Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2015 - 5

Letters
L Heart Transplant Necessary
WITH THE END OF Elizabeth Hunter's
column [with the November/
December 2014 issue], I'm sure you'll
get many notes of appreciation for
her, and regrets.
I have learned many things from
her heart.
1. Embrace the black snake in your
shed. (Not literally )
2. Your neighbors are a wealth to be
mined and celebrated.
3. Take time to ponder and wonder.
4. The actual written word is a gift.
Hand writing, not digital.
5. Walk! walk! walk! Deer trails
optional.
6. Insects are great entertainment.
7. Be yourself.
8. Gratitude is healthy.
9. Nature is out there, just go and
delight in it.
10. Change happens. Life transitions.
Thanks, Elizabeth, for all of the above.
-Julie Poehlman, Denton,
Maryland
It is with a heavy heart that I read
Elizabeth Hunter's last column.
It's the first thing I read each issue.
You have hard shoes to fill in
replacing this wise woman.
- Lora Simnings, Herndon
Kentucky
Graffiti Woes
My wife Geralyn and I really appreciated
your editorial "How to Stop
Graffiti on the Trail" in the July/August
issue. As a kid in the '60s, an Explorer
in the '70s, a honeymooner in the
'80s, a vacationer in the '90s and now
as homeowner in the Smokies, I have
always loved all that Mother Nature
offers in Blue Ridge Country. Few are
the paths that lead you to the beauty
you will experience along the
Appalachian Trail. The fact that there
is a growing problem of defacing such
beauty is disheartening. It's hard to
Yes, you can bust your butt on this cascade, but its real name is Quarry Falls.
believe that those who enjoy hiking as
we do also have no concern about the
experience of those who follow.
Your suggestion of "creating a
catch phrase that might stick in people's
heads"... and inspire them to
enjoy, preserve and don't deface... is a
great idea.
We would suggest the following in
the order of our preference:
* Leave No Trace in Deface of
Mother Nature
* It's Not Art When You Deface
Mother Nature
* Leave No Trace Don't Deface
The phrase of choice could be
placed on placards near graffiti followed
by:
"NOTICE: Call 1-800-0-DEFACEinformation
leading to the prosecution
of those who deface will be considered
for a reward of up to $10,000."
The rewards could be sponsored by
donations to the National park Service,
the GSMA or other organizations.
Hope these suggestions will be of
some help, and let me know if I can
help in any other way too.
-J. Vance Carper Jr., PSM, Senior
Surveyor, National Geomatics
Division, Orlando, Florida
Bust Your Butt at Quarry Falls
The cover of your November
December 2014 issue features a
photo of Quarry Falls on Hwy. 64
between Franklin and Highlands,
North Carolina. The "Bust Your Butt
Falls" you provide as identification
is a moniker given to the falls by
those who swim there. I am sure
you will find it listed as Quarry Falls
in any forest service information
about the falls in the Nantahala
National Forest.
Maybe Bust Your Butt should
have been listed as an AKA after the
real name.
I grew up in Franklin, and lived
there till 1984. Love Blue Ridge
Country and so does the wife.
-Glenn Fitzgerald,
Covington, Georgia
Mea Culpa
Our apologies (November/December
issue, Fine Dining article) for
assigning The Greenbrier to the
wrong town. It is, of course, in
White Sulphur Springs, West
Virginia. 
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015 | 5
G. FITZGERALD
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2015
