082117_Eclipse_EQ_029
The sun rises over the Blue Ridge Mountains seen from the Wayah Bald along the Appalachian Trail outside of Franklin, North Carolina, hours before the solar eclipse, Monday, August 21, 2017. Thousands ventured into the Nantahala National Forest in southwestern North Carolina to view the two and half minutes of totality during this year’s solar eclipse. (Eamon Queeney / North State Journal)