Rocky Top Tennessee

"Reading about nature is fine, but if a person walks in the woods and listens carefully, he can learn more than what is in books, for they speak with the voice of God." ~~George Washington Carver

Every year in September for almost 15 years, we take our annual trip to the Great Smoky Mountains. It’s always this same weekend because we have reservations at the LeConte Lodge on September 10th for each year. There are five trails to the top of Mt LeConte with the shortest being the Alum Cave Bluffs trail (5.5 miles one way) and the longest being the Boulevard Trail (8.8 miles one way). A lodge and cabins are at the top of the mountain that does require reservations for overnight stay. They provide dinner at night and then breakfast in the morning. The cabins are quite rustic and there is a central toilet facility shared by all who stay overnight. Because we go the same night each year, we have developed friendships with other families who also go on the same night each year.

We stayed at Tremont Hills campground in Townsend, TN, for this trip. There is ample space for each RV and the campground is clean. It has a playground area and a pool which Rachel and Anna love. And, it’s relatively convenient to Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. Our only complaint is that the bridge to enter the campground is a bit narrow…particularly when driving a huge RV.

We arrived at our campground on Thursday afternoon around 3 pm and settled in for the weekend. My mother-in-law and father-in-law, Gail & Harold, joined us for this trip. They have a camper and stayed in the site next to us. We stayed at the campground all evening to rest after our travel from Georgia to Tennessee.

We went to Pigeon Forge on Friday morning. Pigeon Forge has tons of stuff to see and do but it has gotten extremely congested over the years. It’s amazing how much Dolly Parton brought to this town by building Dollywood here. People really don't know about the economic boon that she has brought to Sevierville. And, she didn't just improve the economics but also did what she could to help literacy. Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, provides free monthly books to all children in the community from birth or when they move into the community until they turn 5. She is an admirable lady and a fine example of how stars can use their prestige to give back to their communities.
And, Pigeon Forge does have two very yummy restaurants worthy of a visit; The Old Mill and the Apple Barn.

As I mentioned before, we always come on the same weekend in September because of our Mt LeConte reservations. Unfortunately, that same weekend coincides with a car show in Pigeon Forge and a motorcycle rally in Cherokee, NC. With the car and motorcycle rallies going on simultaneously, Jeff Foxworthy could visit and get loads of new material for his "you might be a redneck if..." jokes. Every lane on the main highway that runs through Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg, and Cherokee becomes bumper to bumper traffic throughout the weekend due to these two events. People ride up and down the highway to show off their vehicle or motorcycle. And, many sit in a lawn chair along side the roads to watch vehicles drive by. A trip from one block to the next could take an hour. I guess for enthusiasts, it’s enjoyable. For those of us that come to the mountains to get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday living, it’s an annoyance on a major scale (and that’s putting it politely). I can't imagine being so close to the beauty of the Smoky Mountains and choosing instead to sit in a lawn chair by the road to watch cars go by. But then again, maybe seeing a view of the stars in a clear sky on top of a mountain isn't the only thing of beauty to many people. To each his own I guess.

We went to an interactive museum in Pigeon Forge called Wonder Works and we all had a great time. Jeff and I even tested our skill on the rock climbing wall. We both made it ¾ of the way up before falling. I have never attempted rock climbing of any kind before. I was amazed at how physically challenging that it really was. It requires use of all of the major muscle groups. We attended the “Hoot N’ Holler” dinner show at the museum Friday evening. That, too, was very enjoyable. We have attended others such as Dolly Parton’s Dixie Stampede and the Black Bear Jamboree in Pigeon Forge during previous trips. The others shows had more pizzazz but I found the “Hoot N’ Holler” show to be very interactive which made it more enjoyable than others to me. Rachel and Anna were called up on stage and so was Jeff. Of course, I had neither my camera nor camcorder to record the entertainment. And, the dinner was good too. Most shows like this serve bar-b-que and rotisserie chicken. This show served all-u-can-eat lasagna, stuffed shells, chicken parmesan , salad, bread, and strawberry shortcake for dessert. Considering the food and the interaction with the audience, I think this dinner show has been one of my favorites thus far…and we’ve tried Medieval Times and dinner shows in Orlando as well. So, I give the "Hoot N' Holler" show a thumbs up for those who visit Pigeon Forge. But, if you like the wow factor, you’d be better served going to one of the other dinner shows.

On Saturday we decided to brave the traffic and head to Cherokee, NC, to bring the girls to the Okonaluftee Indian Village. We thought the girls would enjoy seeing that and they did. Our trip was slowed due to a car that ran off of the parkway going through the National Park. The people who were in the vehicle were drinking and driving. For anyone who has ever traveled through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, you will agree that the road is curvy and can test the driving skills of even sober people. I can’t believe these people attempted it drunk. I was grateful that no one was hurt…including the passengers of the vehicle that wrecked. I was even more grateful considering that we could’ve collided with these idiots had we been traveling down this road only a few short minutes earlier. But, while waiting for the vehicle to be cleared, we had time to look more closely at the nature that surrounded us. And, Rachel "saved" a green furry caterpillar that was on the road. She placed him on a leaf so that he would be safe. So, our stop was not a complete waste of time.

By the time we arrived in Cherokee, we were ready for lunch and found a place to stop and eat. Then, we headed to the Indian Village. Unfortunately, we had to fight our way through the tons of motorcycles. Jeff and I used to own motorcycles. We enjoy them and also can say that most motorcyclists are great people to know. However, where we separate from our riding brethren are with the loud after market tail pipes. They are annoying to say the least. And, when you are surrounded by thousands of them, they rattle your brain. And, when you are hiking miles into the mountains on a peaceful trail, you can still hear the obnoxious noise that they make. Many motorcyclists who have after market pipes think that they improve safety for the rider as other drivers can hear them even if they don't see them. We disagree, the attention it garners the motorcyclists is mostly negative and will most likely warrant government legislation at some point…something I am not a fan of either. You know that whole concept of personal responsibility...long forgotten by many citizens unfortunately.


Rachel and Anna loved the Indian village. I have long since forgotten many facts about the American Indian, particularly the Cherokee. This time of the year is also the time that the Trail of Tears began in 1838. I felt sorrowful that these people lost their homeland so many years ago in such a terrible way. I was impressed to hear that they require their children to learn the Cherokee language in school as well as English before graduation. I think it’s awesome that they are preserving their heritage this way. Most of us who descend from immigrants do not know a word of our ancestor's native language.

If you get the opportunity to visit Cherokee, I also recommend visiting their museum and watching "Unto These Hills." Unto These Hills is an outdoor drama performed in their outdoor amphitheater but it is seasonal so you can't see it in the late fall or winter months. We saw it once years ago and would like to see it again but they end their annual performances before our September trip unfortunately.

After dealing with the cars and motorcycles for the earlier part of Saturday, we decided to stay at the campground and grill out for dinner that night.

Sunday morning was the day for Jeff and I to hike up Mt. LeConte. Gail and Harold took Rachel and Anna to Dollywood while we hiked. We chose the Alum Cave Bluffs trail and we began our hike at 9 am. The weather was perfect….not too hot or too cold. The bugs were minimal. Every time we hike it, I'm reminded of the rugged beauty of the mountains. We passed bear scat along the trail and were later told by a ranger that bears were very active right now because the berry and acorn crops were poor this year and that they were out searching for food. It's times like this that I'm reminded that we really need to get some pepper spray for protection. But, of all the years that we have been hiking in the Smokies, we have never encountered a bear on a trail. One of the hikers told me about his wrist bell that his daughter gave him to wear when he was hiking alone to help warn bears of his presence. The logic here is that when you are hiking alone you aren't talking, etc. which could give the bear a heads up that you were coming so the bell serves as the warning. Surprising a bear is never a good thing. However, when checking in with the rangers for his hike, the ranger said, "Ahhh, I see you have your dinner bell." The hiker wasn't amused.

We reached LeConte lodge around 11:45. We were able to get Cabin 10 which is the cabin we’ve always stayed in each year. Except this year, the cabin was different. It now has a covered porch and access to the porch from the inside of the cabin. We were quite tired from the hike and decided to catch a nap before dinner.
The rain started shortly thereafter. We had a nice, peaceful nap while listening to the rain and we were thankful that we had made it to the lodge so we would be spared wet clothes for the rest of the evening. It was in the 40s on top of the mountain at night so it wouldn’t have been a pleasant evening with wet clothing.

Throughout the afternoon we loaded up on hot chocolate. Before dinner we caught up on our things that have happened over the past year with our long time friends, Paul and Bruce, and then later listened to an educational briefing on why some of the trees were dying in the Smokies with Ranger Katie.

The National Park Service started placing rangers at Mt LeConte last year. A ranger will spend several months at LeConte Lodge and they spend their time educating visitors on the park and local history. Soon after the discussion on the trees by Ranger Katie, it was dinner time. Dinner is always delicious. Of course, they could serve us dog food on crackers and we’d think it was great because everyone is famished after the long hike up to LeConte. Dinner consisted of the usual…soup, cornbread, beef tips, green beans, mashed potatoes, cinnamon apples, a peach half, and a chocolate chip cookie for dessert. After dinner, everyone went to Cliff Tops, the lookout point to watch the sun set. This year I think it was more beautiful before the sun started to go down. The clouds were rolling in and it was a magnificent sight to behold (picture at the top is the view from Cliff Tops). Ranger Katie provided another educational briefing out at Cliff Tops. She closed with giving each of us the task of pondering “What does the Smoky Mountains mean to you?” I’m going to have to ponder that for a little while and write something on another date. After dinner, we joined friends in the main lodge and caught up on what we have been doing over the past year and discussed other trails and parks that we needed to visit at some point. We turned in around 9:30 and slept soundly until almost breakfast time at 8 am. Breakfast is always equally yummy…pancakes, Canadian bacon, grits, biscuits, scrambled eggs, and Tang to drink. We were stocked up on calories to head back down the mountain.

We left Mt LeConte around 9 am and were back at the jeep by 11 am. We headed back to the RV, got showers and grabbed lunch at the Carriage House in Townsend. We decided to brave traffic and go to Gatlinburg Monday evening. It ended up being a great night to venture out. There were very few people out and about in Gatlinburg. It was raining pretty hard when we got there so we decided to go to the Ripley’s Aquarium. I've always loved the jellyfish exhibit. They just look so beautiful and peaceful. Rachel and Anna enjoyed it as always and they loved the pirate exhibit. We enjoyed it immensely because there weren’t many people there so we had our run of the place. Then, we ate dinner at the Park Grill. Rachel said the exterior reminded her of the Lincoln logs that she plays with at Harold & Gail’s house. It really is an awesome restaurant if you are looking for a cool place to eat in downtown Gatlinburg. And, you must try their white chocolate cheesecake for dessert.

Afterwards, we strolled past the shops and watched a local band playing. And, what would a visit be to Tennessee if you didn’t get to hear the song “Rocky Top?”

Finally, after a long day, we went back to the campground to turn in for the night and get ready for our trip home in the morning.

Tuesday morning was uneventful and we were on the road by 9 am. We arrived back to our home town by 4:00. Luckily, we were spared traffic in Atlanta which is a rarity it seems.

As always, we enjoyed our trip to the Smoky Mountains despite the aggravation with the autos and motorcycles.One need only to hike a trail away from the business of life to see why the Cherokees loved these mountains and why this land was later designated a National Park. It is breath taking and a reminder that true beauty is many times off the beaten path.