Appalachian Stories from the Folk Apothic
Meet Luke Dilbeck, explorer of the Appalachia, believer in the simple. He is our newest guest writer and will be a regular contributor.
You chose to come here for a reason. Mayhaps you are one who seeks adventure, and you heard tell of the countless miles of hiking that can be found within our wild southern appalachian mountains or the hidden waterfalls and swimming holes that beckon you to shed your clothes and cares on a sweltering july day. Perhaps you came to wet a fly and find solitude on a cold and clear mountain stream and find that oneness of forest, water, and sky. It could be that whilst sitting in traffic, you found yourself daydreaming of mountaintop sunsets from the deck of cabin that overlooks an ocean of trees.
And we have that. In abundance.
![](https://blueridge.imgix.net/images/archive/Luke-Dilbeck-Scenic-1-Hero.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=320&s=631e0481952c0aab890ae4fa9183b6f1 320w, https://blueridge.imgix.net/images/archive/Luke-Dilbeck-Scenic-1-Hero.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=540&s=d9a3e880dec02292eedebc6d7fc0be7b 540w, https://blueridge.imgix.net/images/archive/Luke-Dilbeck-Scenic-1-Hero.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=768&s=52402b7cd2aae47435a94626ce1cd575 768w, https://blueridge.imgix.net/images/archive/Luke-Dilbeck-Scenic-1-Hero.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1024&s=686ea0312c7640bee160919363e2dc60 1024w, https://blueridge.imgix.net/images/archive/Luke-Dilbeck-Scenic-1-Hero.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1200&s=18f2f24c697d373a76f5a0f02b0490f4 1200w, https://blueridge.imgix.net/images/archive/Luke-Dilbeck-Scenic-1-Hero.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1440&s=08ffec0beaa73b4bc0b13df0505051f3 1440w, https://blueridge.imgix.net/images/archive/Luke-Dilbeck-Scenic-1-Hero.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1920&s=df0b2545334600f287423c10d8c22dba 1920w)
But if I were a gambling man, and you were honest with yourself….I mean down deep honest….I would venture to guess that these mountains also drew you in on a level deep within your soul. A longing for just a small reprieve to a life a little more laid back. And perhaps, to a place where in the right moment, time seems to stand still.
Those of us who have roots here understand that call. And contrary to many out there who believe that we are just 'stuck', its that primordial call that either keeps us in these mountains, or finds us returning to our roots later in life. There is history here. Some of it isn't pretty. Yet much of it is beautiful and there are countless stories from the simple folks who scratched out a life (a good life) in these unforgiving mountains.
![](https://blueridge.imgix.net/images/archive/Luke-Dilbeck-mountain-view3.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=320&s=4070658eb8b2837b06309e6d78dd24ef 320w, https://blueridge.imgix.net/images/archive/Luke-Dilbeck-mountain-view3.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=540&s=f690ef13d796b65cff6953828d6205b7 540w, https://blueridge.imgix.net/images/archive/Luke-Dilbeck-mountain-view3.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=768&s=2d7dd2f2352c63b98a243650fb8b0ff4 768w, https://blueridge.imgix.net/images/archive/Luke-Dilbeck-mountain-view3.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1024&s=c45423bc0e170727c8caa0f5dcf46f44 1024w, https://blueridge.imgix.net/images/archive/Luke-Dilbeck-mountain-view3.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1200&s=5109c70d92132761f44406c81401e208 1200w, https://blueridge.imgix.net/images/archive/Luke-Dilbeck-mountain-view3.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1440&s=53908af0b40b80b8a741281c762f37f3 1440w, https://blueridge.imgix.net/images/archive/Luke-Dilbeck-mountain-view3.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1920&s=5f96597db113df4c56c9e918413aca75 1920w, https://blueridge.imgix.net/images/archive/Luke-Dilbeck-mountain-view3.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=2560&s=dfb0ea5e26826534744f9e1648ac7d2a 2560w, https://blueridge.imgix.net/images/archive/Luke-Dilbeck-mountain-view3.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=3840&s=03931fbe33cb5a0f05756e2b8dec9b1c 2717w)
And I am here to tell their stories….the good, the heartbreaking, the customs, the colloquial, and the traditions that make us who we are. I tell these stories not for mere entertainment, but so this dwindling culture that once ensconced such a large part of our nation, should not be forgotten, and perhaps, just maybe, seen in a different light other than just the bumbling hillbilly.
![](https://blueridge.imgix.net/images/archive/folkapoth2Luke2_200826_145847.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=320&s=744ec9757efb34bd45dacbd35a534fff 320w, https://blueridge.imgix.net/images/archive/folkapoth2Luke2_200826_145847.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=540&s=adc71cd3304e2cd70467edd7896b84c4 540w, https://blueridge.imgix.net/images/archive/folkapoth2Luke2_200826_145847.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=768&s=863ea07f1407ac8c7fe6895cf24fccfa 768w, https://blueridge.imgix.net/images/archive/folkapoth2Luke2_200826_145847.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1024&s=b65548dddc87df4d21914040d016c93d 1024w, https://blueridge.imgix.net/images/archive/folkapoth2Luke2_200826_145847.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1200&s=3b72fda40a4af3b7a758ae4d25e77a5a 1200w, https://blueridge.imgix.net/images/archive/folkapoth2Luke2_200826_145847.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1440&s=af3501736abbc075c7516dd7ec3d0cef 1363w)
I am Luke. I was born in the shadows of Big Frog Mountain out a little country road that led into the depths of the Cohutta Wilderness. I grew up wading the crystal clear waters of Tumbling Creek, and rambling around the woods behind my house. Daddy worked in the copper mines, Momma worked for the state, and I went to grammar school at a little old school that sat on top of a large hill overlooking our small town on one side and the vast de-nuded landscape of copper mining on the other.
I spent my summers with Mamaw (old Rube) an Papaw (Creed) in their little shift of a place just up the road a piece from my own house. It wasn't much. Papaw built it after he and mamaw got married at the start of the Depression, but Lord, was it a warm and homey place. Papaw worked in the mines till he retired and mamaw was a housewife who raised all the youngins and grandbabies, and she was the local Avon lady. Those two always had something going on, but yet always found the time to enjoy a front porch sitting with friends and family.
It was here, my summers with them, and the stories they told, that I learned of the beauty and simplicity that these ancient mountains hold. And in the stories to come, I hope that perhaps….just maybe, if you close your eyes and breathe in real deep, that you too can find yourself on an old front porch on a warm June evening with a cold glass of overly sweet tea in your hand listening to the resonating voice of Papaw Creed telling tales as lightning bugs rise from the meadow and Old Rube hums those old southern hymns.
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The Folk Collaborative2984 Mobile Rd.
McCaysville, GA 30555
The Folk Collaborative
2984 Mobile Rd. McCaysville, GA 30555 (706) 492-7753 Website