smoky mountains

ROAD TRIP: SMOKY MOUNTAINS

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I had meticulously planned for a road trip through Arkansas, as I’m trying to get to all 50 states. Plans fell through, however, with a family emergency and I had to plan on being in West Virginia during that weekend. I shrugged off my vacation, thinking that I would stay home and get some stuff done, but the bug bit a few days prior to the trip and I took off on my own.

Where to, was the question. The quickest route to WV was straight through Kentucky, but that wasn’t something I was interested in. I needed the mountains, which is something I’ve been craving more and more recently. Luckily, the Smokies are only a three hour drive.

I spent the afternoon chasing mountain tops. It was a drive I had done only once before, but it’s strange familiarity made it seem like home. Everywhere was speckled in brown and yellow, and the closer I got to the top, the more insignificant I felt. The road twisted up the side; gaps in the trees provided fleeting glances of the mountain, as if we were all driving straight into them. I spent the afternoon chasing the light as I reached the top; chasing some kind of dream of the idea of home that I have.

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smoky mountains national park

I am a total dreamer for a life in the mountains, be it Appalachian or Rocky or otherwise. While I've always lived in big cities, (Nashville for the time being can semi-count as a big city...) I think it's time for a life in the rural parts of the country. I want to wake up to the mountains, to the greenery, to the fresh air. I want bears to get in my trash and decorate my home with cheesy cabin decor. I want to live next to waterfalls and a national park. 

I remember when I was in middle school and I was riding the bus home through a rural country road through the woods, and the only thing I wanted was to replace those trees with big buildings. I thought I would have a fast paced life in New York City (I did...for 4 months) and that's how I wanted to live my life. Now all I want is for these big buildings to go away. 

My indecisiveness will always hinder my true desires. Mainly, I can't really figure out what those are. I like living in a city where I can go out to local restaurants and drink craft beer and see shows every month. And I'm trying to decide if it's worth giving all that up for a different pace of life. In the mean time, I'll enjoy the fact that I live a mere three hours from a beautiful National Park, where I can return time and time again, and dream of the mountain life. And thankfully I got to experience this trip with Frida, who I haven't seen since London. We ate lots of food, drank a lot of beer, spent far too much time in the hot tub, floated down the Little River, and drove to the highest point in Tennessee. It was a nice mini-adventure to share with her.