My Side of the Mountains
I hadn’t been beyond my zip code in months, it was ninety-six degrees outside, and a pandemic gripped the land. So imagine my thrill as I rolled away from my home in Clemson, South Carolina, and into the North Carolina mountains, the temperature dropping with every mile, rivers flashing up between pines, and no other humans in sight. I was so giddy I literally dialed up some John Denver. But as I pulled into the parking lot at the Whiteside Mountain trail, my heart broke a little when I saw cars filling every spot. I wasn’t the only one in need of an escape. Luckily, a friend had given me a tip about a lesser-known trail, one she promised was “a lot of candy for the nickel,” so I changed course for Satulah Mountain, taking me through downtown Highlands.
Even though this mountain hamlet is
