When we left off Hill Billy Golf and a cinnamon bun had taken over the night. As fun as the town itself was, it was time to see the national park itself. The Great Smoky Mountains are unlike anything I have ever seen. Lush green forests, valleys, waterfalls, all teeming with life. It is hard to completely understand how large the park actually is. It can feel crowded at times, but it is big enough to feel lost in if you want to. The more you explore, the more you understand that this park protects 522,419 acres of land. As a mountain range it has plenty of uphill hikes to explore. I remember a very specific, very steep hike. Straight out of the car we started towards the trail head. It was somewhat busy which I didn’t love, but I understood that the farther we went the fewer people we would see. The packed dirt path was covered in rocks and a canopy of trees. As we walked, we started to see this specific spider, as it turns out I hate spiders. Though I didn’t like it, I pushed forward a bit more and came to a stream that cut straight through the path horizontally. There was a rock path through it. For some reason this specific stream stuck with me. There was not anything special about it. It was just a pure, clean, natural stream. Moss covered rocks guided the crystal-clear water down the mountain to a place I couldn’t follow. Moments like this, one where nature just hits you, are the moments that I think make national parks so special to so many people.  

I may love national parks, and my family may love hiking, but I am not sure I would describe ourselves as outdoors people. Because of that I was shocked when my parents wanted to have a picnic for lunch on a campground in the park. There was a sandy patch of woods next to a large stream with benches. I remember that there was a small store for the campers to get stuff and inside the store was a deli. I got a barbeque pulled pork sandwich. I have said before that food is a focal point for my family. Maybe that is why I remember so vividly a lunch we had when I can’t remember other moments, but it was one of the few times I can remember my family going on a picnic. For these moments alone The Great Smoky Mountains will always hold a special place in my heart.