Ramblings from the Woods

I stepped away for an hour and settled into a familiar place. It was close enough to the deep woods for me to become immersed.  Below are my rambling thoughts I had while sitting there, soaking in all that nature had to offer on this given day. This represents raw data from my head. Thoughts sometimes need to go along with the atmosphere, so some if this may sound strange.

Eighty one degrees F, no rain with a brief cloud cover coming through. And the glorious sounds of summertime woods.

A chitter chatter from overhead. Nature’s delight.

If I can only obtain an unwavering faith that won’t second guess at the drop of a hat.

Life is so perilously short and fragile.

I keep coming back to the seasons of life. Am I in the prime season, with all its beauty and wonder? The fall season of life? It seems I am consistently indoors, working toward a winter of frailty and dreams that are well beyond their expiration date.

Is this merely a mid-life crisis of sorts, looking at the things of life I enjoy and realizing I may not have too many fall seasons left?

Quality years, not just remaining years.

I hear the overhead chatter again. For a moment it dropped from my conscious. Yet there it is, enjoying its season, not stopping when it can sing its tune and voice its intentions. But the woods live a fullness of life, until its final breath is released. Unlike people, who can get caught up in any number of distractions and get far away from what they are here to do. And enjoy. And contribute to.

I wonder….could I live in the woods after decades otherwise? When the nighttime falls and creatures of the night come alive once more. I feel more alive sitting here listening and watching nature’s beautiful world than sitting in an office. Life goes on.

Wants vs. needs (fulfillment.)

My name appears on a wood floor, inside an ages-old cabin, from a simpler time. My permanent mark, intended to always be there. Until corrupt practices destroy the cabin. Although fire and the incessant ticking of the clock could ultimately do the same.

How can I leave a permanent mark on this world? By making it a better place. The ultimate anonymous gift. Think about the next generation and leave something good behind. A foundation of ideas and a planet to pursue them on.

A Bygone Saturday Afternoon

I was reminiscing today about the miniature golf lot I used to play at when I was a kid, on South Cobb Drive in Smyrna, Georgia. I’m thinking early seventies because my parents were okay with dropping me and a friend off on a Saturday with enough cash for their all-you-can-play deal on two separate 18-hole courses. I had to be at least ten at the time, maybe eleven or twelve. This may sound like child abandonment in the modern culture, but in those days it was much safer. And fun.

We generally got bored after a few rounds, but we didn’t have to worry about running out of games, or money. All we needed was a golf club, golf ball, and a drink or two. The drink machine was a treat. Every third or fourth Coke would pop out with a stamp on the top, which meant a free drink next time. I’m thinking they were cans, but it could have been glass bottles. This was back in the era when kids had imaginations we could lazily play along, talking and cutting up (a little bit) while we enjoyed the hot summer that seemed to last forever.

I don’t like getting on the “back in our day” bandwagon. It makes today’s kids roll their eyes. But back before cell phones, video games, and all the electronic gadgets that have taken over the time and thinking of the modern generation we just had time, very little money, and imaginations that would confound kids today. Kept us busy from sunup to sundown.

 I rode a bike everywhere. There is no telling how many miles I logged, just around our neighborhood. Families knew each other in those days, more so I think than now. No cell phones to call the kids. Just expect them home before dark. When we hit home runs from the front yard that landed across the street on the neighbor’s roof it was okay. We jumped our big wheels over handmade ramps, and set up Hot Wheels tracks in the front yard, running downhill from the edge of the street. We hung out at the tennis courts at the park near our house. My point is we rarely stayed indoors unless it rained all day.

We weren’t entirely safe in those days and I suppose we were a bit naive in some ways. But compare it to now. Do I see the danger more sharply now that I’m a parent? Probably, but I didn’t see the kind of hate and disregard for others in those days. Not in my circle, anyway.  Some would say we are more open in our dialogue now, hashing through ages-old problems that were there, but suppressed when I grew up. I agree. But people have changed since the generation of my parents, and we live in a much more dangerous time.

 It’s easy to look back on your childhood with rose colored glasses because we remember only our little world, not the upheavals and pain that adults were going through. Or people we didn’t hang around. But at times when I reminisce, as I sit here on a laptop, checking e-mail and social media, and getting ready to upload a blog…..the simpler times can be appealing, if only it could bring back those days of thinking with childlike wonder and understanding that anything was possible. And time was on our side.

Nature's Changing Face

I’m at my desk writing, gazing out the picture window in front of me at waning daylight. Its sharp lines of sunlight are like spotlights directed at me, not to make me center stage but sent as a reminder of the brevity of time. Light drops by the moment, fading into what will be a spectacular finale of color.

Baby pines in the front yard are  the next generation, ready to step up when their time arrives. Mama doe walks cautiously with her two fawns, which are now close to having no spots at all. They have cleaned off the low hanging fruits from the blueberry bushes, and they’re looking among the shrubs now.

A brown rabbit sits hunched up on its hind legs, nearly blending in with the pine straw strewn behind it. Watching for predators and rummaging for food.

Ravens call to one another, and then meet in the grass below, looking for a meal. Or perhaps shiny new trinkets to carry to their nest.

I am at home in such a place, with nature’s miracle unfolding in front of me. And, I find much to write about here. The city lights are enticing and fun for an occasional excursion, even if only to remind me of how wonderful a place I find in nature, along a wooded path, listening to the music that fits together far more intricately than any symphony. A master composer and musicians may come close, but I have to believe their inspiration comes in part from a setting like this, so beautifully intertwined in both sound and spirit.

And then the creatures of the night come alive. At dusk and early on the music is intense and overwhelming. Fireflies randomly display the darkness with enough of a flicker of light to leave questions in the recesses left behind. What is in that dark spot of woods? Did I see something move? I heard a sound from out there. 

Tree frogs, cicadas, crickets, and on occasion a coyote’s scream pierce the night air. Take a short walk with a flashlight and be careful to avoid stepping on the frogs and snakes. Walk near the thick grove of trees next to the garage and a thunderous rattling of wings nearly makes you fall. Then you wonder; was it an owl? A hawk? It was quiet and breathless until you step over that line of personal space.

From deep in the woods a low, guttural “cronk” sound fills in the gaps of sound, and as it approaches I am sometimes tempted to retreat. But I long to be in a tent, deep in the woods, sleeping peacefully to the sounds of nature that can’t be adequately described with mere words. I feel night time’s cool air as it seeps into the tent and fills every pore of its fabric. I become immersed in the surreal world of the night, stepping outside my normal realm into a fictional story, a fantasy where my imagination can fill in all the blank pages of unseen treasures.  Then, in the deep of the night, as the night creatures begin to slow in their drunken revelry,  a deep, satisfying sleep will close the chapter and usher in a new day. No evidence remains of the night before, and a new beginning full of new hope emerges with morning's soft light.

Wildlife Wilderness Festival Great Smoky Mountains

    As much as I love nature and the Smoky Mountains, it’s hard to believe I have never made my way to the Wildlife Wilderness Festival until 2015. Celebrating its 25^th anniversary, the festival has been held in Pigeon Forge at the LeConte Center, a modern facility with nice rooms big enough to accommodate decent crowds (although one class I attended was standing room only.)

    If you like hiking or sightseeing there are plenty of guided events scheduled. The signup is the afternoon before the event.

    The exhibition hall is worth a look. Vendors selling one of a kind crafts, sponsors of the event, and a photo contest that covers all levels of expertise. I bought hand painted and signed gourds and handmade Valentine’s Day cards.

    A good variety of speakers and a wide range of subjects, from history of the Smokies and the culture to experts on birds and other wildlife. Programs run from 8 to 7:30 daily.

    There is no admission fee. I plan to make this an annual event. Beginning in 2016 the festival moves to May. Mark your calendars.

    As a side note I did one solo hike from the Sugarlands visitor center to the Sugarlands Cemetery and back, which is around 4 miles total. When I left the cemetery I felt a pull in my back, and I walked slowly back to my car. I alternated between muscle relaxers and Advil the remainder of the week and had to cancel the group hike I had planned, and after I returned home I began chiropractic treatment. Didn’t realize how long the rehab would be. Might be the result of an auto accident I was involved in January 2014, not sure, but I am just now where I can think about hikes again as April has eased its way in and almost left, with beautiful flowers and warmer temperatures. I missed wildflowers in the Smokies this year because of my back, but I’m  planning for 2016. Here is a photo I took at the Sugarlands Cemetery. And an image of frozen water on the trail surrounding trees. Such a lovely place to hike, regardless of the season.

Elkmont, Great Smoky Mountains

Elkmont is located in the Great Smoky Mountains, in Tennessee. A logging town and resort community in the past, the grounds are now property of the Smokies, with a campground now on the former location of the town of Elkmont. 

The Little River Lumber Company established the town in 1908, and the Wonderland Park Annex, pictured below, was constructed in 1912. The annex is scheduled for demolition, but 18 cottages and outbuildings will be restored.

All images below were taken in 2014. I did not enter any structures, but I did include several photos  taken through open doors or windows. All buildings are closed to the public.

This is a nice place for a writer or artist of any medium to draw inspiration from. You'll fill in all the blanks with your own creative ideas, reliving what happened back nearly a hundred years ago when this area was enjoying its heyday. My mind starts daydreaming when I see an old forlorn place like this. The stories are surely more rich that anything we can imagine.

You'll find some nice hiking trails in the area, including the Little River Trail, which isn't too tough by Smokies standards. The elevation stays flat. I will save that for another blog entry.

 

Steps going up to the Wonderland complex

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Troll Bridge

Steps going up to the former site of the Wonderland Hotel, which collapsed in 2005

The Wonderland Annex

The door has shifted to a rather odd angle

I love the rock steps. Hopefully they will survive the demo of cottages

Overgrown cottage is barely visible on the left as you walk back toward the entrance of the annex

Looking at the Wonderland Annex, from the site of the main hotel, which collapsed in 2005. A pile of bricks from the hotel is seen on the far left

Inside the Wonderland Annex, taken through a window. Looks like someone outside the window at the far wall, in long pajamas and house shoes,hanging. This place would make a nice setting for a haunted house

Pathway from the Wonderland Annex to the remaining steps of the main hotel

Sign installed by the park at the Wonderland entrance. Note the old photo showing the steps and hotel

This cemetery is accessible from a gravel road, or by walking the old road/path from the Wonderland Hotel

Looks like a cool playhouse

Restored Appalachian Clubhouse

Old power pole

Walking down the street that ends at the Appalachian Club

Beautiful cascades as you approach a second cemetery