We just ended our vacation a few days ago. Things are starting to get back to normal in Florida. I already miss the Smokies. It isnt as though the Smokies are anywhere near as dramatic as some of the other spectacular sights across our nation. However, being in the Smokies felt like being amongst a thick abundance of nature. And I really do mean THICK. The forest is lush and wet. Trees and flowers are in countless numbers. It is the stone and rock that is harder to come by, much unlike the national parks of the west.

In additional to the countless trees and flowers, there were what seemed like an endless supply of rivers and streams. Tiny brooks and streams sometimes crossed right over hiking paths. It was not uncommon to cross multiple bridges during hikes. If you spend your time outdoors in the Smokies, you must expect to get wet. Whether it is swimming in a stream or finding your way into rain shower, you will most certainly get wet at some point, which brings me to the next feature the mud.

Because of the large amounts of water in the park, you can also expect to get muddy. I do not believe there was a single day where we didnt get mud all over our shoes or clothing. At first it seemed to be an annoyance, but it soon became almost a necessity. If there wasnt mud on someone or something, then we were seemed to be missing something. The muddiest day of the vacation had to have been the day we went to the Gatlinburg Scottish Festival. The mud around the concession and shop tents had to have been a good 6 inches deep in some areas. It was like slopping around in a pig sty. I loved every second of it!

The vacation started with whitewater rafting. After rafting the Merced River the year before, our whitewater adventure on the Ocoee River seemed a bit more tame in comparison. The Ocoee is divided into two parts for rafting the Upper and Middle. We had the fortune of timing our trip when they were running both parts of the river in one trip. There were sporadic, explosive moments of Category 4 rapids spread throughout the entire experience. One part that stood out in particular to me was what they called the Olympic Run. It was established for the 1999 Olympics Games. It consisted of two back to back Category 4 rapids called Humongous and Godzilla. It was extreme enough to bend the front of the raft back and throw David and I backwards into Dad and Cameron in the row behind us.

The other thing that stood out about this whitewater rafting experience was the way we maneuvered the raft. We were permitted to attempt tricks this time. On the middle Ocoee, we paddled back into a rapid called Double Suck and managed to surf the whitewater while the raft shifted around on the rapid. Water gushed over the front of the raft bringing the entire raft to a near-flooded level. But keep in mind that the rafts are self-bailing and drain after a short period of time. What a great experience! The next trick we did was an attempt at spinning the raft 360 degrees while running a rapid. We managed to spin the raft at least 3 or more times all while running at Category 3 rapid. It was lots of fun! We were spinning so often that I lost count! The last trick we attempted was to run a rapid with the raft facing backwards. It felt weird at first, but actually turned out to be a smooth ride. It certainly gave us a different perspective!

I had visited Gatlinburg once before this vacation with a youth group as a teenager. There were at least 14 years between visits. The town still had many of the attractions with a bit of a more modern twist added in. The modern twist came from the addition of more mainstream business and restaurants. My favorite thing as a teen was my favorite thing as an adult the Gatlinburg Skylift. The Skylift takes two people at a time in a seat basket up to the top of a mountain where you are able to get out and explore a gift shop while taking in the breathtaking views of the Smokies and the city. The other thing I especially enjoyed with this visit was our trips to the Smoky Mountain Brewery. During our visits, we were able to sample all of the beers that where brewed by the brewmaster right on the premises. It was a great chance to learn more about the different varieties of beer. I now have a much better understanding of the differences between lager, ale, bock and porter flavors. Everyone seemed to really enjoy the brewmasters special brew the Vellas Hellas. It was a lager that he has been tweaking for years.

Pigeon Forge is a town that is located just outside Gatlinburg and the park. This was my first visit to the town. It is similar to Gatlinburg except for one major feature the roadways. Gatlinburg has a two lane road that runs through it. It makes for continuous, bumper-to-bumper traffic during busy times of the day, but it offers a much more enjoyable town to explore by foot. Pigeon Forge on the other hand has a six lane highway that runs right through it! It is much easier to navigate Pigeon Forge in an automobile. During our visit, we rode go-karts and played various games for tickets. The go-karts were fairly quick and the track took the driver up a three story loop. The ride down was a blast! David and Cameron decided they were going to bungee jump while we were there. Yes, thats right. You heard me correctly BUNGEE JUMP! They looked nervous getting suited up, excited climbing the stairs, nervous at the top, scared out of their minds during the jump, and all smiles at the bottom. Are they brave or what!?!?! I recorded both jumps to video and laugh every time I watch them.

We were fortunate enough to be offered a free 2 ½ hour horseback ride from Sugarlands Stables during our visit. The stables are located near the Gatlinburg entrance to the park. It had been years since my last ride on a horse, so I was really looking forward to this experience. My horses name was Strawberry. She was a star! She had a long, gorgeous mane that was a shiny orange-brown color in the sun. Her mane was long enough to give her bangs that came down just over the tops of her eyes. I felt like we created a friendship during the ride. She was trying to nibble on plant life right from the start of the ride. The guide told us to not let the horses nibble or they will try to do it constantly. So I decided to let her graze whenever we made the longer stops on the trail. Of course, if she made her mind up that she was getting a drive-by nibble, there wasnt a whole lot I could do about it. She was very strong and fit!

Towards the end of the ride, I felt very comfortable on her. I watched Dave get his horse Little Big Man to gallop up a steeper climb and decided to see if Strawberry had it in her to do the same. Sure enough, after two swift kicks, she climbed like a champ! Behind me, Dads horse Domino saw us galloping and decided to give it a go as well. I know Cameron enjoyed her ride on Peanut. She looked very comfortable while riding. Still, I must note the discomfort of a horses saddle. When was the last time those things were modified? 1840!? After about an hour of riding, the saddle gets very uncomfortable. It is odd that they havent built saddles with gel built into the sitting area yet. Maybe they do have them already, and this stable didnt carry them. Lets just say I will never forget getting off of Strawberry after 2 ½ hours of riding the trails. My legs were so stiff and numb that I thought they werent going to move for me! After about 5 minutes of slow walking, they started to loosen up again. It was a great ride overall, and I would have LOVED to be able to ride Strawberry on a regular basis.

The highlight of this vacation, without any doubt, was our visit to Cades Cove. If you have never been to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, you must visit Cades Cove. The cove is a one-way 11 mile loop road that takes you through some of the most beautiful landscape in all of America. It is just drop-dead gorgeous! I imagine the early settlers settled there because they felt like they could honestly die happy there. There are still some remnants of evidence that show where the people lived. You can explore small houses, churches, and mills in the cove by foot. The mill near the visitors center is probably the highlight of the cove. It is the actual building that was built in the late 1800s! It still has a functioning grinder that operates off of flowing water that turns a series of gears which turns a huge stone. The stone was grinding corn into corn meal when we visited. It was incredible to see something like that still operating today.

The best way to see Cades Cove is to bike the entire 11 mile loop. The park offers this service to the public by closing the loop road to motor vehicles on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 7am until 10am. They allow visitors to explore the loop by bike or foot. I highly recommend bringing a bike or renting one from the store at the beginning of the loop. We brought two bikes and rented two bikes. The road has a series of hills that the rider must climb and then descend. We were really flying down some of the hills! The wind was whipping past our ears. The scenery was never ending. We saw 10 12 deer along the ride. One of them actually jumped out and across the road right in front of us before we zoomed past! A small group of about four were grazing near the road at one point of the loop. I was able to get off my bike and climb up to within about 10 feet of them.

The scariest part of this adventure came from one of Dads bikes. The handlebars came loose after the halfway point of the loop, so I was forced to ride the bike the rest of the way with dangling handle bars. It was a bit scary at times, especially since one of the steepest hills came near the end of the loop. But I never felt like I was in danger of falling off.

After the bike ride, we drive around the loop until we reached the Abrams Falls trailhead. Dad and Dave were eager to get going so they started the trail right away. After a short rest, Cameron and I decided to make our way along the 2.5 mile trail to the falls. The falls were beautiful! There was a rather large pool that the falls ran into. That is where Dad and Dave were sitting when we arrived. After a small snack, Cameron and I decided to brave the ice cold water. It was exhilarating to swim there! I will never forget it. My body was aching before the swim. And directly after the swim, my body was so cold that I felt dizzy and my motor functions were very limited. But after about 10 minutes in the sun, my aches and pains seemed to almost completely diminish! The hike back to the car was undoubtedly easier than the hike to the falls. Cades Cove is a special place that will always have a special place in my heart. For the record, we biked 11 miles and hiked 5 miles that day!

Hiking actually has become a major part of my life these days. The Smokies offer countless trails for us all to explore and enjoy. During our stay, we managed to hike 4 trails. They were the Grotto Falls trail, the Chimney Tops trail, the Laurel Falls trail, and the Abrams Falls trail. They totaled up to 14 miles of hiking! Not too bad. But as hikers know, it isnt the distance that really tells of the difficulty. It is the gain in elevation. Three of the four trails we did had elevation gains of less than 1000 feet. Those hikes were all to waterfalls and are designed for hikers of all levels of experience to enjoy. But the hike to Chimney Tops was a different kind of trail.

Chimney Tops is a trail that is 4 miles roundtrip. However, there are two things about this trail that make it a strenuous hike even for hikers with some experience under their belt. First, the trail gains 1500 feet in 2 miles! That makes for a steep climb most of the way. Second, there is a gauntlet of jagged rocks that the hiker must negotiate at the peak of the mountain! Those rocks are The Chimneys. The four of us (Dad, Dave, Cameron and I) did the entire trip in four hours, including several stops for photos along the trail. Climbing the steep parts of the trail was grueling in some spots, but nothing was quite as sobering as the rock climb to the tops of the chimneys. Cameron and I chose to take a shorter steeper route to the top while Dad and Dave went along the longer scramble over the rocks. It was our first taste of rock climbing! There were plenty of footholds to aid our climb to the top. But some were very narrow requiring us to use only the balls of our feet! Once we arrived at the top, it made all our efforts feel worthwhile. It was like being on top of the world! We were above the clouds looking down on the park. The four of us ate lunch on the chimneys. We were told by another hiker that there were a couple black & white birds that meet hikers at the top for nibbles of food. It turned out to be a chickadee, and Dave offered it a nibble or two.

Right as we finished up lunch, a drizzle started to fall. It made the climb down a bit more upsetting. Because of the steepness of the climb up, Cameron and I decided to take the longer scramble back down. Because the rocks were wet, it made for a much slower and deliberate climb down. After clearing the chimneys, we suited up with rain gear and prepared for a wet, muddy two mile trek back to the car. On the way down, Cameron and I created a little jingle in memory of the climb to Chimney Tops. It simply goes, Goin up top. Up top to Chimney Tops. Up top to Chimney Tops. Up top to Chimney Tops. This hike gave me the greatest feeling of accomplishment during the vacation!

The culture of Tennessee comes across as a very simple, laid-back style of living. Most of the people we met seemed to be friendly. In Florida, people move about their business much faster, and are often more inconsiderate towards others. The thing about Tennesseans is that they enjoy a good laugh. Most often, they enjoy laughing at others and themselves. Our rafting guide said it best, Sometimes you see a show, and sometimes you are the show! They enjoy a good belch or fart as much as a good stumble and fall. Basically, they enjoy laughing at minor misfortunes that happen in daily life. I got a sense that family was very important to them too. I imagine a large dinner table filled with burping family members would make a Tennesseans heart fill with warmth.

Cameron and I thoroughly enjoyed Gatlinburg and the GSMNP! We enjoyed it so much that we are already trying to figure out the best time to go back and explore some of the areas we were unable to get to this time. It isnt a place that we could see ourselves living out our lives in, but it is certainly an amazing place that we desire to explore in the future. There is so much to soak up in the Smokies! I highly recommend that everyone visit that area more than once in a lifetime. My next visit will be my third. I can hardly wait!