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Winter Magic on Whiteside Mountain
Written By: Luke Osteen | Issue: Winter 2022
Whiteside Mountain’s magnificence is even richer in the winter.
It’s a strange twist of fate that you’re seeing a column about visiting Whiteside Mountain in the same issue that’s fronted by that legendary chunk of gneiss.
We sure didn’t plan it that way. But when Donna profiled our Annual Winter Cover Contest Winner Artist, the estimable Susie deVille, it was clear that she deals with subjects that touch us on a deeper level.
And me, well, in planning this issue highlighting the New Year, I could think of no better representation of the potential and possibilities to be found in 2022 than this beguiling, endlessly surprising landmark.
But perhaps the synchronicity is inevitable. There’s something mysterious and transcendent about Whiteside, enough for Susie and me to bring the best of our talents to capture at least a portion of its majesty.
If it’s been a while since you’ve traversed the mountain or if you’re a new arrival on the Plateau, let me make the case to enjoy it during this quiet season.
First off, a visit at this time of year means that you’ll be virtually uninterrupted as you make your way to the overlook and back down.
This unhurried pace allows you to truly embrace the magic of this mountain.
See if you can spot the rare Thyme Leaf Bluet, Catesby’s Trillium (common in the Piedmont, extremely rare here on the Plateau), and the woefully-named One-Flowered Cancer Root (It’s not rare here or anywhere in America, but what a nomenclature! Up there with Hooded Skullcap and Corpse Flower).
If you take your time, you’ll discover several hidden thickets of blueberries, recognizable by their distinctive silvery leaves.
But the reason for Whiteside’s inclusion in this Winter issue is that the power and transcendence of its vistas and its daunting precipices are somehow amplified with the solitude and silence that accompanies Plateau life in this quiet season.
And taking it all in in the midst of this haunting Pandemic Age gives the experience another, deeper dimension, like something that Ralph Waldo Emerson was always suggesting in his best works.
If you’re new to the area or just visiting, you can reach the Whiteside Mountain Loop Trail by traveling U.S. 64 (east from Highlands, west from Cashiers) to Whiteside Mountain Road (SR 1600). Follow for one mile to the signed parking area on the left. There is a $2-a-day area-use fee at the parking area.
Please don’t try to wiggle out of paying the two bucks. That’s a cheap price to pay for Enlightenment.
