Great Smoky Mountains (ii): Cherohala & Maple Springs

The next morning, after a few hours of unrestful sleep in my car in a deserted lot, I set off on the Cherohala Skyway. At just before dawn, the light was very faint and there was a dense fog as I reached higher elevations. The Skyway is, like Shenandoah's Skyline Drive, one of the many national parks' scenic byways and, I believe, the most costly in Great Smoky Mountains Park. As I drove over and around the peaks, the sun disappeared alternately behind trees, clouds, fogs, and mountains. As I rounded certain bends, I'd find myself at the perfect vantage point to view the sunrise. Overlooking a valley or framing the sun between mountains, the clouds filtering the morning sun into individual shafts of light.

I turned off into Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest, where there is a short trail leading to the Maple Springs Observation Point. After passing through a short stretch of dense forest, I arrived at a wooden platform that extends from a narrow formation and juts out from the rock. From there I watched the sun complete its ascent over the shrouded valleys below. It was quiet and peaceful.



After the sun rose higher in the sky and the temperature became uncomfortable, I passed through the rest of the park and started my drive back home. I drank a lot of caffeine on this trip and I don't normally. I think I'm getting caffeine headaches.