Twelve months ago, the town of Chimney Rock, North Carolina, was mostly wiped out by flood waters and mudslides resulting from over 10 to 20 inches of rain dumped by Hurricane Helene. Yet, the historic structural feature of Chimney Rock State Park went unscathed—as did the natural rock monolith for which the area is named.
In fact, a few days after the devastating storm, a few rangers made their way inside the park and climbed to the top of the 315-foot-tall, chimney-shaped rock to hoist an American flag and give survivors in the town below a symbol of hope.
