Water is nature's driving force, a fact readily apparent in the mountains of Western North Carolina.
The region's ample rainfall produces high humidity and fuels countless springs, streams, and rivers that in turn support the lush evergreen and deciduous forests. While water has promoted the evolution of forests, logging and fire have permanently altered them. Nowhere is this more evident than in a beautiful narrow valley known as the Graveyard Fields. In 1925, a great fire swept through the area and eventually burned more than 25,000 acres of forest. The fire occurred at the start of the trout fishing season, and many of the 200-plus fishermen taking part in the season's opening day were caught in the valley.