One of my oldest daughter’s first camping trips was to the Cosby section of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It was a delightful weekend, early in the season before the campground had become crowded. As a gateway to the Smokies, Cosby is a little off the beaten path and the area definitely locks the commercial development of Gatlinburg or Cherokee, offering up a far more subdued experience with low-key groceries and tourist offerings perhaps a little reminiscent of an earlier age in mountain tourism. However life in Cosby may not have been as tranquil at it appeared.