Western North Carolina’s majestic mountains hold unrivaled beauty and the power to heal. In a time of uncertainty, loss, fear, and division, find inspiration and solace through a collection of photos that capture our most wondrous wild places.
You can never foresee how the life you choose—or the one that chooses you—can ultimately impact someone in extraordinary ways. Meet seven inspirational locals whose personal journeys are making a big difference in the lives of others.
Harboring troves of curiosities, such as dwarfed turtles and carnivorous plants, bogs are among the most imperiled habitats in the mountains. Today, conservationists are bringing these fascinating and rare ecosystems back from the brink in hopes of creating the first national wildlife refuge in Western North Carolina.
George Masa’s life journey carried him across an ocean and landed him in Asheville, where his passion for photography drove him to explore WNC’s roughest wilderness.