The Shadow of the Bear
Rhodes Big View Overlook on Hwy 64 at Whiteside Mountain.
Between Cashiers and Highlands, NC
The shadow, caused by Whiteside Mountain, is visible between 5:30 - 6:00PM the last half of October and into early November. It is again visible the last half of February into March. The 750 feet tall cliffs of Whiteside, are the highest shear cliffs in the eastern United States. That should give you some idea of how large the bear is.
This is a favorite capture of many visiting photographers to our area.
In October of 2010 I emailed this photo to Julie Spiro, Director of the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce to remind her the shadow would re-appear in a couple of weeks. She wanted to know if she could do a regional news release and I gave her permission. WLOS-TV in Asheville, NC ran it on the news and the Associated Press picked it up and it has appeared on ABC & NBC web sites as well as many other sites and newspapers throughout the United States and Canada.