Kevin Smith "Clingman's Dome, TN"

While in Tennessee this past summer, 3 friends and I all happened to have the same sunday off of work so we decided to take a drive into the Smokey's (only about 20 minutes away-we lived in Pigeon Forge) and hike up to Clingman's Dome. After a winding drive up a mountain road we hiked up about 5 miles to the top where there is a sort of tower that you can climb and see a huge portion of the mountain range. It is amazing! I think it is a fairly common tourist site because a good deal of people were there that day. It was the 4th of July though! After that my friends and I hopped onto the Appalachian Trail for a bit. On the way up to Clingman's dome there were several points where you could enter a trail and go onto the AT. We hiked out for about 4 miles and came back. It was a great time for exercise and viewing the beautiful scenery of the Smokey Mountains. I really believe that portion of a few hours on the AT to have been a very reflective and almost religious experience. It is most definitely a sacred place. Though my friends were with me we were silent a lot of the time and I just thought to myself and reflected on God's beauty and His creation. I think my love for the outdoors grew a lot that day. Being from Virginia Beach I've always considered myself a beach kid, but my love for mountains is increasing.