Are you from western NC? I assume that is what the WNC is for? If so, then there is a great place near you to get a shelter dog. It is a no-kill shelter in Morganton NC called Burke County Friends 4 Animals. They have many puppies and dogs. They have a fenced-in yard you can take the dog to and let them run around and play. We were able to tell alot about what we liked and did not like about the dogs from their behavior running around. We love to hike also and did not want a dog that would give out in 20 minutes.
We live in NC and adopted our mutt there. Good people and no pressure, they want you and the dog to be happy.
Our dog was 7 months old and not potty trained. It did take a month and alot of work to potty train a big dog(no way to keep her blocked in the kitchen when we were not home). They do have some dogs that came in already trained though.
Good luck. And when you see the right dog, your heart will go 'Aaaawwww'