The Crash Site Hike I Can't Forget

I didn’t expect to find a plane crash on a mountain trail. Waterrock Knob, North Carolina—fog rolling in, trees dripping, and then the metal, torn and rusted, half-swallowed by moss. The wreckage is from 1983, but it feels older, like it’s always been here, waiting for someone to notice. I stood there longer than I meant to. It’s not a monument. No plaque, no warning—just the quiet reminder that not every journey ends where you plan. I took a photo but never posted it. It felt wrong, like I was trespassing on someone else’s story. Sometimes travel isn’t about escape or discovery. Sometimes it’s just about standing still, letting the weight of what happened settle in your chest. #Travel #TravelUnfiltered #HiddenHistory