Friday Noon: I leave my home in Boone, N.C. and head for Cataloochee Ranch, a 1,000-acre rustic guest facility in Western North Carolina that borders the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. It’s a short two-hour drive down U.S. 221 to I-40 and a new adventure.

The Indian name Cataloochee means one of three things: Wave Upon Wave, All in a Row or Stiff Fringe, all referring to the vistas of range after range of the Great Smoky and Blue Ridge Mountains that can be seen from the ranch.

THE FIRST ADMIRERS
To begin at the beginning, Tom Alexander, a forester and farmer, visited the Southern Appalachians as a child and decided he could never be happy anywhere else. He called it “Mountain Fever.”

He and his wife, known as “Miss Judy,” had a vision for development in the area. They created the original Cataloochee Ranch as a tourist operation at the bottom of the depression in the isolated Cataloochee Valley of Western North Carolina. They opened their doors in 1933.

First guests were Mrs. James Baker of Chicago and her husband, vice-president of Sears, Roebuck & Company. This notoriety brought more guests. Subsequently, the Alexanders moved the ranch to its present site on Fie Top Mountain, where it’s become one of the Southeast’s leading resorts.

In looking for the new location, Alexander’s prime requirement was access to the national park or a national forest so guests could enjoy overnight packing trips and a sense of a true wilderness. He found 1,000 undisturbed acres with three rustic cabins and a large barn on Fie Top Mountain, 5,000 feet above Maggie Valley.

Though two original cabins were conveted to guest quarters, today's accommodations are homey and rstic while including such extras as fireplaces, kichenettes and sleeping space for up to eight.

MEANT FOR EACH OTHER
The location straddled three ridges adjacent to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. It was perfect. The altitude provided cool days and nights, and the rich land was ideal for pasturing horses and growing crops. Mountain springs supplied water, the woodlands supplied timber for building and heat, and proximity
to the national park provided trails for riding. In 1938, Alexander bought the parcel for $10 an acre.

A PRIMITIVE LIFESTYLE
When the Alexanders arrived at Fie Top, many of their neighbors were still surviving byhunting, trapping and gathering chestnuts to eat
and ginseng roots to sell.

To help support the ranch, Alexander raised livestock and row-crops and initiated a timbering operation. Teams of steers and horses dragged in the rocks and logs for construction. Local roughnecks provided much of the labor. On payday they went down the mountain, got drunk and Alexander bailed them out so they could return to work the next day.

The old barn was converted into what is today the main ranch house. Two of the log cabins and two chicken houses were turned into guest quarters. The new ranch opened for business in May 1939 with a few borrowed horses to provide riding and the long packing trips that were the main attraction. When not riding, guests helped with the chores.

Guests find it's easy to make friends around the campfire or at meals that encourage folks to relax and get to know each other.

TODAY'S MODERN TRADITION
Operations now are run by four generations of Alexander children, grandchildren and spouses. It’s a sound family tree and Judy Coker, daughter of Tom and Miss Judy, acknowledges that while it does have a little storm damage, the clan shares one thing in common: Mountain Fever.

“It’s virulent and contagious,” she says. “It incubates at an early age, relapses somewhat between adolescence and full maturity, then reappears with vigor.”

Alex Aumen, Tom and Miss Judy’s grandson, is general manager. Aunts, uncles and children are everywhere, chatting with guests, cooking, guiding hikes and trail rides, checking in guests, putting logs on the fire or just hanging around to make sure visitors feel like part of the family. It’s this familiarity that brings guests back again and again.

The family’s philosophy since 1934 has always been “preserve the best of the past and embrace the best of the future.” These descendants have deeded Hemphill Bald and other portions of ranch forest and meadowland to a permanent conservation trust, guaranteeing that it will never be developed, but remain in its pristine state for the public’s benefit.

Breathtaking vistas come with the territory at Fie Top Mountain, which soars to more than a mile into the sky above Maggie Valley, N.C.

THE FUN BEGINS
After checking into the main ranch house and settling in my room, my first stop is the trout pond. Trout in the pond are locally stocked and cane poles are available for $6.95. Peek in the kitchen door and ask for some bread balls for bait and you’re ready to go. Part of the fun of catching trout here is having it prepared for you at breakfast or lunch the same day. Needless to say, my line comes away empty.

Horseback riding and hiking have always been the main diversions at the ranch. Led by experienced wranglers, half- day rides, costing $40, go out at 9:30 and 2:00 daily, rain or shine, and last from two to two-and-a-half hours. All-day rides, priced at $90, are about seven hours and lunch is included. Riders are grouped according to ability and assigned an appropriate steed from the string of 32 trail horses, “mostly mutts,” as Judy B. Sutton, barn manager, describes them. Children six and over are allowed on short rides.

I am scheduled for a 9:30 ride on a balmy Saturday morning. My horse, Little Joe, is a small paint with a lazy streak. Judy leads our group on a five-mile trek up a rocky trail through hardwood forests covered with wild mountain grass and wood ferns. At times we are surrounded by pines, hemlocks, rhododendrons and mosses, and always bright foliage.

Our destination is the top of Hemphill Bald, a favorite trail and considered a moderate-to-strenuous ride. It’s worth it. The top of the mountains gives us a spectacular bird’s eye view over the ranges from a mile up.

The Cataloochee pond is just a short walk from the Main Ranch House, and adds to the overall serenity of the setting.

RELAXATION BREAK
I’ve worked up an appetite and fortunately, it’s time for lunch. Today, it’s a serve-yourself buffet of North Carolina barbecue, soup, fresh fruit and buttermilk pie.

I have graciously been given a copy of Tom Alexander’s book, “Mountain Fever,” chronicling his love of the mountains. I return to my quarters, light the fire, stretch out on the sofa and read. The nice thing about Cataloochee Ranch is that you can do everything or nothing. I opt for relaxation, as I know I’ll need my energy for the activities to come later. A wagon ride is planned for this evening and the Wolfman, Rob Gudger, is bringing his favorite grey wolf.

There are many scheduled and unscheduled activities at Cataloochee. The only scheduled events are riding and meals. But at leisure, one can enjoy the game room, swimming, badminton, horseshoes and croquet. The hiking trails – rated long, short and moderate – are a popular pastime, and for quiet moments, there are video tapes and a lending library in the main ranch house.

A variety of entertainment crops up two to three times a week, including Wolfman Gudger, who enchants all with his grey wolves and educational talks; magic shows; and local musicians playing regional mountain music. Indian storytellers relive the history of local tribes and children relish the wagon rides, scavenger hunts, bonfires and marshmallow roasts. Adults swing to country square dances with a local caller and live music and a massage therapist is available on Saturdays by appointment. Holiday events are always a plus, too, on July 4th, Memorial Day and Labor Day and during the guest season which runs from April 29 to Nov. 27, though lodging is available on weekends from Dec. 26 to March.

For guests who decide to venture out from the ranch, there’s white-water rafting, golf or a visit the Cherokee Indian Reservation and Harrah’s Casino just a short ride away, as well as the Blue Ridge Parkway, and the famous Biltmore House in Asheville. In winter, skiers can enjoy Cataloochee Ski Resort just a mile away.

Accommodations at the ranch put an emphasis on quiet enjoyment, while ignoring the usual modern necessities of telephones and television.

HOME AWAY FROM HOME
Accommodations are varied, homey and rustically furnished. The main ranch house has six rooms. The Silverbell Lodge, where I stay, has living rooms, kitchens, loft bedrooms and fireplaces; each unit sleeps up to six. Twelve individual rustic cabins go from a single sitting room and one bedroom to two or three bedrooms with accommodations for eight. All have fireplaces; some have jacuzzis and kitchenettes.

It’s impossible not to unwind here. There are no room phones, cell phones don’t work and there’s just one grainy TV channel. If necessary, however, there’s phone service at Silverbell Lodge and the main ranch house, also site a cable TV connection. Guests gather here with a glass of wine and catch up briefly with civilization. For me, an avid news junkie, this is an opportunity to leave civilization behind.

CHOW'S ON
Before fast-food, meals were the backbone of the family. This lost tradition is at the heart of the ranch.

The dress code is casual. Jeans are appropriate anywhere, anytime. The only requirement at meals: Remove your hat.

Food is served promptly: breakfast at 8 a.m., lunch, noon and dinner at seven. Before dinner we gather for drinks and hearty hors d’oeuvres of fresh vegetables and smoked sausage. At seven o’clock sharp, the gong of an antique A-Model brake drum calls us to dinner.

Southern Appalachian cuisine is served family-style at long tables that encourage new friendships. Hearty and balanced meals of country ham, spoon bread, and red-eye gravy with plenty of biscuits are served. During my two nights, T. J. , a family member of course, manned the grill for one of the ranch’s famous cookouts that included fresh trout, corn on the cob, chicken and beans. Plus pecan and oatmeal pie for dessert.

At eight each morning, bountiful breakfasts are served on groaning tables laden with sausage, bacon, hot cereals, eggs and Cataloochee Puffed Toast, a house specialty that is actually a fried fritter with slices of bread coated in a thick batter, deep fried and served with syrup or honey. Ramps and eggs are also a favorite. Yes, this pungent member of the onion family is presented here creatively in soups and eggs, and with potatoes, fish and cornbread.

OVER AND OVER AGAIN
You make friends at Cataloochee Ranch. Gathered around the family dinner table, the chats get personal. I meet Bob and Lorn Bailey, who first stayed at the ranch on their honeymoon 17 years ago. They have returned every year since.

Theirs is not an isolated story. Guests catch mountain fever and come back again and again, often securing their favorite cabin by making next year’s reservations in advance. About 70 percent of guests are returns who come mostly from North Carolina, Florida, Georgia and Virginia. Those with children are attracted to the family atmosphere and the ability to let their kids roam free without fear for their safety. The children grow up and return with their own youngsters.

For me, it’s hard to leave this quiet, restful mountaintop, but it’s Sunday and time to reluctantly depart.

Thomas Wolf said, “You can’t go home again.” I’ll prove him wrong when I return to Cataloochee Ranch.

>>FOR MORE INFORMATION>>

Visit www.cataloochee-ranch.com;
e-mail: info@cataloocheeranch.com,
call 800-868-1401 or 828-926-1401, or
see card on page 98.