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Go ahead. Get away to Grandfather Mountain

July 16, 2007

By: Emilia Pastina

          As temperatures here in the Lowcountry soar into the 90s and with "feels like" temperatures topping 100, there's a place not too far away that exudes a different kind of beauty while offering relief from the heat.

          It's the North Carolina High Country and includes six counties around Boone. Average temperatures are typically around 10 to 15 degrees cooler than the flatlands.

          In fact, the highest temperature ever recorded on Grandfather Mountain -- the highest peak in the Blue Ridge Mountain range -- was a mild 83 degrees. The average temperature for July is just 69 degrees.

          But aside from its comfortable summer temperatures, the High Country has a lot to offer families who want a break from the everyday.

         "There's certainly a lot to do when you're in what we call the High Country," said Crae Morton, president of Grandfather Mountain.

          From fishing to hiking to watching black bears, river otters, white-tailed deer and other animals in their natural habitats, the natural surroundings offer a great escape. And the man-made attractions, like the Mile High Swinging Bridge, Tweetsie Railroad and Mast General Store, are certainly worth the drive. And if you're idea of a vacation is just sitting and gazing out at nature, that can be arranged, too.

          "If you want to do nothing," said Morton, "this is a great place to do nothing."

Morton knows a few things about the High Country. He grew up in

Wilmington, N.C., but spent a lot of time there, especially on the privately owned and operated Grandfather Mountain. After all, it is his family's mountain.

         "Primarily I remember trout fishing," said Morton, who remembers his grandmother cooking up the day's catch of rainbow trout with the fish heads still on.

          The fishing, the bears and the bridges all hold great memories for Morton as his grandfather, Hugh MacRae Morton, ran the mountain. Hugh Morton inherited Grandfather from his grandfather in 1952. He widened the road, built the well-known Mile High Swinging Bridge and seven native wildlife habitats, and made preserving Grandfather Mountain a high priority. And his nature photography and other photos, including ones of Michael Jordan playing for UNC Chapel Hill, might be as well-known as his mountain.

          Hugh Morton passed away last year at the age of 85. But a year earlier, his torch was passed to his grandson Crae, making him the fifth generation since 1885 from the MacRae/Morton family to manage the mountain.

          And despite the history from grandfather to grandson, the mountain's patriarch-like name came long before. Grandfather Mountain got its name from pioneers who believed one of the cliffs resembled the face of an old man.

          Morton now is preserving the mountain and his grandfather's work. And now that he is a father himself, the mountain and the High Country give him even more passion for his work.

          "I suppose I want (Clyde) to have the same type of experience that visitors have," Morton said about his 2-year-old son. "I hope he enjoys and respects the area. I hope he learns to respect people. And I hope he appreciates the beauty."

          Grandfather Mountain is not just a family destination. It's a family business, and its leader feels a deep responsibility to his grandfather's mission and to the people who enjoy it every day.

          "I want them to remember a beautiful, unique natural setting and leave our gates feeling a greater responsibility of protecting places such as Grandfather Mountain," Morton said.

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