In the fall it appears–The Shadow Of The Bear–a gigantic silhouette resembling a bear’s shadow, cast onto a mountain near Cashiers, North Carolina. It can be viewed along Route 64, at around 5:30, on a clear evening. Having just arrived at The Jarrett House Inn for my 31st anniversary, my wife and I rushed from Dillsboro towards Cashiers to find “Rhodes Big View Overlook”, the area I had read about where we could witness the phenomenon. We arrived a bit late, the bear had become shaped more like a mouse from the sun’s wane, but it was still quite moving. And sharing the experience with so many others (maybe a hundred or so) that had parked their cars on the side of the road and gathered on the narrow shoulder–looking, photographing–made it an event, made it even more significant.

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