gravel, before ending at a meadow.
Whether you’re experiencing Cold Mountain from the car or on foot, part of
its lure is the mindset it inspires: quiet, reflective and relaxed. For
learn more, go to www.exploreasheville.com or 888-247-981.
Travel Editor Retires
Over
the past 10 years, Bill F. Hensley of Charlotte has taken readers of this
magazine to dozens of interesting destinations across the state through
his columns on this page. Effective this month, he is retiring as our
travel editor, and he will be greatly missed. A former director of the
N.C. Division of Travel and Tourism, Hensley has been widely honored. The
Travel Industry Association of N.C. presented him with its Charles Kuralt
Award as the person whose stories best depicted the Tar Heel lifestyle. He
was also inducted into the North Carolina Journalism/Public Relations Hall
of Fame and the Carolinas Golf Hall of Fame. We hope to persuade him to
continue contributing articles on various topics as he has time, and we
are glad he will remain chairman of the magazine’s Golf Panel.
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