Little River, GSMNP, originally uploaded by Goyo P.John Muir said go to the woods to wash your spirit clean! I like the words of Muir so that’s what I did for two weeks in July. I wanted to say something about the Little River because I think it’s a magical place. The Little River runs along the northern edge of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It’s the closest trout stream to my parents house so I have become familiar with it. My favorite stretch is the East Branch by the Elkmont campground. I like this area because it offers some seclusion. Of the millions of visitors per year that pass through the Smokies only a small percentage get out of their cars. An even smaller percentage hike further than a mile into the woods. Conservationist Aldo Leopold said some people can live without nature, and some people cannot. I’m one of those who cannot. The Little River trail is an easy hike. It’s an old road with a gradual incline. But for a fisherman like me, “easy” may not be the best choice of words. This is Copperhead country. You wont find many on the trail but you’ll see plenty basking in the sun on the boulders along the river….exactly where I pass to cast a fly to native Brook Trout. And, then there are the Black Bear. A woman was killed a few years ago by a black bear as she rested on the rocks. And, there are still “aggressive” bears along the trail. The NPS is pretty good about posting signs to warn people about them. There are a few of these warning signs along the trail. Anyway after a few days of fishing with Copperheads and Black Bear you begin to understand the meaning of Muir’s words….”washing your spirit clean”. It’s hard for me to get too entangled in life’s problems when it takes all my concentration and focus to stalk a wary mountain Brook Trout without stepping on a Copperhead. It parallels Buddhist meditation. Buddhists meditate by focusing on their breathing. It is impossible to think about the past, present and future all at once. Bringing the mind to the reality of the present washes away all worries of the past and anxiety of the future. Furthermore, researchers claim that exposure to high levels of negative ions created by waterfalls improves health. Muir would have said, “no duh!” to that. It’s pretty obvious there are benefits to spending time in nature. More importantly it helps me to understand that everything in nature has purpose. Without Copperheads, Black Bear, chiggers, mosquitos we would not be able to focus on the present. We need wild animals, insects, plants and trees of all varities to wash our spirit clean. Some of us need it more than others. I need it daily.
The Heron 