In Cleared for Planting, the farms of both the Cagles and the Moretzes are to the north of Grandfather Mountain. The mountain got its name, because from at least one angle, it resembles a man's reclining head with a beard. The peaks form his forehead, nose, chin, and beard.
(Photo by Amy Curlee Pruitt)
At 5,946 feet, it's the highest point on the eastern slope of the Blue Ridge Mountains, a major chain in the Appalachians. The peaks of Grandfather have been known to experience very high winds, some say in excess of 200 mph. Two rivers originate on the mountain - the Linville River, mentioned in the novel, flows east, and the Watauga River flows west.
Listen to the characters talk about the mountain in Sown in Dark Soil, the second book in the Appalachian Roots Series.
“Look at Grandfather,” Luke said. He pointed to the
mountain in the distance.
“The mountain?” Ivy asked.
“Yes, the Cherokee called it ‘Tanawha,’ which means great
hawk or eagle in their language. The settlers named it ‘Grandfather Mountain.’
Look at it. See, it looks like the profile of an old man with a beard. He’s
reclining horizontally. Can you see it?”
I don’t see an old man,” Ivy said. “All I see is a
mountain.”
“It’s the head of a man with a beard,” Leah told her. See
the first rise is his forehead. The sharp, thin peak is his nose, then comes
his chin and beard. Can't you see it?
“I can see it now,” Patsy said excitedly.
“We’re getting close to where we turn again,” Luke told
them. (Photo by Hugh Morton)
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