The Clearing

Cumberland Gap National Historic Park

As we grow up, we experience moments in time at forever ingrain their presence in our memory.  They become defining moments in our life, where we all of a sudden we feel a sense of relief and clarity.  When we are having a bad day or just need a break from the stresses of everyday life, thinking back on these particularly rare moments offers us peace of mind and gives us the hope we need to keep trucking on.  When I think back over the course of my life, one place - - one moment - - comes to mind.  This amazingly beautiful place is located in Cumberland Gap National Historic Park.  I remember the unusually hot summer morning that I hiked to the pinnacle in that park as if it were yesterday.  I was with a group of seven young people who I had just spent the past month and a half working on conservation projects in the park with.  To celebrate all the hard work we had completed that summer, we decided to wake-up at the crack of dawn and hike to the top of the mountain were a supposedly magnificent view would await us at sunrise.  We could have easily hopped in the car and drove to the pinnacle, but where would the adventure and excitement be in that?  With only our cameras and water bottles in hand we set out on our long hike. 

To start we first had to tramp through a meadow of very high wild grass.  I remember that most of the grass we adventured through was taller than me.  It seemed easy to get completely lost in their forever.  Luckily, we easily made our way through without getting lost.  The remainder of the hike would be under the protection of the overpowering trees in the woods connected to the meadow.  At first it seemed a little creepy pacing through the dried up dirt path in the woods in the morning darkness.  However, we stuck close together and slowly worked our way through. 

Eventually, we finally reached the end of the path and found ourselves abruptly removed from nature.  We were now suddenly walking up an ugly cement pathway.  To be on this type of path disappointed our urge for a wilderness adventure, yet we understood the park's reasons for doing so.  When we finally arrived at the pinnacle nobody else was around so we had the whole area to ourselves.  We arrived just in time to watch the sun rise.  At first it was hard to see much because the thickness of the clouds blocked everything that was not right in front of us.  However, a few minutes later the clouds started to part, slowly revealing the rolling mountains in the background.  It looked and felt like we were standing in a fairyland.  Everything looked so serene, so magical. 

After standing there for at least an hour in total silence, fully taking in the view, we decide to leave so that we could start to make our way back to our campsite for breakfast.  When I am having a tough day, I think back on the view I witnessed that morning and hope that the cloudiness in my life will soon clear like the clouds that morning did and show me a beautiful new opportunity.   

Location