The 11-mile loop around Cades Cove provides a series of views of the cove, the mountains and the wildlife. Whether I’m biking, driving a car or walking around the cove, I am filled with the beauty of the location — but reminded of the solitude and hard life for those who lived there. No calling to order pizza or going online to order a new blouse. Every meal had to be cooked — and almost all ingredients had to be grown or raised. Almost all the clothing had to be made — with recycling meaning that the younger siblings got their clothes passed down. Those visiting Cades Cove often are sitting on the cabin porches admiring the view, but for those who lived there, I’d imagine that there was very little free time for sitting.