....And Looking Up At the Mountains

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Donovan had a song called “There Is a Mountain,” which went, “First there is a mountain, then there is no mountain, then there is.” While I haven’t officially adopted that as my theme song for going to the Smoky Mountains, it seems to fit me, doesn’t it? US Highway 441, known as Newfound Gap Road, runs through the Smoky Mountains National Park from Gatlinburg, Tennessee to Cherokee, North Carolina. It’s a lovely drive any time it’s open (the road had a tendency to be closed in the winter, thanks to the 6,000-plus foot elevation at Newfound Gap attracting a lot of snow), and there’s no telling what you’ll see in terms of wildlife (this time around there were a couple of elk nonchalantly munching on grass on the side of the road while we gawked at them). What you’ll always see, however, is beauty. Just past the Chimneys picnic area (close to the trailhead for Chimney Tops, which is where the devastating 2016 wildfire began [the summit of Chimney Tops is still closed]) there are pull-offs where you can stop and take in the view. And take it in. And. Take. It. In. At this part of Newfound Gap Road it’s not that far “up” the mountains, so it offers a tremendous opportunity to look up — way up — at the peaks. I don’t always stop and look, but sometimes I just can’t help myself to be overwhelmed by the beauty.