Three Savvy Broads: 047 Going Back

You can go back

A sentimental journey

The name, Snowbird Mountain Lodge, remained in my husband’s memory since he was about 6 or 7 years old. It was the destination of a family vacation he had never forgotten.

The family drove south from their home in Logan, W.Va. on the hunt for a great fishing location. With no reservations and a late start after Sunday church service, it was not easy finding a place to stay, and it was starting to get dark. A kind soul at a gas station said there no motels in the area but directed them to a “place on the mountain.”

The lodge high up on the mountain from the gas station just happened to have one room left. That first night turned into a weeklong vacation on the top of a Great Smokey Mountain in North Carolina.

My husband is not especially sentimental, but he never forgot one of the rare vacations his family of three (he was an only child) took. His father’s plumbing business did not lend itself to many days off so a vacation was a very special coveted time.

He had mentioned it over the years wondering if the lodge still existed and exactly where it was. His parents are deceased so there was no way to ask them any particulars. He made no attempt to try to find out about it until about 10 years ago. Access to the Internet made the search so much easier than it would have been decades ago.

With only a name to go on and a general location, there wasn’t much hope of finding it. After a few searches, the home page for the lodge popped up with a photo --- he remembered what it looked like so he was sure that was it. Evidently, it had stayed in business those 60 some years since their visit.

For years, it was on our list of places to visit, but it never quite fit into our plans. Even though we both grew up in the mountains, we head to the beach for many family outings. But it stayed in the back of his mind as something he wanted to do.

We head to our sons about once a month to babysit the grandkids or just to visit. The first of June was on the calendar to head to his home near Charlotte, N.C. Since we are both retired, we often take a short vacation after babysitting, usually to the beach, but this time, he suggested we head to Snowbird Mountain Lodge. Finally, we were headed on his sentimental journey.

After fulfilling our babysitting duties, we headed to the mountains, climbing more than 3,000 feet to our destination on a two-lane highway near Robbinsville, N.C.

The lodge, nestled high in the hills with amazing views of the Great Smokey Mountains, did not disappoint. All meals are included, the service is impressive, and the present owner makes sure everything stays ship shape.

While many things had changed since the 1950s, some had remained the same --- rustic wood paneling in the rooms, walkways to view sunrises and sunsets, and no television.

The addition of Wi-Fi, an extensive wine list, and modern amenities, such as air conditioning, were very welcome. But a real room key, hanging from a wooden board, was charming and added to the back to the past feeling.

My husband was especially talkative to anyone who would listen about visiting the lodge 60-some years ago. He missed his parents on the return trip but knew they were smiling down as he made this journey of rediscovery.

In addition, the surrounding area provided great adventures. As hikers, we had many choices including an amazing walk in the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest – one of the few remaining tracts of virgin hardwood in the Appalachians.

Kilmer is the author of the famous poem, “Trees,” which most of us remember memorizing many years ago for a school assignment,. The forest is a very fitting tribute to the poet and preserves the amazing natural environment for all of us to enjoy.

Also, a drive on the Cherohala Skyway took us on a great hike to view a “bald,” an area that crests a mountain. This hike had two balds that contained fields of yellow buttercups with the highest at 5,600 feet.