Growing up in Missouri, the seasons made themselves known. The Winters were defined by clouds that seemed to go on for weeks, and bitter snowy cold wind that felt as though it had been building momentum for the breadth of the Great Plains. The Springs were welcome, but always felt as though they themselves were confused as to what they were doing. The Summers were intensely hot and humid, but full of rich greens and sunny skies. The Autumns, however, were my favorite. While some would see the cooler temps as a taste of the ravages of Winter, I welcomed them as a chance to play football and baseball with friends without feeling like I would pass out from the heat. The forests I explored behind my house took on an explosion of brilliant oranges, yellows, reds. It truly felt like the best time to be alive.
As I now live in the Florida, a state that offers license plates that say “Endless Summer” on them, the seasons are not something I often get to experience. With my recent desire to experience all of this Nation’s National Parks, I had my eyes on the nearest National Park that I could hope to experience Autumn in it’s fullest in: Great Smoky Mountains.
I wasn’t certain if the last weekend of October would be too late, or with the warmer weather this year, too early. What I didn’t realize was that thanks to the wide range of elevation changes offered in the Park, I could experience Autumn as though I was Doctor Strange with the Time Stone – the lower elevations were still mostly green, the highest elevations brown, yet there was this magical middle that fulfilled this long unsatisfied need to witness the vibrancy of nature’s “Second Spring, where every leaf becomes a flower.”
The Park is filled cascading waterfalls, babbling streams, stunning vistas (when the clouds clear out), and a seemingly endless forest that begs you to explore on foot. Elk roamed the lowland flats, while (unseen) bears patrolled the mountains. It was most amazing Park I’ve visited in the Eastern US, so far, and I look forward to my next adventure there.