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By Josh Lanier

As I began drafting what I thought would be an interesting read about Appalachian language and culture for this month’s “Roots and Reflections” column, I received word that progress was being made to contain what they are calling the “Table Rock Complex” fire. I have been getting updates from the Tryon Daily Bulletin on the Black Cove, Deep Woods, and Fish Hook fires, and I have been praying for the lives of my friends and fire crews operating in Polk and Henderson counties. I have also been in prayer for friends and family living near Table Rock and Persimmon Ridge here on the other side of this imaginary line that separates our states. As the crow flies, I am closer to the Black Cove fire than I am to the Table Rock fire, but due to wind currents, most of the smoke and ash drifting across my yard in the past few days has drifted in from the Greenville/Pickens county line. 

Last Saturday, my travels took me down the Cherokee Foothills Scenic Highway 11, right past the south-facing granitic dome of Table Rock. It was late at night, and there was a heavy presence of both fire service and law enforcement all along the route between Highway 178 and Geer Highway or 276. I was horrified at the hellscape that was now Table Rock Mountain, and seeing the flames higher than the trees brought back flashbacks of nightmares I used to have when I was a volunteer firefighter back in the 90’s. 

In my time as the fire department, we had one “big” fire on the side of Glassy, one at the foot of Hogback, not to mention countless brushfires that would spring up all over our district throughout the years. I have been inside of structure fires that I thought I would not make it out of alive. But that night, driving at the base of Table Rock, I felt a great sense of both fear and sorrow. The fear I felt was not for myself, but for those who are battling this fire, and all of the families that live in the shadow of that mountain. 

With every update saying the fires in Polk and Henderson counties were spreading, I feared for my friends and neighbors there, as well. I am sure that the sorrow that I feel seeing the fires burn across our region is shared by all of us. In the past year, we have seen disaster and we’ve seen our fellow Carolinians suffer incredible losses. It has been a tough year in Southern Appalachia, to say the least. 

Back to what I was going to write about this month. My article about the culture of the Appalachian people can be summed up with what we have witnessed amidst all the fires still raging and all of the destruction that Helene wrought in late September: resilience, generosity, and faith. The people of Appalachia are known for their ability to adapt in the face of adversity, to give the shirts off their backs and food from their tables to clothe and feed their neighbors. Appalachian people, regardless of varying religious beliefs, are strong in their faith. 

As someone who has a relatively deep understanding of natural processes, I know that the mountains will heal themselves in time. Still, there is something deep down inside that tears my heart out when I see these mountains burn. I am so thankful for all of the firefighters and first responders, and for my friends and neighbors for whom loving thy neighbor is a way of life.