Great Smoky Mountains National Park, page 7
Each of the sisters was working. Martha was churning butter in a large jar with a lid. Polly was sewing a blanket. Hettie was nailing a hook on the wall. Louisa was writing poetry in her journal. And Margaret was sitting in a chair, warmly looking at Morgan, while she peeled apples.
“We’re glad you came,” Margaret said to Morgan. “Sit down, and don’t mind our organized confusion.”
Morgan sat on the floor, pretending it was a chair. “Somebody has to pass on our legacy and tell our story,” Margaret said. “And I think you are a great person to do that.”
Morgan closed her eyes and concentrated, trying to soak in every word. “By the way,” Margaret added, “we really enjoyed your great-grandfather’s visits.”
That surprised Morgan. She opened her eyes and looked up. Now there were only two sisters left, Louisa and Margaret, both much older. They sat gently in their chairs, calm and relaxed.
“We really can’t take visitors anymore,” Louisa explained. “It’s just too much work for us. We told them to take down the sign.”
Morgan looked at the two elderly women. “I understand,” she pretended to say. Morgan closed her eyes again, then opened them. Now there was only Louisa, who was rocking slowly in her chair, looking frail and old.
“Don’t forget about us,” Louisa spoke her final words to Morgan. “Or else the mystery of the park’s history will be lost.”
“Morgan!” Dad called from outside.
Dad’s voice snapped Morgan out of her daydream. She quickly jumped to her feet and walked toward the cabin’s front door. Morgan paused to look around one more time. “Good-bye, Walker sisters,” Morgan said out loud to the empty cabin. Then she turned around and joined her family.
Mom and Dad were standing next to James by a circle of rocks surrounding several plants. James bent down. “There’s a rabbit under here,” he announced.
The small rabbit bounded out from underneath the plants and ran across the open, grassy area. It came to the tall, denser grass near some trees and stopped. The rabbit looked at the Parkers with its nose twitching.
“Great-Grandpa did say the Walker sisters had rabbits around,” Morgan recalled, “so that one might be one of their kids.”
“Or grandkids,” James chimed in.
“Or great-grandkids,” Morgan added.
The Parkers stood quietly. “How long do rabbits usually live, anyway?” Dad finally said.
After a few more minutes at the Walker Cabin, Mom, Dad, Morgan, and James strolled back to their car at the Little Greenbrier School.
14
“There’s the Chimney picnic area,” Morgan said.
Dad turned the car into the parking lot. James and Mom got out.
“We’ll pick you up here in two and a half hours,” Dad reminded them.
Morgan and Dad drove away.
“Two and a half hours,” Dad repeated. “That will really test our hiking ability.”
• • •
James and Mom gathered with a group of people. “Welcome, everyone,” a ranger spoke. “My name is Mark. This is the Junior Ranger salamander program, where we get to do one of the coolest things you can do in the Smokies. Follow me, and get ready to get wet and slimy!”
• • •
Dad parked the car at the nearby Chimney Tops trailhead. Morgan and Dad quickly got out. They hurried to the trail and began hiking. After crossing several footbridges over roaring Smokies streams, Morgan and Dad began to climb.
The trail quickly became steep. Morgan and Dad worked hard to keep up their pace. The pathway, like many in the Smokies, was full of wet roots and slippery rocks. At times there were cables to help them with their footing. Dad wiped the sweat off his brow and took a deep breath. “I’m sure glad I’m in great shape,” he joked.
• • •
Mark propped one of his feet up on a rock near a stream. “Believe it or not,” he exclaimed, “this whole area is teeming with salamanders, and we get to find some.”
Mom and James looked at each other.
Mark held up a small plastic container. “We’ll temporarily display the salamanders in these. But please remember where you find them so they can be returned to their exact home.”
James raised his hand. “What if we catch a hellbender?”
• • •
Morgan and Dad continued climbing. Up ahead a series of large roots completely covered the trail. “The plants are so fascinating here,” Dad commented.
They stepped over the roots and approached a large, charcoal gray rock formation. Dad peered up at the massive, slanted rock. “I guess that’s the Chimney Tops,” he announced. “You can really see how the crust of the Earth buckled and tilted in this area.”
Dad started climbing and Morgan followed. They took several steps, propelling themselves upward by grabbing the natural holds in the rock.
After several more steps, Dad and Morgan stopped. They stood there, halfway up the Chimney Tops. Dad looked up at the steep climb ahead of them. “I wonder if we should go on.”
• • •
Mark smiled at James’s question. “We would be extremely lucky to see one,” he said emphatically. “I’ve been working here for nearly twenty years, and I’ve only seen a hellbender once. But I know they’re out there. Hellbenders live in the larger streams in the lower valleys. Still, even in the rivers, the hellbender is awfully elusive.
“If you do find a salamander,” he continued, “try to touch it as little as possible. And don’t just look near the water. Try moving rocks, old bark, or logs, or even try looking under leaves and twigs.”
• • •
Morgan and Dad scrambled farther up the slanted gray rock. They scanned the horizon. Across the way was a large, bulging mountain. “Mount LeConte,” Dad observed. Morgan and Dad gazed out over the dense, seemingly impenetrable forest. Wisps of mist and clouds hovered over the valley. Far below was Newfound Gap Road. They could hear the traffic humming, even as far away as they were.
“Mom would really love seeing the forest from up here,” Morgan said.
Dad surveyed the rest of their climb. “I wonder how the holds are up there.”
“The holds?” Morgan asked.
“I mean how safe it will be for us to grab onto and climb up that rock.”
Dark, ominous clouds drifted overhead. A faint rumble rolled in the distance.
• • •
“I got one!” James called out. He carefully picked up the small, yellowish, orange-striped salamander and put it into his plastic dish. James stood up and walked toward Mark, showing the salamander to Mom along the way.
Mark looked in the dish. “A Blue Ridge two-lined salamander!” he stated with enthusiasm. “Where did you find it?”
“Under that downed log,” James pointed out.
“Good find,” Mark said. “Here, put it at the front of our display table.”
James put the salamander down and trotted off to search for more.
• • •
Morgan and Dad took a few more slow, cautious steps toward the summit of the Chimney Tops. The sky had grown darker, and a few large raindrops began to plunk down.
Dad sensed something unusual about the air. He heard a faint humming sound. Dad quickly looked around. Then he saw some of Morgan’s hair sticking straight up.
Dad grabbed Morgan. “Duck!” he shouted.
Dad and Morgan immediately crouched down. Dad covered both their heads.
A blast of light illuminated the air. It was instantly followed by deafening thunder.
Once the thunder stopped, Dad peeked up. “I think the top of this rock might have been hit.”
“Chimney Tops?” Morgan asked.
“Let’s get out of here,” Dad said urgently, “before lightning strikes it again.”
Morgan and Dad scrambled to their feet. The rain picked up, and the slippery rock quickly became soaked. Morgan squinted her eyes and glanced at the sky. Lightning lit the clouds again, followed by booming thunder.
• • •
James, Mom, and the others continued searching. “There are eighteen salamanders and seven different species up here so far,” Mark announced.
Mom walked up with a black-colored salamander adorned with reddish cheeks. “I found it under some leaves,” Mom said.
Mark’s eyes lit up. “The famous red-cheeked salamander!” he exclaimed. “It only lives in the Smokies. Excellent!”
Suddenly the sky let loose. Rain showered on the trees above the group. Large drops of water plunked down from the forest. Everyone looked at Mark, wondering what to do.
“Let’s keep searching,” Mark called out. “It’s perfect salamander weather!”
• • •
Morgan and Dad quickly scrambled down from the rock. They reached the bottom and dashed down the trail, heading for the protection of the trees.
They got under a large tree and huddled together.
Dad felt his soaked visor. He got out the parkas and they slipped them on just as thunder rumbled again.
Morgan and Dad stepped out from under the tree and rain poured down on them. They started working their way back down the trail.
• • •
Mark gathered the group in front of the salamander display. He pointed and said, “A blackbelly over here. A tiny pygmy salamander here. Here’s your red-cheeked and your Blue Ridge two-lined.” He looked at James and Mom. “And, we have a shovelnose and also this southern redback. Great finds, everyone.”
After putting their salamanders back, the parents and children started leaving. Eventually, only Mom and James were left.
“Our car isn’t here,” James informed Mark. “My dad and sister are still hiking.”
“That’s okay,” Mark said. “Let’s put your salamanders back and do a little more searching while we wait.” Mark opened a large umbrella and motioned for Mom and James to get under it. “We aren’t salamanders, you know,” he joked.
Mom and James returned their salamanders to where they’d found them. Then they followed Mark to the stream.
• • •
Morgan and Dad kept hiking, but the Smokies storm was drenching them.
Dad wiped the water off his watch to get a quick glimpse at the time. “Getting there late is better than not at all,” he said to Morgan.
Suddenly Dad slipped, tumbling down a wet, muddy embankment. He tried to get up, but his foot slipped out from under him. He fell back into the mud on the steep slope. Morgan carefully stepped off the trail and gave Dad a hand. Together they were able to pull him back onto his feet.
Dad looked at himself and smirked. “Now I know what it’s like to wallow like a salamander.”
• • •
Mark pointed to the water. “What hellbenders really like,” he explained, “is to hide under rocks in big pools of water.” Mark gazed at the large pool ahead of them. “Like this one.”
Mom and James also looked at the creek.
“Usually the people who get to see hellbenders are those who come out with snorkeling gear and go underwater,” Mark explained. Then he looked up at the weather. “And I don’t think we want to do that today.”
Mom nodded. “I can understand why.”
They heard the sound of squishing footsteps coming down the trail.
Mom and James looked up.
Morgan was standing there in a totally soaked red parka. Dad’s orange parka was completely caked with wet, dripping mud.
Mom and James thanked Mark and walked up to Morgan and Dad. “Are you okay?” James asked.
Dad smiled sheepishly. “Yes.”
James looked at Dad and grinned. “You look like a giant salamander!” he announced.
Dad bared his white teeth and growled. “Yep. Call me the hellbender!”
Any salamanders around?
15
Well here we are, back at the Quiet Walkway next to the river.
I’m sad that my vacation in the Smokies is almost over. But I hope you enjoyed reading about our adventures.
So let me bring you back to exactly where we left off.
James just called out urgently, “Hey, you guys, come here!”
We quickly walked over to James, who stood by the river. “I saw one!”
he exclaimed. “It’s in there.”
“What is?” I asked.
“A hellbender!”
We looked at the river, but it was getting too dark to see under
the water.
James scanned the riverbank and went to grab a stick.
He took the stick and propped it underneath a rock, hoisting it up a
few inches.
The hellbender dashed out and quickly glided along the river bottom.
“There it is!” I shouted.
The enormous amphibian gracefully propelled itself right under a larger rock and disappeared. “Unbelievable,” Mom exclaimed.
James took a deep, satisfied breath. “At least we got to see it for a second.”
“Yep, the old waterdog,” Dad commented. “It was huge!”
“Waterdog,” James repeated, looking at Dad in his muddy orange parka.
Dad glanced at his clothes. “Me?”
James smiled. “Maybe that can be your new nickname!”
Dad looked thoughtful. “I’m not sure if I like that,” he said. Then he noticed the darkening skies. “Come on, everyone, we’ve got a lot of driving ahead, and I know we’re all looking forward to a hotel, clean clothes, and a shower.”
Dad put his arms around James and me. We all started walking back to
the car.
Suddenly, somewhere in the forest, a tiny group of lights sparkled brightly for several seconds, then just as quickly disappeared. The lights sparkled again, this time closer to us.
We stopped in our tracks and looked at each other silently, as if each of us was saying, “Did you see what I just saw?”
Another group of lights twinkled away in a different part of the forest.
Finally, Mom spoke. “Fireflies,” she gasped. “Only they’re doing something I’ve never heard of. They’re lighting in sync with each other.”
“It looks like a miniature Christmas light parade,” I said.
We stood still and watched the Great Smoky Mountain Firefly Show.
SPARKING IN SYNC
There are fourteen species of fireflies in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Fireflies use a process called bioluminescence, a chemical reaction made by living things to produce their own light. Synchronous fireflies are uncommon in North America. They were hardly known about until 1994, when they were discovered in the Elkmont area of the park. Scientists aren’t certain why fireflies spark in sync. Some believe that males do this to compete with each other. They want to be the first spark to attract females. Another idea is that males light up in unison because the more light there is, the better their chances of being noticed by a female. Today, snychronous fireflies are one of the most famous attractions in the Smokies. Peak synchronous firefly viewing occurs in the Elkmont area for a two-week period each June.
The fireflies kept lighting up in groups throughout the forest. “There are hundreds of them,” James called out.
“And a bunch more over here,” I added, looking in another direction.
“It’s quite a grand finale we’re seeing here,” Dad commented.
Mom looked at her watch. “Wow, 9 p.m.,” she realized. “We really better get going.”
• • •
Several hours later we were on Highway 40 heading west to Nashville. It was around midnight. Mom and Dad were up front. James and I were in back, staring out the window. An occasional, solitary firefly sparkled in the bushes next to the freeway. We had been seeing them for hours now.
“I wish we had them in California,” I said to James.
Then my thoughts drifted back home.
It was sometime in the future. James and I had just fertilized the rhododendron that Great-Grandpa had planted years ago, when he lived where we live now. I wish I could have met him. We might have worked on the garden together. But in some ways, we are now.
I was dousing the base of the plants with water. “It just doesn’t rain as much here as in the Smokies,” I explained to James.
James looked at me. “You know what I think we should call this garden?”
“What?”
“The GGG—for Great-Grandpa’s Garden.”
I turned away from James and saw another speck of light as our car zipped by on the freeway. Lightning lit up the clouds. To anyone who reads this journal in the future, take my advice and please go to the Great Smoky Mountains. They are fantastic!
What do I recommend that you see? Well, here’s my Top Ten List of favorite sights:
1. The Walker sisters cabin and Little Greenbrier School
2. Cataloochee Valley Historic Area
3. Synchronized fireflies!
4. Abrams Falls
5. Mount LeConte and Mount LeConte Lodge
6. The Chimney Tops
7. Clingmans Dome
8. Cosby Campground moths
9. Charlies Bunion
10. The AT Trail and shelters
My brother James says he would add these sights:
11. Jr. Ranger salamander program
12. Andrews Bald
13. Cades Cove bike ride
14. Newfound Gap
15. The hellbender!
16. Rainbow Falls
17. Place of a Thousand Drips
18. Elk in Cataloochee
After talking with the ranger at the Sugarlands Visitor Center, my parents think I had tick paralysis. When the tick is stuck on someone, it releases toxins, making the person feel sick and sore. But once the tick is removed, people recover quickly, just like I did.
It’s raining now, and the car’s windshield wipers are slapping back and forth. As I watch the driving night storm, I see bright lights and tall buildings ahead.
“The Nashville skyline!” Dad exclaims, and I know this trip is over…
