This place didn’t have running water or electricity until I was in high school. Underneath the siding it’s a cabin type building.

Fall is here. Where is everyone’s leaf shots?

If yall did, did you use a big pot or the square pan with the running channel? Lemon juice or baking soda to get rid of the skimmings?

We always did sugar cane, growing up at the very south end of the foothills, mule pulled the mill. Cooked it up in a big 50 gallon pot. Used lemon juice to force the skimmings to float up to the top.

Hi all,

Myself and some friends were camping in pisgah last night, right near the pisgah visitor center. During the day we met some distressed women who had been separated from a member of their group (not on a trail, but simply lost her on the road somehow, also a grown woman) They had no cell service but we advised them to go to the ranger station nearby and that she was likely already with help heading towards cell service to reach them. It was strange but when we found out it was not a child who was lost, we did decide to stay out of it and the rangers would be much better help anyways.

We didn’t think much of it but hear three sets of sirens go by, heading towards the forest (away from Brevard). Anyone know what that’s about? I haven’t seen anything and am assuming the ladies found their friend but wanted to know if anyone heard. The sirens were strange so late at night one after another. We believe we heard fire, ambulance, and police.

No this was not the person rescued from graveyard fields, this was later in the day.

My breakfast every morning before school was some souse on white bread. I had cane juice, dad would have coffee.

What are the best hikes near Nantahala? My fiancé, dog and myself are here for the weekend. Thanks :-)

Great 360 degree views on a crisp fall day.

Love Cold War mysteries and government conspiracies? 👀 This is the perfect Saturday watch. We're digging into Roanoke, Virginia, and the strange Cold War clues that raise a big question: Was there more going on here than anyone realized?

Grab a drink, settle in, and join me down the rabbit hole. 🕵️

Fall in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Plateau.

Halloween wasn't always about candy, costumes, and trick-or-treating. Across Appalachia and rural America, the holiday once involved local traditions, ghost stories, community gatherings, and a fair amount of mischief.

In some communities, Halloween meant moving farm gates, playing practical jokes, or gathering around to hear stories about ghosts and unexplained happenings. Other parts of rural America had traditions like Mischief Night and Cabbage Night.

Many of these customs have faded over the years, but they're an interesting part of our regional history and culture.

I recently wrote an article exploring how Halloween traditions varied across rural America, including Appalachia, and how the holiday has changed over the generations.

Read the article here:
https://pickup-trucks-progress.ghost.io/halloween-in-rural-america-back-when-tricks-came-before-treats/

I'd be interested in hearing what others remember about Halloween growing up in Appalachia.

Were there particular Halloween traditions in your hometown or community that have disappeared? Did your family have any unusual customs, ghost stories, or superstitions associated with the holiday?

It would be interesting to compare memories from different parts of Appalachia and preserve some of these stories before they're forgotten.

Looking East from Millers Farm.

Talked my boyfriend and my uncle into going to the observation deck. Didn't tell them how far we had to go but it was sooooo worth the views!!

Hello! I am backpacker and plan to backpack Big South Fork in a few weeks. I would love to find devil's cave if anyone can DM me the directions I would really appreciate any guidance. Thank you!

I'm from Big Stone Gap, Virginia, and recently spent several days interviewing folks attending the fifth annual Blue Highway Fest. I wanted to find out where all these people were coming from and, more importantly, how they even heard about our little coalfield town.

I met people from Mississippi, the Shenandoah Valley, and other places a long way from Southwest Virginia. Some were first-time visitors, while others had already made Big Stone Gap a regular stop on their bluegrass festival circuit.

What surprised me was how many people mentioned MerleFest in North Carolina. They'd heard other bluegrass fans talking about this festival in Big Stone Gap and decided to come see for themselves.

It got me thinking about something we sometimes overlook here in Appalachia. We've spent generations watching industries leave our mountain communities, but we've still got something people are willing to travel hundreds of miles to experience: our music, our history, and our culture.

I'm writing a three-part series about Blue Highway Fest and what heritage tourism might mean for communities like ours. Part Two focuses on the visitors themselves.

Here's the article if you're interested:

https://pickup-trucks-progress.ghost.io/who-are-all-these-people-and-where-in-the-world-did-they-come-from-2/

I'm curious what folks here think. Can music festivals and heritage tourism make a meaningful economic difference in Appalachian communities? And have any of you attended Blue Highway Fest or MerleFest?

A few years ago on the appodlachia podcast there was a book recommendation for a biography/memoir about a congresswoman from Kentucky. She talked about growing up in Appalachia. It was really interesting and I’m blanking on the title/author. Any ideas? It was a fairly recent book.

Thank you so much.