Murphy, North Carolina

Do not go to Fires Creek Picnic Area. We went there in 2020, and had it not been for wisdom, we might not have made it out alive. As soon as we entered the park, everything went completely silent. We sat down to eat, and immediately noticed an older woman glaring at us with pure hate, sitting with her husband and two adult sons. Then, I turned and saw a tall pink man (because their skin tone is not white) and his partner pacing back and forth. He got on the phone, and when he hung up, he smirked at us, walked arrogantly into the stream, climbed onto a large boulder, and laid back with both hands behind his head—still smirking.

I looked at my brother and said, “We need to get out of here.” I told my mom and stepdad, and we packed up quickly. As we were leaving, I kid you not, a truck full of about five “pink boys” came flying past us, screaming and hollering like a lynch mob, headed straight toward where we had just been. I haven’t been back there since. And truthfully, & Hiawassee, GA is no better-they are not friendly and will not help you.