There are days I would like to live downtown, mostly so owning a car would be unnecessary. I like walking, biking and even the communal feeling of riding the bus. Living on Signal Mountain makes having a car a requirement.
Besides making vehicle ownership obligatory, living on a mountain has some other unfavorable aspects. The power goes out a few times every year. Travel is difficult or impossible during inclement weather. Cell phone coverage is spotty. You may ask, "Why would anyone make such a life choice?"
I spent a fair part of my childhood tromping through the woods behind my grandparents' house on Sawyer Road on the mountain. Those woods cover the mostly undeveloped, rough, rocky terrain on the "back" of the mountain. To this day, I love the almost wild places on the mountain. The beauty of the rushing creeks and streams, the silent pathways and the towering, secretive fir trees call to me throughout the spring and summer.
Yes, the commute can be a pain. But, the vistas during evening walks make up for it.
All of the photos, below, were taken by Gary Hamilton. They are of Shoal Creek, in the Town of Signal Mountain and of Marshall Creek in Hamilton County.
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