I've never been camping. Never been fishing. Never thought of fireflies as more than just “lighting bugs.” And until a few months ago, the only hike I'd ever done was up to the Hollywood sign in Los Angeles.
But somehow, for the last four years, I've found myself regularly covering Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
I've covered bear sightings, road and trail closures, wildfires, parking tags, leaf-peeping and a number of other things happening within the country’s most-visited national park. For the most part, I’ve been observing the Smokies from the outside. That's beginning to change, though.
Seeing the Smokies differently
When I’m in the park now or passing through for a visit home in North Carolina, I find myself looking at the streams and creeks alongside the road. There’s
something peaceful and therapeutic about the water, the fresh air and the natural sounds of life.
I'm still not sure I understand the East Tennessee fascination with black bears, though. Don't get me wrong – it’s cool to unexpectedly spot a bear. But I've never quite understood why seeing one can become the highlight of someone's vacation or hike.
Maybe it's because I see them the same way I see all living things: one of God's creatures simply trying to live, just like the rest of us. And even that realization is interesting after recently reporting a story about how humans and bears can coexist in the Smokies.
Getting out of my comfort zone
I also now have the chance to experience the park in a way I never have before through Experience Your Smokies, a program designed to give participants a behind-the-scenes look at the park and the people responsible for protecting it.
I've literally been getting my hands dirty working alongside the park's fisheries team at Abrams Creek, sampling fish diversity and health and digging through the streambed to search for mussels.
We completed our second session on Aug. 18, but by the time the program ends in December, I will have learned about wildlife management, exotic plants, air quality, historic preservation, the people and organizations that work with the park, and much more.
I’ve already learned so much from the experts I've met through EYS. My cohort is filled with everyday people who genuinely love the national park. They're avid hikers and visitors who know the park's trails, history and all its hidden gems. I've seen pure joy on their faces catching fish, and tears while hearing how massive commercial logging operations devastated the area before it was established as a national park in 1934.
Make no mistake, I'm still very much a city guy. But being surrounded by their passion makes me understand even more about why I continue to cover the Smokies and why East Tennesseans care so deeply about what happens here.
My admiration for the park is growing, too. During our most recent EYS session at Elkmont, I had a surprising fleeting thought: Maybe I should go camping.
Devarrick Turner is a trending news reporter. Email devarrick.turner@knoxnews.com.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Covering the Smokies starts to make camping look (kind of) fun | Opinion
