“Life is old there, older than the trees, Younger than the mountains, growin' like a breeze.”- John Denver

 




October 17, 2020

“Life is old there, older than the trees,
Younger than the mountains, growin' like a breeze.”- John Denver

Every once in a great while, you experience one of those rare transcendent moments that makes you forget about all the problems you may have and appreciate the beauty and wonder of the world we live in. There has been a tremendous amount of problems this year, mostly related to the continuing and spiking coronavirus pandemic that continues to impact all of our lives. The numbers are on the rise again as the fall spike seems to be getting underway and there are currently 8,336,557 cases in the United States, with a staggering 222,089 deaths. In my home county there are now 2,131 cases with 993 of those being in Key West and 25 who have perished due to the virus.

As frightening as those numbers are and with all the misery and anxiety that is sweeping the country, the chance to experience one of the most special wildlife interactions of my life was a wonderful and welcome respite from it all. I drove through Smoky Mountain National Park, stopping in Cherokee, North Carolina. As I was nearing the exit of the park in Cherokee, there were about a hundred people pulled over to the side of the road near a large open field. The field contained literally hundreds of elk, who were participating in their annual rutting season. I of course had to stop, because just seeing so many elk is a special experience.

I joined the large group of people with my camera and began photographing the elk and watching in wonder as the large male bulls would bugle loudly and then some far off elk would respond. I wanted to see where the responses were emanating from and escape the large crowd so I ventured off along a river path deeper into the woods where I eventually found myself pretty much alone in the woods with these amazing and massive creatures all around me. 

I knew better than to get to close as I did not want to disturb them and I know they can be pretty dangerous to foolish tourists. But they obviously either are very used to people being around or so interested in their activity that they did not seem to care or even notice me and within a few minutes were wondering all around me seemingly oblivious to my presence. It was incredible, as they are truly massive, beautiful creatures. I was able to keep some trees or stands of brush between myself and the creatures, and I used my long lens to get close up shots, but it was a truly magical experience. I stayed until dusk started before making my way back to the car and on to my hotel.

The following morning my plan was to get on the Blue Ridge Parkway and head north towards Winston-Salem where I would visit my mother. I was up and out early and there was a thick fog layer of the sort that gives the Smokies their name. It was beautiful. I wanted to take a quick drive past the field where the elk had congregated the previous evening. There was only a lone elk standing majestically in the foggy field, so I took the same path and ventured back into the forest along the river path again and once again found the incredible creatures along the river’s edge deep in the woods, wandering through the fog like mythic beasts. I was all alone with a few dozen of the incredible creatures in what truly a magical and transformative wildlife experience unlike any that I have ever had.

I remained until the morning sun began burning off the fog before reluctantly returning to the car and heading to the nearby Blue Ridge Parkway, where I spent an amazing beautiful fall day driving along one of the most beautiful and scenic byways in America. The early fall and beginning of the changing leaves, the amazing overlooks and pull-offs where you could see incredible vistas of the Smoky Mountains in all their glory. It was just an amazing drive and certainly one of my favorite days of this year.

I stopped for lunch in the city of Asheville, where I enjoyed some North Carolina barbeque and visited a cluster of breweries, four with-in about a two block radius and sampled some wonderful local craft brews. I especially enjoyed Green Man Brewing and Twin Leaf Brewing, but a few hours is too short of a time to really get a good feel for the place so I hope to return at some point to really experience the flavor of the town. Hopefully when this awful pandemic is past.

I was back on the parkway for the rest of the afternoon, stopping frequently to enjoy the amazing weather and incredible view. I wanted to stop for the night in another cool little mountain town, Boone, North Carolina. Once again a single evening and morning was not enough time, but I got a good taste of the hip little town that is home to Appalachian State University and a quaint little downtown that I was able to explore a bit before heading over to Winston-Salem.