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| Near the Summit of Mount Le Conte |
So, the work conference ended, and I made my way along Interstate 40 East, where after two hours of driving, I was greeted with my first view of the Smokies proper. My initial impression was that the range looked very similar to the Catskill Mountains of New York, except more similar in height to the Presidential Range of New Hampshire, and about 650 miles south. The Smokies were lush, green, and very prominent. It was at this point I became thrilled to summit a few of the higher peaks and accumulate some elevation gain. I was also excited to get to my hotel and enjoy a week of living in the tranquil solitude of the mountains. But unfortunately, the little mountain towns of the South are not like the little mountain towns of the North.
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| A screenshot of Google Street View of Pigeon Forge |
My first warning sign was appropriately an actual sign - a billboard that featured a profile of a black bear with a dense forest in the background and a caption that read "The Mountains are Calling," which is a famous quote by naturalist John Muir. This advertisement for the mountains would end up being the least offensive man-made structure my eyes would see that day. As I drew nearer to Pigeon Forge, my heart began to sink as I realized that the town was like a ground zero for tourist traps. Bright, neon lights flashed from every direction. Advertisements screamed desperately for anyone's attention from atop their elevated posts. And the highway became lined with the most outlandish establishments, such as the Titanic Museum, the Alcatraz East Crime Museum, and the Hollywood Wax Museum Pigeon Forge, none of which bore any significance to the Smoky Mountains, let alone the East Coast.
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| You can go to Tennessee to visit the Hollywood Wax Museum |
But standing tall above this chaotic and colorful mess was the epic escarpment of Mount Le Conte. As loud as the displays of Pigeon Forge were, the mountain's silence was even more thunderous. It was like a pleasant song which reminded me why I decided to come to Pigeon Forge in the first place. In the following days, I climbed Mount Cammerer, Clingmans Dome, and Gregory Bald. I would return to the Smokies in September to climb that escarpment.
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| Shortly before the sun rises over the many layers of the Smokies |
We can build towns which are respectful to the places they are meant to be a gateway to, such as Lake Placid of the Adirondacks or North Conway of the Whites. Clearly, something was lost in translation when John Muir's famous quote was plastered on a billboard. He originally wrote "The mountains are calling and I must go, and I will work on while I can, studying incessantly." Muir dedicated his life to protecting and appreciating nature and the special places she has to offer, but instead his words were used to advertise a place which does the exact opposite. However, from high above the clouds on the summit of Le Conte, one can look down on Pigeon Forge (perhaps in more ways than one) and hear not the sounds of the road nor sense the magnitude of its man-made-ness. One can still recede into the dense old-growth forests and forget the grotesque creations of man.