Dennis Chastain, an outdoors writer, naturalist and storyteller known in South Carolina for his vast knowledge of the southern Blue Ridge mountains, died this past weekend at his home after a brief illness.
The 73-year-old Chastain spent much of his life in the mountains of Pickens County, studying nature and recounting in newspaper and magazine stories what he’d found. He had extensive knowledge of Appalachian history, in addition to the environment surrounding his home near Table Rock State Park.
His familiarity with the rugged mountain landscape was so deep he was once called a modern-day Daniel Boone. Friends say he knew more about the terrain of Pickens County’s mountains than almost anyone…