"Losing Sight" by Marci Spencer

 — visibility appeared endless

We reversed our prior roles and life responsibilities, and we have changed our course.

A native of Asheville, North Carolina, now living in Old Fort, Marci Spencer grew up on land that her great-grandfather refused to sell to George Vanderbilt for the Biltmore Estate. She worked as a nurse practitioner in the fields of cardiology, family medicine, and overseas medical missionary service. After hiking hundreds of miles, volunteering for the park service, and earning certification as a naturalist/environmental educator, Marci wrote Clingmans Dome, Highest Mountain in the Great Smokies, Pisgah National Forest: a History, Nantahala National Forest: a History, and Pisgah Inn---all published by Arcadia/History Press.

Author’s Talk

Marci Spencer

I confess. It's often easier for me to express my deepest thoughts and feeling on paper than it is in a spoken dialogue. This character trait became obvious in my youth, maintaining a diary, writing ten-page letters to my aunt in Florida, and receiving higher scores in school on written essay assignments than on oral deliveries. As a young adult, I journaled thousands of miles of hiking experiences, multiple medical missionary trips to third-world countries, global vacations, wildlife rehabilitation endeavors, nature studies, and pilot training. A notebook stayed by my side. When my written observations and newfound knowledge, recorded during my volunteer work at Great Smoky Mountains National Park, filled several notebooks, my words became a published book on the history of Clingmans Dome, the highest mountain in the national park. After its release, my publisher said, "Marci, if you ever want to write the biography of another mountain, let me know." I chose Mount Pisgah, my dad's favorite mountain. After History Press published my history of Pisgah National Forest, retired national forest staff urged me to come to the most western counties on North Carolina "and write a book about our national forest---Nantahala." One project has led to another, and the writing continues. Through all the research and writing experiences, though, I have reaped golden nuggets more valuable than the written words. Laughing, and sometimes crying with the people whom I have met along the writing journey, sharing personal stories of success, sadness, and family history, have left an indelible imprint in my soul that is far more priceless than any words on paper.—Marci Spencer