History of the Blue Ridge Mountains
Did you know the Appalachian Mountains are among the oldest?
John Denver famously sang "Life is old there, older than the trees." It's more than poetic. The foundation of the Appalachian Mountains began forming 1.1 billion years ago, while the first trees didn't appear until 400 million years ago.
The Appalachians are the entire range stretching 2,050 miles from Newfoundland to Alabama. Within the Appalachians are smaller ranges.
The Blue Ridge Mountains stretch from Pennsylvania to Georgia, named after the unique bluish haze created when dense oak and poplar forests release a natural gas called isoprene, which scatters blue light waves in the atmosphere.
Along the North Carolina–Tennessee border sits a distinct section called the Great Smoky Mountains. Their name comes from a thick, smoky white-gray mist caused by extreme humidity and a rainforest-like climate. Millions of trees breathe out mass amounts of moisture, creating low-hanging fog that settles heavily into the valleys.
For all the days along the way
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