On November 8, during our late-fall visit to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the sun was shining; and it was a beautiful day. We decided to hike to Laurel Falls, probably one of the most popular day hikes in the park. The trail is paved and suitable for strollers and wheelchairs; although, like most trails in the park, it is almost all uphill going to the falls.
Along the trail to Laurel Falls
Laurel Falls
After our hike, we drove to the area of the park known as Greenbrier...sometimes called Big Greenbrier...located between Gatlinburg and Cosby. We had planned to enjoy an afternoon of reading in front of a fire in the fireplace at the picnic pavilion there. Since the pavilion was in use when we arrived, we went for a walk to the Plemmons Cemetery nearby.
I saw this leaf glowing in the sunlight on the walk to the cemetery.
The shadows seem long for mid-afternoon, don't they?
There are a number of interesting grave markers in the Plemmons cemetery. The old stones are crudely carved, and many are becoming unreadable. Many of those that can still be read contain quaint misspellings or letters printed backward. On some, interesting verses have been carefully etched. One of our favorites is on the stone marking the resting place of Charles Rafield. It says:
Remember man as you pass by
As you are now so once was I
As I am now so shall you be
Therefore prepare to follow me
There is a story about another grave with that verse on it and two more lines added by an unknown passerby:
To follow you I'm not content
Until I know which way you went
A soldier of America's Revolutionary War is buried here. This photo shows both old and new grave markers, although the old one is no longer legible.
This one marks the grave of a soldier of the Civil War.
A slender plant throws a shadow almost bigger than itself against the trunk of a tree.
Wishing you all a very happy Thanksgiving. It's a good time to think about all our blessings, and to give thanks to God, from whom they come.
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. (James 1:17)
