When you are on top of a peak in a range of mountains the view may be disappointing. You are so high yourself and the world about you is so high that the neighboring peaks may look like small hills. This is true of the Andes Mountains, particularly in Chile. It is also true of the southern part of the Appalachian Mountains. Here you are standing on Mt. Toxaway overlooking a great number of peaks in the Blue Ridge Mountains. You are near the highest point in North America east of the Rocky Mountains. Mt. Mitchell, which is only a short distance away, is the highest peak of the Appalachians. It rise 6,711 feet above the level of the sea. This is not a high altitude as compared with the peaks of the Rockies. For example, Pikes Peak in Colorado, is 14,108 feet high. Mt.

McKinley, in Alaska, is the highest peak in North America, with an elevation of 20,500 feet. Mt. Everest, in the Himalayas far overtops any of these, with an altitude of 29,141 feet. The peaks of the Appalachians are not so high as are those of the Rockies, partly because they are older. Thousands of years of wearing down by rains and freezes have taken off the sharpness of their tops. This section of North Carolina is noted for its scenery and its fine climate. The city of Asheville near here is famous as a pleasure and health resort. Many wealthy people have country homes on the sides of the mountains near the city. Locate Asheville. Measure the length of the Appalachians.