north carolina

A National Parks Journey - Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Over the past decade, I had visited two of the three major National Parks that dominate the north east- Acadia and Shenandoah. The last one on that list was Smokies, one of the most visited National Parks in the country due to its popularity, ease of access and proximity to tourist centers. This made it a foolhardy decision to visit the park in fall, and yet I persisted with this task.

Despite visiting during the peak of Covid infections in the country, the crowds were far worse than I had anticipated. The tourists in the getaway towns of Gatlinburg and Cherokee, threw away any social distancing or sensible mask precautions to the wind. Driving in the long lines of traffic leading in and out of the park, and on its major thoroughfares, proved to be an exercise in patience. Nevertheless, we did find our moments of zen, both along trails that meandered along small creeks doused in blazing yellows, or at the top of Clingmans dome, watching the surreal colors of sunrise and dawn creep across the ranges of blue mountains to the east. In spite of the throngs of tourists, these are memories I would preserve for a while

Great Smoky Mountains National Park
TN USA

Silhouetted by Sunlight

The spines of a fraser fir stands along the ridgeline of one of Clingmans dome, silhouetted by the hazy morning light. Once a large grove of firs atop the dome, they were decimated by the balsam woolly beetle with efforts to repopulate ending in failure, and led to a drastic change in the montane ecosystem of the dome. Other vegetation still survives, with lower slopes dominated by deciduous trees that shed color every fall, and whose change of color attracts tourists from all over.

Driving up from the lower valleys where the colors had just started to change, to the upper reaches where most trees were reduced to their skeletons, one can experience a wide range of biodiversity exhibited by the Appalachians. The landscape around continues to change, primarily by the human pressure from population centers and industries on either side of the divide. But the higher you get, the less visible those changes are.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park
NC USA

Hidden Gems

In my four days of wandering the Appalachian foothills, I found that the real wonder of the region is not in the Smoky Mountains or the famed Blue Ridge Parkway, but in the national forests that surround the east to west spine of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Peaceful lakes with undisturbed trails and bountiful waterfalls adorn the undulating and lush landscape of the Nantahala and Cherokee National Forests.

I enjoyed the serenity of one such lake in western North Carolina far more than I thought I would, and it was only my first day in this beautiful part of the country.

Nantahala National Forest
NC USA

Shimmering Cascades of the Smokies

If you are always racing to the next moment, what happens to the one you are in?

It had been a hectic trip until then, driving miles and miles around the Appalachian foothills, and enjoying the vast difference in scenery this place had to offer. It was easy to get the big picture, but it was hard to slow down, stop, and enjoy the little creeks, the tiny cabins, the mellow wildlife, and the gentle colors of the forest.

I did want to slow down, but in the pursuit of "seeing everything" in a limited time, I was on the verge of missing all. And so I did. I found this lovely little creek cascading under the canopy of the golden leaves of fall. And I plonked myself right in the middle, just to enjoy its gentle gurgles.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park
NC USA

Not So Smoky

When I arrived at the summit, it was still dark, with a faint tinge of orange on the eastern sky. I could barely make out the dark silhouette of the horizon. I wondered what the morning sun would bring.

As I waited through the cold and still dawn, the layers of mountains slowly became visible, stretching endlessly into the horizon with one range overlapping the next until they all coalesced into the boundary between the earth and the sky. Soon, the low angle of the autumnal rising sun cast sharp lines of shadow and light that lit up the fog lying low in the deep valleys.

After standing in that freezing winds for what seemed like eternity, I welcomed the glorious rays of the morning sun. Apart from lighting the vast vistas in front of me, it warmed up heart and soul.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park
NC USA

Hidden in the woods

Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all.

A tiny cabin is adorned by the colors of autumn in the heart of Nantahala National Forest.

Nantahala National Forest
NC USA