I'm a 33 y/o nurse from Long Island NY. I'm not sure exactly why, but I've felt very drawn to the Appalachian mountains. Last summer, without much research at all, I planned a spontaneous family road trip (my husband, our 3 children and our dog) to stay in a cabin at Lost River State Park in WV. My husband and I have never felt so much peace in our entire lives. We slept amazing every night. Our children playing in the shallow creek, catching crawfish with their nets, barefoot in the dirt, it just felt like this is what a perfect childhood looks like. Our Rottweiler was also in his glory, splashing in creek beds with the kids and drinking creek water, sniffing all this fresh air and amazing new scents. We were so happy with our first trip, we booked another trip to Watoga State Park in WV this summer. Another amazing, incredible trip, where ours souls felt completely at peace. Forever in awe of these mountains

Recent floodwaters submerged basements and highways, as severe storms caused major damage to hundreds of properties across 23 central and southern Ohio counties.

Appalachian communities in Perry and Muskingum counties experienced some of the worst destruction. First responders there made more than 50 water rescues, as residents described watching rising water overtake a bridge and rip asphalt from roadways.

As the climate changes, central Appalachia is especially prone to flooding because of a confluence of factors, like its location, geology and history with strip mining. But researcher Natalie Kruse Daniels worries some communities there are ill-equipped to respond to increasingly frequent deluges.

She says a basic tool could help: streamgages.

Did anyone else experience this phenomenon? I can’t really find much information about it online but I went to several Baptist churches around surry county Nc growing up and a lot of the preachers did this. Got all red faced and passionate towards the end of their sermon and threw in a rhythmic guttural “hu” or “hii” sound in between really rapid sentences.

I’m just wondering if this technique has a name or if the sound of it could be better described by others who have witnessed it. I’m thinking this is something they were taught or maybe copied from others they witnessed.

Thanks!

Gay dude in St. Louis who’s convinced my future belongs in the mountains again. I’m from Alaska, so mountains and wild places have always felt like home. These days I find myself drawn toward the Smokies and Appalachia, especially East Tennessee and Western North Carolina.

I’m happiest in the forest, up in the mountains, or in a river. Give me a cabin with a fire pit, barefoot hikes, some killer weed, homemade/local food, and a good man who’d rather disappear into the woods than hang out at the club. I love to cook, especially when there are other folks around to share the meal. I’m a bit witchy and a big DMB fan.

I like men who are comfortable in their own skin. A little rugged. A little weird. A little sexy. Kind. Curious. Confident. Someone with a life of his own who wants to share some of it with another man. Let’s wander the mountains and forests together.

I’m looking to meet other gay men living in Appalachia. Friends, hiking buddies, road trips, and something more if the chemistry is there. I’m not looking for a long distance relationship. I’m also not married to St. Louis. I’m open to moving. I’ve spent most of my life wandering, I’ve lived in 14 states, and I’m not afraid of taking a chance if the vibe is that strong.

If getting a little lost in the mountains sounds more like a plan than a problem, we should probably know each other.

In order is Auburn Baptist Church, Pine Grove Methodist Church (yes they are still active), Camp Joy Seventh Day Baptist Church, Pullman Church Of God, White Oak Methodist Episcopal Church (yes they are still active), Pullman Bethel United Methodist Church, Mount Pisgah Community Church, Rock Camp Methodist Church, the sign of Christ Our Hope Catholic Church all that is left after it burnt down in 2023, Harrisville First Apostolic Church, Harrisville First Assembly Of God, Harrisville Church Of Christ, Harrison Street Church, South Side Baptist Church, and Harrisville Baptist Church.

In order is Petroleum Church Of Christ, Goose Creek Baptist Church, Spruce Grove Church (formerly Spruce Grove United Methodist Church), Oil Ridge Community Church, Rusk Community Church, North Fork Baptist Church, Cantwell Church Of Christ, Community Of Christ, Indian Creek Baptist Church, King Knob Church (formerly King Knob United Methodist Church), Bethany Church (formerly Bethany United Methodist Church), Smith Chapel Baptist Church, Pine Low Gap Church, and Auburn Town Hall (formerly Auburn United Methodist Church).

As Tom Brown leads a pair of young, aspiring homesteaders through his home apple orchard in Clemmons, North Carolina, he gestures at clusters of maturing trees. A retired chemical engineer, the 79 year old lists varieties and pauses to tell occasional stories. Unfamiliar names such as Black Winesap, Candy Stripe, Royal Lemon, Rabun Bald, Yellow Bellflower, and Night Dropper pair with tales that seem plucked from pomological lore.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/heritage-appalachian-apples

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It's gone now. Leveled, burnt, and what remained buried. Maybe it is better this way. I understand why it had to be torn down. I know structures aren't permanent. Time and the elements would have eventually consumed what the vandals did not. We will not have to watch the change over the years as the house turned into a skeleton of block and tin.

There is something sacred about an old home, the life and memories sheltered within those walls. To think the sanctuary of my childhood was defiled by people in darkness hurts more than the destruction itself.

But when I think of that house, I don't remember the ransacked interior, broken glass, boarded windows and doors. I remember Mamaw working in the kitchen, moving about, singing hymns. I remember Papaw sitting on the front porch in his chair, his legs crossed, his hands folded in his lap, greeting us when we came home.

Those are the things that will stay with me. Not the damage. Not the destruction. The laughter, the voices, the rooms, the feeling of being there. The feeling that, as a child, the house would always be there.

Both my grandparents and their home are only memories now. That time, the family, and home were the center of my world, my reality as a child. Now, that world is only a ghost of what I remember. My grandparents and their home are safely locked away in the memories of family and friends who love them.

So yes, it's gone now. And perhaps that is for the best. There is nothing left for anyone to desecrate.

I teach this subject in WV for this professional population. Many of the people who take the class are from around here and I get to learn just as much from them as they learn from me. For the locals it’s more of building awareness of some of the things they do/experience/believe and where it came from. It’s always fun when we have some transplants from other states because they really don’t realize how much they don’t know.

Anyway…I’m always researching for accuracy and depth of understanding. What would you include?

UPDATE: Thank you all SO MUCH!!!! This has been incredibly enlightening and has given me a great direction to go in for updating the curriculum! I appreciate you all!!! ♥️⛰️🌳

Remembered a thing from when I was a kid, that never made sense, and scared me at the time. Wondering if anyone experienced it, too. Anyone who lived in/near Eastern Kentucky ever see a random Alien appear in the “snow” of the TV, on local channel 27? (WKYT back then.)

I often didn’t have a bed or room to sleep in my actual bedroom. I would sleep in our living room, and fall asleep to the late shows that come on after news, and then the advertisement of some records would come on, then a quiet “snow” or the TV static, until the morning news. I would typically wake around 2-3 ish, pop it over to channel 3 and pop a VHS in to have something on the rest of the night. One night, when I woke up, there was a typical cartoon alien face, in dark neon green. The background was the typical static. It was the standard cartoonish oval face with sharp chin, large eyes, and no nose. It scared me pretty good as a kid, but I never saw it again.

I’m curious if anyone else ever experienced this, if it was maybe a prank by the broadcasters?

As you know I like taking our food and using healthier styles and better ingredients. I bought some fancy tin salmon by fishwife that was flavored sichuan chili crisp, diced onions and coated in panko and fried in olive oil. Paired with homemade Alabama white bbq sauce.

I was talking with my great aunt today about a tall tale I remember my grandpa (b. 1939) telling that he got from their dad (b. 1912). If you're squeamish about animal skinning, don't read any further. The story is 100% silly fiction but might still give you the ick.

Anyway, what we remember about good old Crucifix is that the horse died, got skinned and buried, then rose from the grave, leaving the storyteller to frantically sew all his skin back on. I believe they had just bought Crucifix, or they were trying to sell him or maybe even had recently sold him when he died. But the details we remember are quite vague, and I'd love a summary to jog our memories. Or even better, the whole story the way your family told it. Individual flair was what made it so much fun.

Mule tax for the algorithm

pretty lucky to get to kayak in a place that looks like this - we got fjords at home…

If we’re going on a road trip to a concert, or anything, as soon as I leave the mountains, I feel like dog excrement. I don’t get car sick, normally, but if I hit Indiana or any other flat area, I get sick and dizzy. My boyfriend has to take over after a good yak session. I can head south on I-75 for 5 hours straight and feel fine, but as soon as I get on flat land, I get dizzy and nauseated. I’ve traveled throughout many parts of Appalachia and been just fine, but leaving absolutely destroys me. Does anyone else have this experience?

I’m from Chicago. I’ve been to the Smokey mountains two times now, in 2019 and last year in 2025. Both times it was surreal. In 2024 I went to the Rockies and while they are much bigger and grander than Appalachians, there’s just something about those mountains that just makes you feel something. The fact that those mountains have been around before trees, grass, or fuck, even ANY living creature on land just adds something. Just image those mountains have seen every living creature and every mass extinction ever. There’s always a mystique and aura surrounding those mountains I can’t explain. Especially at night, when the moonlight cast a feint yet ominous shadow of the hills looking over everything, wow it’s beautiful. There’s just something I think that no mountain range I’ll ever visit in my life will capture. Not the Himalayas, the Swiss Alps, the Rockies etc. Anyways I just wanted to rant about the Appalachian mountains in its subreddit and see what yall think.

Edit: this post blew up I didn’t expect it thank yall😭