Spruce Pine Mining District, North Carolina, July 2025
At the access to the mica mine stands a sign, “area closed to storm damage/not safe to enter.” Fallen trees and rocks rolled by nature can be seen. This is my first trip to western NC after Hurricane Helene.
IT’S A SHAME ABOUT RAY
I came for the gem shows in Spruce Pine and Franklin; areas from Asheville to Spruce Pine suffered much damage, and they are not back to the way they were. 10 months to the day from the storm, some roads and natural areas are still closed, including the Blue Ridge Parkway near here. Some of the businesses in downtown Spruce Pine are rebuilding. Recovery is a slow process.
Ray Mica Mine, located on Hurricane Mountain (coincidence), was active between 1869 and 1944. Following its closure, the mine has come into the control of the US Forest Service. Most of the other mines in the district are private.
Mica, a group of sheet-formed silicate minerals, has a variety of industrial applications, from electrical insulation to makeup (“nature’s glitter”). Muscovite mica, typically light gray to brown, and biotite (black and shiny) are found in large amounts at the Ray and around this area. Rock hunters come here to look on the ground for green Beryl (“Aquamarine”) also in the host rock, and gem quality material has been found. But the path to the mine, unfortunately, is currently not accessible.
Over at the Grassy Creek outdoor gem show, stone cutters and vendors set up for the annual event on the hill near Spruce Pine. The view is gorgeous, the weather is hot and muggy, and stones are on display, including some of the aquamarine I desire. Then the rain pours, and I wait in the next tent, which turns out to belong to Mabel of Rocks and Things, the rock shop in Spruce Pine. Mabel has been involved with the show for many years and has seen so much, including with the flood of Helene last year. With the rain comes memories of the storm.
“We’re like veterans… having to re-live this.” Mabel’s soul-sister and helper lives near Burnsville, in an area that got hit hard by Helene. “….they’re still finding bodies.” I talk with her and Mabel until the rain stops.
I didn’t take photos in downtown Spruce Pine, aside from this mural – it felt too touristy in a place where recovery is actively going on. But Mabel tells me to watch this drone video by NorthCove Visuals, which I’m sharing here.
Further uphill, I stop at Gem Mountain’s nearby shop and ask about mine tours. The lady behind the counter says they’re not doing tours anymore due to storm damage. “Anymore” seems extreme, but I hope these areas can recover enough to open and thrive again.
THE MOUNTAINS SING “I’M GOING THROUGH CHANGES”
Several days prior, I go to Franklin, NC for the gem shows in that town. About 70 miles southwest of Asheville, Franklin was mostly spared by Helene. En route, I learn of Ozzy Osborne’s passing, so Black Sabbath is my music for much of this trip. On the foggy morning of my arrival, “Changes” plays from a nearby parked car at one of the shows, not long after I had played it on the road coming over the mountain.
After some time at the Franklin shows amid steamy weather, the nearby waterfalls are a refreshing gift. Descent to the base of (Lower) Cullasaja Falls leads to loudly cascading sprays of misty bliss.
Next, beside Ellijay Rd is thin, tall Katie’s Falls, named for Katherine Allen Moore Rhinehart by her father (note the memorial sign). I enjoy my first visit to this fall in shady solitude. It’s a little cooler at this higher altitude.
THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE COWEE
I set up camp at Cowee Campground, part of Sheffield Gem Mine, which is owned by a friend. It’s in lush Cowee Valley, north of Franklin, in a historic ruby mining area. The campground is about a year old, and there are sites for tents and RVs, as well as a cabin. There is a beautiful wooden bathhouse (with showers) and a nearby deck with a sitting area underneath it. It’s a hidden place away from human civilization, but known to wildlife (not bears, though) and cows are nearby.
Wading in the Little Tennessee River, the bright sunlight eventually gives way to the many stars visible from here in the night sky.
Though the Franklin show wasn’t as busy as I had hoped, and the weather was hot throughout the week, I enjoyed returning to visit the “gems of the blue ridge.” Back in the Piedmont, I have stones and inspiration for future jewelry pieces.
Rocks and Things
https://www.facebook.com/rocksandthingstoo/
114 Oak Ave Spruce Pine, NC, United States, North Carolina 28777
(828) 765-1667
rocksandthingstoo@hotmail.com
Grassy Creek annual Gem Show, Spruce Pine, NC
https://www.grassycreekgemshow.org/
SPRUCE PINE & FRANKLIN AREAS
[Randomness warning: my ADHD meds ran out as i have been writing this. Thanks for understanding!]
Until next trip,
Arianna
arianna's creative travels 