#Project365: Special Edition - Gatlinburg part 4

Today's edition displays a portion of the downtown area close to the main street through town, US 441. One area that I did not go into was the ski area to the west of the city and high above the downtown portion of Gatlinburg. As I mentioned yesterday, I was affected very dramatically and moved to tears by what I was taking pictures of and knew from earlier stories in the news that a good portion of the entire area had been obliterated. This was as close as I got; one can see that the building at the top of the sky lift is gone.

Of COURSE I would have to get some shots of the chapels where so many marriages have taken place! This is a "before" shot:

Of the Gatlinburg Chapels that existed, only three remain:

Here is a "before" shot on the street the chapels face:

Here is what it looks like now:

Here's a closer shot of the hill in the above picture:

Here is a shot of the what's left of the Brevard Inn:

Here are more "before" (Google Maps shots) and "after" shots:

Here are the remains of what looks to be a house behind a mini-golf entertainment area just off the main drag; picture taken from Holly Ridge Road:

Had the two teenagers who started these fires not been playing with matches in Smoky Mountain National Park near the Chimney Tops Trail, it is possible that this destruction may not have happened. However, as climate change continues to accelerate (remember, climate change is exponential; not linear), these kinds of fires can be expected almost anywhere. All it takes is a lightning strike, drought, and high winds to cause a serious problem. 

Project365: Special Edition - Gatlinburg part 3

After seeing so many buildings' remnants the day before, I was getting excited to take in some beauty and get away from all the reminders of the fire. I hadn't heard of any of the Roaring Fork Nature Trail historic structures being lost and assumed that the fire had skipped over that part of Gatlinburg. Sadly, I was in for a nasty surprise. The first thing that I noticed as I proceeded along Cherokee Orchard Road towards the trail was how bright it was. Considering it is spring, at first I figured the trees just hadn't completely leafed out yet. As I continued, I realized that many of the trees had been burnt and that most of the rhododendrons had also succumbed to the fires. The understory that previously was there was lost along with portions of crowns of many trees which allowed much more light to enter. Since many of the rhododendrons had succumbed to either fire or drought, very few were blooming. Huge expanses of forest had burned and the trip turned eerie. 

Another issue I noticed here as in other forests was the reduction of sounds from animals. I didn't see any black bears around Gatlinburg, either (something that previously was almost impossible to avoid; due to the fact that as soon as anyone spots one, they tend to stop to take pictures [and then everyone else behind them follows suit]). 

Something else caught my attention as well; how dry everything was. Normally, especially in the morning; the trail is wet. On this day everything was abnormally dry: 

Many trees' crowns have only a few branches leafing out, more than likely dooming said trees.

As I continued through the trail and was coming back into Gatlinburg, the trip suddenly turned even worse. Here is one of the "before" pictures:

Now here are the "after" versions:

Here is another "before" version:

Now for the "after" versions:

Here is the devastation up close:

What used to be the pool is currently filled with gravel:

It was at this point as I was finishing taking pictures and working on returning to the car that I wept a bit. I can only imagine how devastating it was for everyone who lives here.

Now for another "before" version:

These are the "after" versions:

Now for one last "before" picture today:

Here is the "after" version:

Tomorrow I shall finish this special edition series with the final entry; part 4, a part of downtown Gatlinburg.