The Real Middle Earth
Middle Earth may be closer to home than you think...
The United States, specifically the Appalachian Mountains, is the real Middle Earth.
The United States is usually thought to be polluted and building covered, but wasn't the case before the colonists arrived in the 1800s. The Cherokee Indians inhabited the Appalachian Mountains for hundreds of years communicating in Iroquoian, their native language. Their everyday life consisted of Cherokee women doing most of the farming while men hunted. Both genders wore clothing made out of animal hides and later Europeans introduced them to cloth. Some traditions would include the festivals held throughout the year to celebrate various things.
What about New Zealand?
The Appalachian Mountains beat the scenery of New Zealand in many ways. Whether you start in Georgia or Pennsylvania, the beginning of the journey is smooth like Tolkien described in the book. Your horse would have no problems getting through! As you get farther from home, the hills get steeper, civilization is scarce, and the weather is hit or miss. All of these are factors in the 14 characters's journey.
The Scenery of the Appalachian Mountains
The Appalachian Mountains can be described as a 2,168 mile long mountain range with its tallest mountain reaching heights of about 6,700 feet. Several different rivers and valleys can be found along the area of the 14 states they stretch over.
Wow! Bilbo and his crew have a lot of hiking to do!
This picture shows Middle Earth because in the book Bilbo describes reaching a certain point and seeing several large mountains in the distance. Just looking at them, made him dread some of the journey ahead.
The Goblin cave the adventurers raided!
After Bilbo's unsuccessful first steal and the dwarves almost dying, two of the younger dwarves are sent to try to find shelter. They find the Goblins that attacked them's cave and inside were useful treasures. This is the cave!
On top of the world!
The group reaches the top of one of the smaller mountains and hope is gained. Maybe this won't be as bad as they thought?
Cherokee Nation Tours!
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Hike the Appalachian Mountain trail today!
This site contains all the information you will need to explore the Appalachian trail!
United States Official History Website!
Curious about U.S. history? Here's a site full of trustworthy information to discover!