linville gorge (table rock, hawksbill mountain, shortoff mountain, pinnacle mountain, etc.) Upper Cliffs of Shortoff Mountain

wow, amazing layer after layer of rock cliffs.......were a lot of the trees dead??

Yes, a lot of trees have died, Gail, and a lot of them are the Eastern or Canadian Hemlock, which is faring badly at this latitude against a parasite that it killing the species off in huge numbers. This is not only tragic for everyone who lives here. It has been my favorite tree since I saw it growing all over the hills of West Virginia (especially the moist but steep north-facing slopes) of West Virginia when I lived there in my thirties.

--Lannie