The Great Smokey Mountains NP, Tennessee (Part 2: I made it!)

May 27

It’s a good thing I went as far as I did yesterday. It was still a long day of driving in the rain with hands clasped at ten and two for several hours. So tired of driving, even my music got old. Thank goodness for audio books. I truly hope I’ll be glad I did this.

Day 7: May 23, 2022

On my very first night in the in the Great Smokey Mountains (GSMNP) I’m already concerned about connectivity. It’s pouring down rain and I longed for my humans! Thank you to those who called along the way! What was I thinking wanting to be a solo traveler? I’m a people person, for crying out loud. I miss my grandkids so much. I Tried to connect earlier today with a FaceTime call, but without success. I miss you kiddos! The ranger at the registration entry point said I might be able to get signal up at the Sugarlands Visitor Center about 15-20 minutes up the road. I’ll be heading there as early as possible tomorrow morning with the hope that I call or text my peeps. The next order of business will be to disarm my house so Fred and Julia can get in to water my plants. Thank you both so much! I’m trying to be happy just to hear the rain on my roof, since that’s a rare sound at home! Maybe after my 15 minutes of signal tomorrow, I’ll settle down and enjoy my time here. I have everything I need, and when I think about our old days of tent camping, I can’t imagine doing that now. I’m super comfy and warm in my beautiful Stargazer. What a treat. Still, I can’t help but wonder what I am doing here! Just breathe, Cathy.

Day 8: May 24, 2022

The rain let up enough for me to take a short walk with my umbrella. The sound of the river drove me to it, and what a raging torrent it was after so much rain. I was told by a fellow camper that we wouldn’t get evacuated unless it reached the level of a nearby over crossing. I walked there to see for myself. Sure enough, the water level still had a long way to go. All in all, a peaceful night listening to the light raindrops hitting my roof for most of the night. As I fell asleep, I looked out of my skylight to see several flickering fireflies. It was promising.

Valuable info, gift shop, clean bathroms and potable water for my holding tank!

Day two in the GSMNP. Sugarlands Visitor Center opens until 9 am. I was up at six (three am PDT), trying to kill time making coffee, making the bed, and dumping the porta-potty. I arrived early of course, so I could grab that signal and talk to some of my favorite peeps; the time change being in my favor. I had a small breakfast and made lunch for my upcoming hike. After galley cleanup and a shower, I’m recharged. The knowledgeable Ranger I spoke with at the visitor center, directed me to Cades Cove, for the best chance of a bear sighting. I filled up my water tank and begrudgingly made the 24 mile drive just to get to the start of the loop. After only a couple of miles into it, the traffic had backed up to a mere crawl, and pretty much stayed that way until I reached my trailhead. Driving was the last thing I wanted to be doing. What I finally figured out is that drivers would spot wildlife and basically stop in the middle of the road to observe. Pullouts and parking areas were few and far in between, so every driver behind them had to wait. Surprisingly not one person honked their horn for the laggers to move on. We all seemed so hungry to see wildlife that no one wanted to spoil it for the others. People in line who were close enough to see what the fuss was about, just got out of their cars to appreciate and photograph the subject. I could no longer wait to eat my lunch on the hike, so just settled into the line up and ate along the road. I couldn’t help but think about the lines for Dutch Brothers coffee in Roseville. This was however, hours, not minutes. The hike was spectacular, though. Just the right amount of exertion for me after a long stretch of no exercise (sorry, Dylan). I like to choose hikes that are typically light to moderately trafficked; not so many people to feel boxed in, but yet enough should need I help for any reason. The path followed Abrams Creek, so there were plenty of photo ops long before the falls. After the hike, I was hoping that traffic on the drive back would have subsided. No such luck. Pretty much the same grid lock. At one point where bears were grazing in a big field of flowers, two rangers were making sure the traffic moved along. I was lucky enough to find a pull out not far past the grazing point. I got out and walked back to grab a couple of very long shots with Rich’s old zoom lens on his Cannon Rebel. This shot was nothing like some of the great bear shots he captured in Glacier National Park. It was however the shot I was offered. A bit later on the drive, a huddle of people who had exited their cars were pointing upward into the trees. Not seeing anything, I asked a man what the fuss was all about. He said there was a bear cub hanging out in one of the branches. I immediately pulled over (making sure others could drive past me). Sure enough, I spotted the cub, seemingly comfy and content. I wondered though, if it might be afraid of us and would just hang out there until the last looky-loo moved on. No doubt mama was close by, but our little group never spotted her. As painful as that drive was, I’m glad I had the experience. I didn’t get back to my campsite until almost dusk. I made a quick dinner and headed for the short trek to the Little River trail, with the hope of seeing some fireflies. The ranger I spoke with earlier had suggested a red-lensed headlamp, but the visitor center and nearby store didn’t sell them. I would have to get by with my phone flashlight, and turn it off when I got to…wherever I was going. A delightful couple, Chuck and June started up a conversation with me. Chuck had a red headlamp, and offered to walk with me to the viewing spot from his previous night there. The company and the conversation were so welcome. It was hard to do this alone. Everyone else had a partner, or a family, or a larger group taking the walk together. The three of us started seeing small flashes of light. As as the night grew darker, the firefly activity increased. It was much more concentrated than at my campsite. Apparently fireflies have their favorite spots. All of us started saying “Oh wow” and “look at that!” “Did you see that”? I have to say it felt surreal and special to be standing in the middle of darkness, not even able to see my fellow firefly admirers’ faces. We just stood there in the dark, while the magic danced all around us. After about an hour I’m guessing, I finally told Chuck and June that it was time for me to head back. I started feeling like a fifth wheel. They would stay longer. Rich and I would have done the same; probably even set up chairs and settle in for quite some time. Chuck asked if I was sure I could find my way back to the campsite. “For sure” I said. “It’s just a short walk. Of course I got lost and ended up circling the camp ground a couple of times looking for the “C” section. When I finally crawled into bed, I looked out of my sky light, to find a calming cluster of phosphorescent lights, like an optometrist’s test for peripheral vision, only real.

Cades Cove Loop

The knowledgeable Ranger I spoke with at the visitor center, directed me to Cades Cove, for the best chance of a bear sighting. It was a beautiful, sunny day, so I wanted to make the most if it. This video shows a taste of my experience on the loop.

A better close up with the Cannon Rebel.

Abrams Falls Trail

Finally, a break from driving, alf way around the loop. I think I started my hike at about 2:30 in the afternoon. Some other hikers were just coming off of the trail and said they spotted a very friendly bear. They even shared their video with me. Sadly, I didn’t get to see one, but it was wonderful, nonetheless! Here is a link to the hike details.

A group of cars had pulled over on the last stretch of the loop. Everyone was out with their cameras, looking up. Someone saw the mama ran off. I couldn’t quite tell if he was scared or content. I’m confident that after the crowd left, they were reunited.

Day 9: May 25, 2022

Little River Hike / Millionaire’s Row.

I wanted to check out the Little River hike during the day, knowing I would be coming back again at dusk in search of fireflies. A lush and easy walk for most fitness levels, there is plenty of local history about Millionaire’s Row along the path.

Magical Butterfly Encounters

Making my way back to Stargazer, these butterflies just appeared out of nowhere. I decided to do a little identification research and this interesting philosophy popped up: Black and blue butterflies. Something to ponder.

Sugarlands Riding Stables

I wanted to take another hike near the Visitor’s Center, The Old Sugarlands Trail. I asked three different Rangers for explicit directions, and still could not find it. The sign for the riding stable appeared, so I decided to stop. They were just about to head out with a group of 8 or so, and waited for me to change into closed toed shoes. Buck and I had a great ride. Ironically, I would finally find the Old Sugarlands trailhead as I was leaving the park on my last day.

Day 10: May 26, 2022

Not feeling as needy for signal this morning, I enjoyed coffee at my picnic table, taking the time to make more notes of yesterday. The weather forecast was for more rain, so I decided see what Gatlinburg had to offer. If the rain came, I could tuck into a shops or restaurants. There wasn’t much charge left in Stargazer, so I decided to get creative and ask a nearby RV park if I could just plug in for a while. The woman at the front desk of the Foothills RV Park and Cabins was hesitant, but suggested that if I paid her in cash, she would discount a site by 50%. I took the offer, plugged in for about two hours, did a load of laundry, took a nice shower. This place was nice and easy, and for a moment, I almost wanted to give up the harder work of staying at Elkmont. Later in the post, you’ll learn why I was so glad I didn’t cave in.

“For a moment, I almost wanted to give up the harder work of staying at Elkmont. Later in the post, you’ll understand why I was so glad I didn’t cave in”.

Gatlinburg was the tourist mecca everyone said it was. Still, it was nice to be around people! I took in all I wanted. A walk around town, a fantastic lunch at Crawdaddy’s, the Skyline Lift, Skybridge and even Moonshine tasting!

My lunch at Crawdaddy’s was scrumptious. It was the first time I had treated myself to someone else’s cooking since Winslow AZ. The balcony table gave me a wonderful view of all the passers-by below as well as the Skylift. I checked out ticket prices on the Skylift website; Only $20 and no waiting in line, I had to do it. It was a very pleasant experience that I would recommend. One could spend as much or as little time in the park as desired. After a walk, there are plenty of rocking chairs for relaxing and cloud watching, one of my favorite things to do. Afterwards, I popped into a moonshine tasting room (why not?) Sugarlands Distillery was just up the street. Again; no waiting in line, so I purchased my ticket and tasted several extremely sweet concoctions. I decided to buy one dark chocolate coffee sipping moonshine. Chocolatini, anyone? Feeling a bit lazy after sipping moonshine, I decided it was time to head back to Elkmont. I hopped back on the free trolley to the Gatlinburg Welcome Center where Stargazer was waiting for me. Twenty minutes later, I was back at camp, hoping the rain subsides at sundown for my last chance to see the fireflies.

This, my fourth and last night turned out to be the most magical night of firefly watching in the park. For me, though, the bigger bonus was the amazing serendipity of being able to share the experience with total strangers, who became instant friends.

Bumping into Nathan and KarlaRae was the first phase of our magical night. I was so happy to have another couple to walk with! Once we started talking, it was clear we were kindred spirits. They are both fellow thespians and would be starting rehearsals for Hello Dolly when they returned home to Seattle. And then there’s the Seattle connection; and the Montana connection. I felt as if were old friends who hadn’t seen each other for a very long time. I suggest we stop and hang out in approximately the same place I saw the fireflies the two previous nights with Chuck and June. It wasn’t long before Terry and Kaye from Chattanooga came along. As we stood there getting to know our new friends, a man walks past us in a very purposeful manner. I ask where he is going, and he tells us “to see the fireflies”. It surprised me, because I thought we were standing in the “right” spot. He proceeded to tell us of another, potentially better spot and offered to lead us there. Mind you, this is the stuff that horror movies are made of. None of that crossed our minds. We said “Sure; let’s go!”

We followed Lee’s red bicycle lamp deeper into the trail and took an offshoot to the right. This side trail lead us right to the Troll Bridge, where Lee had previously seen significant firefly activity. We all lined up on the bridge and stared out into the dark woods. As the night became darker, we started to see little flashes of light; and then more and then more. It was an exhilarating experience that unfortunately, none of us could capture with our phone cameras. Instead, Nathan graciously volunteered to audio record our conversation and reactions to what we were seeing. Those recordings are posted below, If you have the interest and time to listen.

Thank you, Lee for sharing your knowledge and enthusiasm for the fireflies with us. I want to publicly apologize for yelling. “hey” to get your attention and sounding like a really bad news reporter. Thank you, Nathan for coining our group name “Fellowship of the Fireflies” and being our consummate Master of Ceremonies and thank you KarlaRae for collecting all of our contact information so we can stay connected.

After an hour or so (I’m guessing as I had no concept of time) of the magical firefly experience, we all decided to part ways. The rain was increasing and the firefly activity was decreasing. Everyone would drive to their respective hotels except Lee and me. Nathan and KarlaRae offered me a ride, but it would actually take longer to drive around the campground than it would be for me to simply walk back. Lee and I walked together. Again, this is the stuff of horror movies, but I willingly walked along side of him. I knew my way back, this time though! Coincidentally, we were campsite neighbors and never knew it. I fell asleep so content and grateful for our firefly experience, until the rain came down harder, and harder.

Sigh. Just when I was drifting into sleep, one of Stargazer’s skylights started leaking. After I took this video, the opposite corner started dripping, so I had to place two pots on my bed, move my pillows to the foot end, and wriggle my body into an S shape to avoid the drip torture. Somehow I managed to sleep.

Day 11: May 27, 2022

Heading home day, I knew I’d be driving for hours, so wanted to take one last walk. I decided to revisit the “Troll Bridge” just to make sure it was real. Of course I come upon Lee, who is in the process of breaking down his campsite and talking to another neighbor. I stop to chat and reiterate how wonderful it was to see the fireflies and to thank him again. He proceeds. to tell me that next week, the fireflies will be more plentiful, but the crowds will be off-putting. I didn’t feel like I’d be missing much. He agreed and said that he was at Elkmont on this very day on a prior visit. What we saw was a spectacular display. Time to move along, I asked to take his picture, and of course he obliged.

The Troll Bridge, Elkmont Campground, GSMNP

Next Up: Part 3

Cathy West-Packard