It’s nice in the Pisgah NF. Really good fly fishing. I lived in Boone for a while, and I really enjoyed being near Pisgah.
I grew up in a rural town not more than an hour from the Savage River in Maryland. I grew up hunting, fishing, and outdoorsing, but the locals in Appalachia always treat me like an outsider from a large city at first. Once you get to know them, though, they’re extremely hospitable.
Appalachian culture is just slightly different than other rural culture. I’ve noticed people out in deep Appalachia are more willing to approach your campsite if you’re in a front country campsite. It’s unsettling being approached by a stranger at first, but eventually you get used to it and realize they just want to hang out.
Appalachia, and especially southern Appalachia, is a true paradise. Sure, there is meth and pills, but there is all of that — and much more — literally everywhere else. You might see more blatant tweakers, but the normal folk are much more sober than folks in more suburban areas. The normal girls aren’t boofing ketamine at raves and being whores — like you see closer to cities. They enjoy a few beers at the worst.
The sheer beauty of getting lost amongst the sycamores and laurels is unlike anything else. Fishing for native brook trout in tiny mountain streams is the pinnacle of out. Heading home to drink a few beers and tie some flies on you porch over looking the mountains is peak comfy.
