Uncovering hidden gems in nature to share with others is a great joy of mine, but I had to overcome the selfish sadness that giving these secrets away provoked in me. Bee Rock is one of these precious hidden gems. The viewpoint is located in Monterey, TN– about an hour and a half from MC’s campus. It only takes about a quarter mile of hiking before you reach the overlook from the parking lot. The abandoned building next to the parking lot and the eerie stillness of the area made it obvious to me that this was not somewhere heavily traveled. Hiking past the weathered blue panels of what used to be an inn, I noticed how different the environment around me was than what I’m used to in the mountains further East; it was rockier, flatter, and the hills were rolling as opposed to being craggy peaks. These are all trademarks of the Cumberland Plateau, a reminder that you don't have to go far to get a change of scenery.
The vantage point itself was breathtaking: jutting boulders protruding from the side of the cliff opening up over a vast expanse of forest, backdropped by a sunset (if you’re lucky). There were one or two other visitors at the summit, but mostly it was just green as far as I could see. My first instinct was to keep this spot to myself and hope that it wasn’t discovered by the masses, because I couldn’t imagine how much the landscape would change if it was popularized. There were no railing, no markers, really no sign of human involvement aside from the semi-maintained walking trail. However, I reflected on how many spots like this one probably descend into oblivion because people keep them secret too well.
There is a misconception that we don’t have enough nature to go around. This is understandable, since we are quickly running out of natural resources and depleting our planet’s green space. This doesn’t mean we don’t have anything left to enjoy, nor does it mean that enjoying the planet we do have left is selfish. I happen to think that enjoying our planet, for those privileged enough to do so in whatever capacity that may look like, is one of the best ways to start caring for our planet. The more time spent outside and the more attached to nature we become, the more we want to protect it (my hesitance to share Bee Rock is a testament to this) and ensure it will be there the next time we return. If we all had our own secret spot, it wouldn’t be long before all our beautiful corners of the world had someone looking after them.
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