In the photo above, you can see the grey scar on the ridge to the right where the slide broke loose. The rock in this part of the Smokies is part of the Anakeesta Foundation, a vertical deposit of shale that is extremely slippery and fractured. In times of heavy rain, common here along the north side of the range, water collects in the deep fissures and pushes the rock apart. Slides are common throughout the Greenbrier Valley.