Written by Derek Halsey | Photos by Evan Anderson & Bonnie Roberson
From Boone to the border, the Blue Ridge Parkway hosts a network of trails for the novice and experienced hiker alike. It could almost be renamed The Blue Ridge Walkway.
It’s the end of February, and I’ve pulled over on Route 221, heading southwest out of Linville between the majestic Grandfather Mountain and the equally impressive Linville Gorge. I’ve stopped by a roadside pasture where a small herd of beautiful Scottish Highland cattle are grazing on the cold, wet grass.
One of the oldest registered breeds of cattle in the world, Scottish Highland are known for their ginger-red coats of foot-long hair, which hang in shaggy strands down their faces, making them look like bovine hippies with horns. They are smaller and mellower than regular cattle, and because of their long and wavy hair, they are well-suited for the cooler climates found here in the western mountains of North Carolina.
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