One unique aspect of growing up in Northeast Tennessee is that you live among the mountains. You see them when you wake, drive by them every day, and hopefully spend some time hiking among them when you can. They become a part of the everyday scenery of life and when you live with them long enough, life just isn’t the same without them. Out of every mountain that makes up the Smokey Mountain Range, one of my personal favorites is Roan Mountain.
Right on the Tennessee - North Carolina state line sits Carvers Gap, a little gap in Roan mountain from which cars can drive from TN and NC but which also hosts a group of hiking trails. From there, you can head on up the mountain or do what I have always enjoyed, hike up the one of the many “balds”. Whenever one thinks of a mountain, you imagine either trees or ice and snow on top. The interesting part about this group of mountains though is that once you get on top, all you can see is grass. It is a odd sight to be honest; to see a whole mountain top just covered with grass. Once on top you gasp because you realize “wow, you can see EVERYTHING up here!”
Ever since I can remember, hiking up to the top of the first bald, Round Bald, is one of the most relaxing things I can think of. There is something to be said about walking up to the top of a mountain covered with grass and having a 360 degree view of the surrounding mountains and towns. I remember going up there with my dad and brother and camping out under the stars. Laying down after getting to the top and then squirming around until to find just the right spot in the high grass. (It is definitely high grass considering no one mows the grass on top of a mountain) We would watch as the wind blew around the high grass but it was a good feeling when we realized we were each protected by the grass fortresses around us. At different times, we would eat, sleep, talk, and hike more if we still had tons of energy.
Over the years I have gone back to Roan Mountain over 50 times now. No matter what the season is, who else is there, or even who I am with, it is always has the same effect. I realized a few years ago that no matter what other outdoor adventures I embark on, the thought of Roan Mountain always put a smile on my face. It is a place that no matter how the world changes, it is always there, ready, waiting for the next adventurer to feel its serenity. It is a place I will definitely take my wife and kids one day and when my kids look up at me and ask “Dad, what is this place?” My reply will be “where I grew up”.
