Randy Johnson has lived in the Southern Appalachians most of his life and has written widely for national newspapers and ski and travel magazines, often on the topic of North Carolina's outdoors. For years he was editor-in-chief of United Airlines' Hemispheres, then the United States' most award-winning in-flight magazine. Randy has hiked and skied all over the world and is a member of the Society of American Travel Writers and the North American Snowsports Journalists Association. He is also the author of Hiking Virginia, Hiking the Blue Ridge Parkway, Best Easy Day Hikes Blue Ridge Parkway, and Southern Snow: The Winter Guide to Dixie. Visit his Web site at www.randyjohnsonbooks.com to see special features relating to his books.