io6 THE CAROLINA MOUNTAINS 
the west throwing the waters towards the higher 
Unaka Mountains. Thus the Blue Ridge, in spite of 
its lower elevation, is the watershed of the mountain 
region. 
This portion of the Appalachian system where 
the high mountains lie, although a part of the long 
uplift reaching from Canada to Alabama, and in 
which is no geological break, is nevertheless disso- 
ciated from the northern part by its higher elevation 
and lower altitude, these differences isolating it and 
betsowing upon it its rich dower of beauty. For al- 
though there are higher precipices and deeper ra- 
vines here than in the North, these mountains never 
convey the same impression of sternness, — the 
everywhere present vegetation that rounds the out- 
lines and the soft atmosphere combining to give the 
landscape a gentle expression. Perhaps the difference 
between the Northern and the Southern mountains 
can be expressed by saying that those are grand and 
these are lovely. In the magical atmosphere of the 
South you see the Great Smokies like wraiths against 
the western sky, the Nantahalas in the distance 
swimming in a sea of glory, the stern Balsams, the 
fir-crowned Blacks, all immersed in a light that 
transforms them. 
Between the mountains lie enchanting valleys, 
and everywhere bright streams are running. The 
brooks or "branches" racing down the slopes, the 
rivers rushing along, the numberless waterfalls and 
the ice-cold springs everywhere gushing out of the 
earth, give freshness and life to the mountains. But 
