Adventure is Out There

"It is one of the blessings of wilderness life that it shows us how few things we need in order to be perfectly happy." ~Horace Kephart

While Minnesota will always be my home, pieces of my heart are always being left in new places. Places like Denmark, the Canadian Rockies, the Sleeping Bear Dunes of Michigan, and now the Great Smoky Mountains. Many people have been asking me if I’m excited to leave. I’m not. How could I be excited to leave such an incredible place, so awe-inspiring that after twelve weeks I can still hardly believe I’m here?

Admittedly, I am excited to be back in Minnesota and look at a lake for the first time this summer. But there is so much that I will miss about Tennessee. I’ll miss the cloud-covered mountain peaks, the iconic waterfalls, the historic valleys, the wildlife, and the people. I feel so lucky to have gotten to know this park as well as I know my own homeland. I’ve learned its history, geology, and biology; its stories, legends, traditions, and cultures; and I’ve experienced it through more divisions of the Park Service than I can count on both hands.

I’ve created webpages (check out my final AmeriCorps project), gotten over a hundred thousand views on some of my photos used on the official park facebook page, monitored fish populations in streams with the fisheries crew, taken photography and writing workshops with the park’s Artists-in-Residence, and stepped behind the desk at the visitor center to help families and travelers plan their adventures. And that was all just a part of my job!

My most recent adventure was one of my favorites. On Friday the 14^th, my friends Maureen and Victoria flew all the way out here from Minnesota to spend my last weekend in the Smokies with me. And what an adventure it was! Hiking to a waterfall, sunsets, biking, an alpine slide, and an evening spent in my favorite place—the high elevations near Clingmans Dome. It was a weekend for the books! Thank you so much for visiting, you guys! I miss you already!

What I’ve learned this summer:

1. How to communicate and make plans without depending on cell phones or the internet. Hooray for no service in the park!
2. That the National Park Service is one of the most passionate organizations I have ever had the honor of working with.
3. How to be creative (enough) when cooking for myself.
4. How to air out the house after setting off the smoke detectors with burnt French toast.
5. That adventures generally have a range of ALL KINDS of emotions.
6. How to properly pack for hikes, day and overnight alike.
7. The art of putting myself outside of my comfort zone, which—I usually realize—is when I always have the most fun.

Things I will miss about the Smokies:

1. The Mountains. Period.
2. The opportunity to go hiking on a new trail every weekend. And over 900 miles to choose from in the park!
3. NO MOSQUITOES!! That’s right, Minnesota, I’m telling the truth.
4. My fantastic group of interns, coworkers, and supervisors
5. The incredibly unique Appalachian culture of bluegrass, moonshine, and mountain log cabins.
6. Walking to work every morning, crossing stone bridges over rushing streams and seeing the outline of a mountain through the trees from my road.
7. Living and working in a National Park—something I never thought I’d be able to do!

This summer has truly been a dream come true, and a year ago I certainly would not have thought myself capable of moving out here alone. So for now, it’s goodbye to the Great Smoky Mountains. I have no doubt that someday I will return. They’ve earned a place in my heart, and I have learned skills and life lessons that I will carry with me forever. A post can’t do the summer justice—not even a full blog can do that—but I hope that you’ve enjoyed following along. Keep an eye on my website (lindseytaylorphotography.smugmug.com) for more photography updates from Gustavus throughout the year.

On to the next chapter! Thanks for tuning in!

Lindsey

The Taylors Take on the Smokies

Exploring the park I have been living in for the past 8 weeks with my family only made me fall in love with the Smokies more. They arrived on the night of Wednesday the 22^nd, car piled high with food, suitcases, and the two dogs (yes, that’s right). We rented a cabin in Wear Valley, a quiet, beautiful area just west of the national park. There are so many cabins to rent in Tennessee that you can easily find a fully furnished two-story house to rent for less than an average hotel room, and certainly less than any hotel room in Gatlinburg.

Early on the morning of the 23^rd, I took my family up to Grotto Falls, starting up the trailhead at 7:30 a.m. The air was humid, but not yet hot, as we snaked our way up the mountain-side to the tropical-esque waterfall. My favorite part about this waterfall is that the trail leads you directly behind it, allowing hikers to reach out from behind and collect fresh mountain water in their hands to cool off. Though my family was at first skeptical of the early start, on the way down the one and a half mile trail we began to see droves of families, sometimes forming a line of twenty or more up the hill. There’s something to be said for the early birds.

The next morning our alarms rang at 3:30 in the morning, and we rose with sleepy eyes and dragging feet and piled into the car once more. We arrived at the base of Clingmans Dome by 5:30, and climbed the steep half mile to the observation tower under the stars, so high above the surrounding valleys and peaks that we felt like we were part of the heavens. As we reached the top of the tower, the sun was just beginning to color the sky. Around us, the clouds were still low in the valleys, and the dome we stood on was like an island floating in the mist. The bluish clouds moved and flowed like an ocean around the highest peaks.

The sky turned pink and orange, and the layers of mountains before us were blue and purple, looking iconically “smoky”. As the sun rose over the crest of the tallest peaks, it cast its rays over the mountains, clouds, and trees. I stood watching it, in awe and wonder, knowing that it was one of the most beautiful views I had ever seen.

We stopped at Newfound Gap on the drive back down the mountain, and the traffic in the park was already picking up by 8.

By 8:30 Justin and I were hiking up to Chimney Tops, crossing bridges and climbing too many stairs to count. We reached the rock scramble (after a hike that I would rather not do again) and we were in the clouds, completely surrounded by a mist that swirled around the summit of the mountain. I slid my way up half of the pinnacle, leaving Justin to climb the rest alone. I was content settled into the ledge I had found. We sat on the mountain for nearly an hour, watching adults and families alike attempt the steep climb to the top, some changing their minds and turning around halfway up. It was only 10:30, and yet it felt as though we had been awake for days.

We also stopped at the Craftsmen’s Fair in Gatlinburg, where we were treated to a live bluegrass show featuring a comedian and a fiddle player who even performed “Orange Blossom Special” by heart. The rest of our afternoons were spent sleeping, cooking delicious dinners, and playing Settlers of Catan. A relaxing way to end the days!

On Saturday I promised Justin that it would be our last early morning as we once again loaded the car at 5 a.m. The mountains were black against the starry sky as we drove through Wear Valley toward the park, winding our way along Little River Road to Cades Cove. We arrived in the cove by 6:15 and waited in line to rent bikes for the morning. The air was thick and heavy, and as we pedaled into the cove my heart sank: the mist in the valley had not yet risen, and we were completely enveloped in the clouds that were still hanging below the mountains.

The ride was still beautiful as we kept a sharp eye out for wildlife, spotting only a few deer for the duration of the journey. We pulled over to explore churches, cemeteries, and cabins. A few miles into the loop my dad stopped near a park volunteer to get help with his bike brakes, and I slowed my bike near the edge of the road, looking up to stare across the valley. And to my enormous joy, the clouds were finally beginning to lift, and the peak of the mountains became visible!

By 9 o’ clock we were halfway around the loop, and we stopped at the visitor center to explore the historical buildings nearby. We came to the Cable Mill, its water wheel still spinning with the power of the creek, and walked inside the dusty building. We were greeted by a happy elderly man who had worked as an interpreter in this mill for years. He talked to us about the history of the mill, eyes crinkling as he smiled through his story, and explained how it still runs to produce cornmeal. He reached under a wooden shelf and collected the falling powder in his hand, passing it to us. How incredible that this mill—once an essential link in a farming mountain community—was still running almost 150 years later!

The rest of the ride was more beautiful than ever, with sun-covered hillsides and grasses illuminated by the morning light. We successfully made it around the eleven-mile loop before the cars that entered at 10 a.m. caught up to us, and treated ourselves to ice cream at the campground store.

On Sunday we had a later start, as promised, and spent most of the day hanging around the cabin. We went to nearby Townsend for lunch at the Trailhead Steakhouse (would definitely recommend) and picked up groceries to stock up my house in the park. On Monday morning my family dropped me off at headquarters for work on their way out of town.

Thank you so much for visiting me, Mom, Dad, and Justin! I hope you guys had as much fun as I did. This place is truly incredible for more reasons than I can even explain, and I have learned more than I ever thought I would. Having you guys here and seeing you experience everything for the first time has reminded me how grateful I am to be able to spend my entire summer living among the Smokies in a national park, and I know I will miss it here when I return home.

Here’s to the next two and a half weeks!

Lindsey

P.S. Today  my roommate, Ellie, and I ventured to the Oconaluftee Overlook to view the sunrise at 6 a.m. this morning. One of my favorite views of the Smokies this summer!