Oh sorry, I thought you’re on the Virginia side. I love North Carolina’s ruggedness. Anytime we set out to go for a drive we always head East :-)
I didn’t think we were that far apart. I think most of our summer has been unseasonably cool and wet. And the downside of course, lots of mowing. And blight in the garden!
I’m within sight of the Blue Ridge but down in the Piedmont, north of Greensboro and Winston-Salem. Regarding the NC mountains, the high country around Boone is rugged, but the really high (by eastern standards) mountains are in the vicinity of Asheville, quite a number over a mile high, not just Mt. Mitchell. You’d probably love the town of Highlands, too, it’s way south on the SC/GA border of NC. Town itself is like 4,200 ft so it seldom to never gets hot there. Flora and fauna excellent, very beautiful country.