The Smokies!

Last week I decided it was time to dip my toe in and head out on a small trip. I set my sights on the Smoky Mountains. It was my first time there, and I was blown away! Just look at these pictures!

The park was impressively accessible, had challenging trails, and views for days. I could say that my excitement was due to simply being somewhere new after months, but I’m going to skip that and give all of the credit to the park.

Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge were overwhelming- sometimes in a good way. I was able to get a funnel cake for any meal- I chose lunch! There were also a lot of people. I exercised caution and wore a mask when I was around others and appreciated all of those who did the same. It was also nice to see extra precautions at the hotels I stayed at and by businesses around the two towns.

The real draw for me was the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. As soon as you leave Gatlinburg you’re greeted with a green tunnel of trees and the national park sign. I expect the sign is the most visited spot in the park. I quickly learned that hanging around here made me an easy target to be an instant family photographer. Beyond selfies, I had two main goals while visiting the park.

First, I wanted to try out my hiking gear. I am planning to do more hiking over the summer and I need to determine what works and what needs to be improved before I head out.

I started my trip strong by hiking over 12 miles on the first day. My first trail was north out of New Found Gap to the Jump Off. It’s a lookout point with a sheer drop off, and the crazy view is in the picture above. Then it was back to the New Found Gap parking lot which is host to the iconic North Carolina/ Tennessee state line.

From there I continued on the same road to Clingmans Dome. I parked for the night and headed on my way to camp. I reserved a spot at campsite 23 for the night which was 6.6 miles down hill from Clingmans Dome. It was a tough hike, made tougher knowing I was going to head up the same path the next day. Clingmans Dome is the highest point on the Appalachian trail at 6,644 feet. Camp 23 is only at 3,200 feet!

Needless to say I was very happy to make it back to the car the next day. I was able to try out the gear that I needed to. I have a few changes to make before going out for multiple nights in a row, but it was a good start.

I was also able to take advantage of the many day hikes during my trip. I made it to Rainbow Falls and Laurel Falls. I’ll be sure to share more on those hikes soon.

My second goal for the trip was to work on my next project. I was able to get a great start and really enjoyed working on it. I expect it will be ready in a few days and I can’t wait to share! For now, here’s a hint: