Bill Carson was an IBM software engineer and did work for NASA during the height of the space race. When he retired to the mountains of North Carolina in the 1990s he came into ownership, through a family member purchase of the land, the Orchard at Altpass. The Orchard, a stone’s drop down the mountain side off the Blue Ridge Parkway used to be a part of a much larger property but now sits comfortably between the Parkway up above and the train tracks that line the base of the mountain. Carson, who wears a tag denoting his founder’s status, still enjoys dancing to the lively bluegrass music performed regularly on property. With views overlooking the surrounding green hilltops of the lower Appalachia, The Orchard at Altapass operates as a nonprofit and plays a pivotal role in conserving heirloom local varieties of apples that are no longer commonly grown. Photos as well from Mt Mitchell on slide two Photographed during the thomasjeffersonscholars retreat weekend on 9/23/23 #blueridge...