A native of Asheville, North Carolina, now living in Old Fort, Marci Spencer grew up on land that her great-grandfather refused to sell to George Vanderbilt for the Biltmore Estate. She worked as a nurse practitioner in the fields of cardiology, family medicine, and overseas medical missionary service. After hiking hundreds of miles, volunteering for the park service, and earning certification as a naturalist/environmental educator, Marci wrote Clingmans Dome, Highest Mountain in the Great Smokies, Pisgah National Forest: a History, Nantahala National Forest: a History, and Pisgah Inn---all published by Arcadia/History Press.