Monday 3/31/2014
Since my youth I have been enchanted,
mesmerized by the Appalachian mountains, the Blue Ridge and Smokies that hover
as guardians of this land, through the mists of smoky rain and the blue fog
that compels the soul to soar and ignites a curious wonder and daring intrepid
desire to seek to linger in the heaven of the mountains, exploring the subtle
layers of the mystery of this land, from its history, hidden waterfalls and
solitude peaks where you step into a fairyland on the earth. For me the mountains have always been God’s
temples and monuments on the earth, the forests the air of life and the rivers
a form of baptism as I confess my humble failures in the midst of the
extraordinary wonder of nature. It is in
the quiet places, the lost trails and back roads among the blue smoke of this
ancient land, I find solace and rest in the healing in the mastery of the Great
Smokies. In the forest you see the
miracle in every single tree – and started to understand the interconnected web
of life and our duty to protect this land, and guard it as it guards and
nourishes us.
It is not a
beauty that overwhelms you at first, rather it hearkens to great you with a
subtle grandeur, and the more you explore the land…the more you come to fall in
love with its deep impenetrable beauty.
It is a place, though harsh and at times volatile, has the power to
soothe the soul. If we sit quietly in
the depths of the woods, one can hear the language of nature and in the
language of nature, the glory of God as a creator and masterful artist reveals
itself in soft vibrant conversation.
The language of
nature is a wondrous sonnet that rhymes
and beats to its own drum, a language universal; a language that stirs the soul
and lifts the heart and fuels the lungs with air. It is soft as a whisper, whistling in the
singing of the leaves dancing in the spring wind, as harsh as the frost of a
winter morn, a firestorm in autumn’s sunburst before the collapsing of the sky
to the earth where it came. It is bold
and nuanced. It is in the hills of the
Great Smokies and the Blue Ridge Mountains I first fell in love with
nature. I found myself lost in the
enchanting spell of this rugged, rambling high country. This is a land where the mountains rise to
meet the sky, colliding to form a vast ocean of blue.
This is the land of the blue smoke, where the
mists rise out of the dense forests creating an ethereal mystic cloak, a veil
of blue color. The mountains roar with a
subtle warmth, a concert of color and light.
Staring off into the sweeping panorama of the Smokies takes your breath
away with a quiet wonder. The scene is
does not startle your senses with abrupt jagged, sheer cliff peaks of the Rocky
Mountains, rather the Smokies entrance wanderers into its ancient magic, its
alluring symphony. The scene is a living
work of art, nature’s watercolor. The
park is a living biosphere, it soars and dances, has mood swings from stormy
cloudy mazes that swallow the mountains whole to ceaseless blue skies…The Great
Smokies is a land where the mountains rise to meet the sky in an ocean of blue
mist, the high country of the Great Smoky Mountains lures you into its
mystery. I am ready to explore, though
honest enough to know that it will take 10,000 lifetimes to truly uncover all
the secrets of this land…still I return, to quench my thirst.
Still
recovering from sleep deprivation, my mom and I slept in, before venturing into
the western end of the Great Smoky National Park around 11:00 a.m. We had hoped hike to Laurel Falls, a graceful
cascade hidden in the forests. Sadly we
could not get a parking spot at this popular hiking trail. The Smokies has limited parking at top
attractions and it is essential to get an early start and have patience when
touring the region. The Smokies sees
nearly 13 million visitors a year.
We decided to
continue to drive to Cades Cove. This
isolated valley in Tennessee is surrounding with ambling beauty of the Smoky
Mountains and open sky. Cades Cove is
steeped in history, legend and picturesque vistas.
Geologically, Cades Cove is a type of valley
known as a “limestone window” created by erosion that removed the older Precambrian
sandstone, thus exposing younger Paleozoic limestone buried beneath. Weathering resistant formations, including
Cades sandstone, which underlies Rich Mountain to the north and Elkmont and
Thunderhead sandstones which form the Smokes crest to the south surround the
cove, leaving it relatively isolated within the Great Smokies. The weathering of the limestone produced
deep, fertile soil, making Cades Cove attractive to early farmers.
The majority of the rocks that make up Cades Cove are
unaltered sedimentary rocks formed between 340 million and 570 million years
ago during the Ordovician period. The Precambrian rocks that comprise the high
ridges surrounding the cove are Ocoee Super Group sandstones formed
approximately 1 billion years ago. The
mountains themselves were formed between 200 million 400 million years ago when
the North American and African plates collided, thrusting the rock formations
upward.
Prior to
starting the 11 mile auto loop through historic Cades Cove, my mom and I did a
half mile hike (Indian Graveyard) – investigated campground and picnic
area.
The Cades Cove
auto loop is an eleven mile one way road that traverses the history of this
hidden valley oasis, where homesteaders lived off the land for centuries. The Great Smoky National Park is more than
just the mountains – it is the life of the mountains, the cultures of Cherokee
to frontier settlers and pioneers who called this land home, a home where roots
were as deep as the heart and the lungs to life…the people of blue smoke’s
spirit lingers in the over a century old log cabins, churches and
gristmills. Cades Cove tells the story
of human communities from feuds and friendships, toils and triumphs, the beauty
of living in a land of plenty in spite of the perils of drought and storm,
hardship and pain. This land can renew
the brokenness of spirit. The mists of
the Smokies like a cloud of prayers from heaven releasing a cleansing rain.
My mom and I
took our time enjoying the sights at Cades Cove, exploring the history of the
Grist Mill and breathing in the mountain air imagining the past in the cove
from the Cherokee to the bustling farming community to the present day.
My mom and I
left Cades Cove around four o’clock and drove to the gateway town of Townsend,
TN. Stomachs grumbling after a day of sightseeing we decided to stop at the
Monte Real Mexican Restaurant. I love
Mexican cuisine and I have the waistline to prove it. Monte Real offers delicious homemade
authentic Mexican food with fresh ingredients.
Their service was upbeat, friendly and prompt. I ordered the Tacos Carne Asada, seasoned
tender steak tacos in made from scratch corn tortillas, cilantro, onion and
spicy salsa. My mom ordered the Pollo
Loco, a perfectly seared chicken dish with rice and refried beans. I have eaten a lot of Mexican food in my time
and this ranks among the best…it was so fresh and authentic…muy delicioso!
After a ‘dunch’ we drove back into the park and stopped for a view of the roaring
rapids of the Little River, where enjoyed a ¼ mile hike (turned around
because of creeks and did not have waterproof hiking boots with us).
We spent the
rest of the evening relaxing in the room…I fell asleep around 7:30 still sleep
deprived from the trip across the country…more adventures tomorrow.
