I was selected as the Great Smoky Mountains National Park Artist in Residence, September 2023, living in the park and painting daily. Read about my first week here. In this post, I will go over the highlights of week two.
Back to Cades Cove
Week two began with a trip back to Cades Cove. I did not paint anything; however, I took some good reference photos. Along with these photos, I stopped a few times to sit in the bed of my truck and sketch some scenes.
Cades Cove is an 11-mile one-way loop you can walk, bike, or drive. There are two roads that cut across the loop, in case you do not want to drive the whole 11 miles. Driving down Sparks Lane for the first time, there was only one car ahead of me. They were stopped and waving me over. Looking for food on the side of the road were four black bears, a mom and three cubs. All to ourselves! It was so cool! I saw a total of 7 bears on the days that I went to Cades Cove.
High School Plein Air
The next day, I drove to Elkmont campground to meet with the high school students from Fulton that I taught the week before. We met up at the Appalachian Clubhouse, which would serve as their subject, or they could choose to paint the houses of Daisy Town. This recently restored historic area of Elkmont showcases a time when people would arrive by train to take their vacation in the Great Smoky Mountains.
Students were led by professional Plein Air painter, and my new friend, Karen Philpott. They did SO WELL that we were all extremely impressed. Dove right in, completely fearless. I was so jealous that they got to take this amazing field trip! Their finished pieces would sell along with the 20 professional Plein Air painters coming in for the Plein Air Smokies event (more on that in week 4). Rangers, visitors, news crew, Anakeesta, and Friends of the Smokies all came to support the students. It was a wonderful day.
After leaving Elkmont, I decided to test my fate with the Laurel Falls hike, a short drive up the road. The Laurel Falls hike is very popular. Its parking lots rarely have open spots. I told myself I would stop and hike if there was a place for me. Sure enough, there was a spot, right in front of the trailhead sign too! I have hiked this trail in the past, but I do not remember such an elevation gain. The vistas were beautiful, and I really enjoyed the hike alone.
First Solo Camping Trip- Smokemont
My family and I camp at Smokemont Campground every summer. This time, however, it was time to camp alone. For the first time, I packed up my camping gear and headed to Smokemont all by myself. September fooled me, I figured the weather would have turned fall-like in the mountains. But, after setting up my tent and canopy I was sweating. I cooled off by jumping in the “freezing cold” Bradley Fork.
After that, it was time to split firewood and start dinner. I used my Soto Amicus backpacking stove to boil water only. For dinners, I had dehydrated soup and for breakfast, I had oatmeal and peanut butter. JIF made it so easy by making a squeeze tube! At night, I slept in my NEMO Aurora two-person tent to the sound of the crickets.
Plein Air at Oconaluftee
The next morning, I went to the Oconaluftee Visitor Center. As part of my residency, I was obligated to do visitor engagement. I decided to Plein Air paint on the mountain farm museum and visitors could come up and speak with me. The sunlight hid from me most of the day, but I was able to get a painting of the corn crib. Many people stopped to chat with me and take my picture.
The following morning, Friday, I went back to Oconaluftee to plein air paint. This time I chose the apple barn. Once again, the sun was in and out, so I had to get my underpainting sketch in quickly to catch the light. I also had some “helpers”- the chickens of the farm hung around with me throughout the day! Both days were very enjoyable talking to the visitors about painting and the park in general.
Saturday, I had the day to myself, so I wandered around the campground looking for inspiration. I found some great spots along the Bradley Fork and ended up painting some of the smooth grey and brown rocks. The Bradley Fork is cold, the smell is mossy, and the sound of the stream is a soothing place to sit and read. That night I enjoyed my dinner with some wine by the fire. The rain held off enough for the fire to stay hot and roaring. I went into my tent around 11pm and soon after was able to fall asleep to the sound of rain.
As wonderful as the sound of rain was at midnight, it was not as wonderful at 8AM. Checkout for Smokemont Campground is noon. I folded up my air mattress, sleeping bag, and sheets inside the tent and decided to wait until the rain let off to begin breaking down camp.
With my rain jacket and boots on, I ate breakfast under the canopy. After that, it was time to get to work. Moving my canopy over the entrance of my tent meant I could have a “dry station”. Luckily, I was able to detach my tent from the poles while keeping the fly up over the poles. I folded my tent under the fly, keeping it dry. Hooray! The folded wet fly went into the covered bed of my truck.
After packing up the canopy (the last thing to do) the rain stopped. Of course! But this gave me time to do one last walk around Smokemont and say goodbye until next year.
Cataloochee
Next, it was off to Cataloochee Campground. I drove the Blue Ridge Parkway to Maggie Valley. Soon after, it was time for the windy neighborhood road that leads into Cataloochee. The last part is narrow and dirt. My truck was covered in mud!
After setting up my camp, I decided to drive to the valley to try and witness the elk bugling. I noticed everyone was parking and posting up for the evening, so I found a spot, backed in, set up my rocker in the bed, and helped myself to some snacks. After a while a few elk came out of the woods and eventually made their way in front of us. The male bugled the whole time! It was a very cool experience.
Cosby
I woke up the next morning to a pleasant chill in the air. It was the first time the weather was not hot! After breakfast and breaking down camp, I headed to Cosby Campground. This place was huge! Having stayed in the nearby smaller Big Creek campground, I was not expecting Cosby to be so large.
After setting up camp I went on the mile-long nature trail looking for inspiration. It was a nice quiet hike, and I got some great water shots. That evening I had my last campfire side dinner. This campground was the darkest of the three, even though I was close to the bathroom. There were other campers somewhat adjacent to me as well, but the rest of the camp was pretty spread out. The night was SO quiet. I slept wonderfully in the peaceful darkness.
Week two was a blast! I miss camping already. It was fun to do alone! Plus, I got to experience off-road driving, hiking, and elk! Stay tuned for the next post on week three!
