Roan Mountain

Roan Mountain is not one single mountain but a high ridge about 5 miles long.
At the mountain top(Roan High Knob) one stands 6,285 feet high.
And that, my friends, is exactly where I stood yesterday! Closer to the sky than I have ever been with my feet firmly on the ground. It is a totally awesome view from the top of the mountain.

Roan Mountain, which is part of the Pisgah and the Cherokee National Forests, holds quite a rich history of its own. In the late 1800's General John T Wilder bought 7,000 acres along the top and sides of the mountain. Here he built a 20 room log inn near the summit of Roan High Knob. The log inn was eventually replaced by Cloudland Hotel which reportedly was quite luxurious for its time. The hotel operated for about 20 years but today there is next to no evidence that it even existed high atop this mountain. A marker at the spot of the once grand hotel asks passersby to 'try to imagine' ... I can't begin to imagine... What a vacation wonderland that would have been. No amusement rides necessary. Just cold springs, cool higher elevation temperatures, flora and fauna unlike anywhere else in the area and the peaceful beauty of Mother Nature at each glance.



At one point the Appalachian Trail crosses Roan Mountain. I encountered a couple of diligent Appalachian Trail hikers as they made their way south just as I was snapping this picture of the trail marker. They, I'm sure were taking in Mother Nature's wonder in their own chosen way but it seemed a shame to me that they hurried by at a rather quick pace. Maybe those who hike the trail do not need to stop and savor each and every moment like I do. Maybe they are so immersed in it that it becomes a part of them just naturally. For me, I need to stop and smell the proverbial roses every few steps along the way.

But, yesterday, it wasn't the smell of roses that wafted in the air. It was the scent of pine needles. Sun shining down through the canopy of trees created a dappled path underfoot. The buzzing of bees was LOUD! I mean really, really loud! It took me back to my childhood when a neighbor had bee hives. You could hear those honeybees buzzing for half a block away. But this was even louder than I remembered those bees sounding. I looked everywhere but saw none of the noisemakers. But I knew that they were nearby. There was no denying it.

Around a bend on the path at the top of Roan Mountain, I was greeted with a glorious sight. Rhododendrons (Rhododendron catawbiense to be exact) were in bloom everywhere I looked. I have never encountered such a natural garden in the middle of what I otherwise would call a forest. It was indescribable - overwhelming - amazing and it very much touched me to my core. I stood in awe of the blooms - hundreds of thousands of them - and soon realized that here was the location of those buzzing bees! Bumblebees!! Hundreds of thousands of them too, I am sure! On nearly every bloom that I could see there were at least one or two - sometimes three as in this shot. They were all very polite - each one claiming a spot but never trying to step into the other's. Their social skills are quite advanced I've decided. I watched the bumblebees for at least as long as I gazed at the incredible beauty of the flowers. Time stands still for me when I am in the midst of Mother Nature.

As I drove down narrow road leading off the mountain, I couldn't help but think that this place was definitely a creative's sanctuary. And, I made a vow to myself to return often - with pen and paper, or laptop, or recorder in hand -- and definitely with digicam -- so that I may soak up the beauty and wonder of the area and capture it in photos and in words. In these ways I hope to preserve my magical time on Roan Mountain long after my own memory fails me.