Growing up in a small beach town, I wouldn't exactly consider myself to be one with nature. Don't get me wrong, I love being outside — going for bike rides, and getting all the fresh air that I can — but I've never experienced what it was like to really be in the great outdoors. That was until last weekend when I spent some time in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

If I'm being honest, I wasn't really excited about my trip. I was worried about all the work I had to get done, and frankly, I didn't see what could be so special about Tennessee. However, I soon realized just how pretty of a place it could be. I found myself in awe as we drove, looking off into the distance where the Great Smoky Mountains stood tall. I knew nothing about this part of the country, I didn’t even know these mountains existed, and all I wanted to do was explore.

When we first decided to go hiking, I was excited but also a little nervous; I knew it was going to be an adventure, but I certainly didn’t know what I was getting myself into. As we drove through the park looking for the trailhead, I was absolutely mesmerized by what I was seeing. Along the roadside were streams with water so clear I couldn’t believe it, landscapes that were nothing like I’d ever seen, and we had only just begun. Finally, we had arrived at Chimney Tops trailhead where we began our hike.

In hindsight, we probably should have listened the very nice, truthful park ranger who warned us that, although, it was only two miles to the top, it was all uphill. She really was looking out for us. At times, we hated ourselves, thought, “Why on Earth did we do this to ourselves?” We huffed and puffed, stopping every chance we could and laughed as we watched each other’s quads tremble, but knew that in the end it would be worth it. It was already worth it; the snow covered trails were the definition of beautiful. Each person we passed would tell us “you’re almost there,” yet every time we thought we were close, we came across another stairway to climb. But then it happened, we actually were almost there; we could see the summit.

The view from the top was indescribable and certainly was something I never thought I’d experience. I could have spent hours just taking it all in. Getting to the top of the mountain was probably one of the hardest things I’ve ever done but by far, one of the most rewarding. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. The journey back down was a whole different challenge, but it definitely made for great stories. Tennessee may not have the beach, but it has one hell of a mountain range. They say you meet some of your best friends in the lowest of places, but I could argue that I met some of my best friends in the highest of places. It was an experience that I’ll never forget.