Hickory Nut Mountain In March
As the frigid days of winter transition to the first days of Spring, Hickory Nut Mountain, at 3,100 feet, reveals its majesty on a low humidity afternoon.
The view is from Freemantown Road in Rutherford County northeast of Lake Lure. This is where the Carolina Piedmont abruptly ends, and the Blue Ridge Mountains begin. Hickory Nut is part of the Eastern Blue Ridge Escarpment. The direction is toward the northwest.
Moving in for a closer look, the red area is the result of a large “clear cut” of the forest 18 months ago. Nothing was replanted, and erosion is already causing permanent damage to 1,600 foot Oak Mountain. The exposed Granite on the south face of 1,800 foot Brushy Top Mountain offers a challenge to rock climbers, but a long climb is necessary because of a lack of roads. This entire area is sparsely populated, even though it is only two hours from the Charlotte Airport. Asheville is about thirty miles to the west.
Living in The Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina- A Blog 
Beautiful even with Folage other than ever Green
That small hill where half was Clear Cut 15 to 20 years ago needs to be replanted