Hiking Journal: Abram Falls

On the Saturday after Thanksgiving, we headed up the Cades Cove for a quick hike.  I only needed 5 miles to get my 100 mile pin (!), so we chose Abram Falls.  We had already been once, and last time I thought it was SO HARD.  This time ~15 lbs lighter with a year of consistent weight-lifting and two more LeConte trips under my belt, it was much, much easier!  I will go so far to say that it was EASY – a beginner hike for sure!  If you read the post from the last time, I was griping because I had read on the internet that some one said it was easy and I did not agree.  Ha!  Also, this time there was much less traffic on the trail.

Pictures from the hike:

After the hike, we drove through Cades Cove and back in to Gatlinburg, stopping at the Sugarlands visitor center on the way!  I got it!

  Our next stop was one of our favorites…….

….Best Italian!  We LOVE LOVE LOVE this place!  There is nothing in the WORLD like their garlic knots!

After eating, we did a little bit of shopping before heading back home.  Overall, an awesome hike!

Hiking the Smokies: Andrew’s Bald & Clingman’s Dome

We planned to return to Clingman’s Dome for sunset since our last sunset viewing there was so spectacular.  We also wanted to hike to Andrew’s Bald, a short 1.7 miles from the parking lot.

Clingman’s Dome was so crowded that we had to park on the road down from the parking lot and hike in.  Once we got there, we took the trail (downhill most of the way) 1.7 miles to Andrew’s Bald.  It was so serene & peaceful here!  The view was somewhat obstructed by the tree line, but it was still gorgeous.  We rested a bit before heading back.

(Who wears short shorts?)

From Andrew’s Bald, we hiked 2.5 miles up to the top of Clingman’s Dome.

We reached the top of Clingman’s Dome at about 6 pm, 1 hour before sunset.  We quickly realized that we were in the clouds again.  It was VERY COLD!!!

Smoky Mountains Scenic Drive–Fall 2012

We were so excited to see some colorful foliage!  We followed Newfound Gap road all the way to Cherokee, North Carolina and stopped at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center. Then, we took the Blue Ridge Parkway to Heintooga River Road until it turns into Balsam Mountain Road (gravel road), which eventually loops through the mountains and goes back to Cherokee.  It was nice and scenic, but 28 miles is a looooong time on a winding gravel road! It was certainly beautiful, though!

Below is a view of the Chimneys from the road.  Hard to believe that we were on top of the peak yesterday afternoon:

Road trip playlist: Avett Brothers, Civil Wars and Adele

It was such a good decision to do this scenic drive.  We were able to get away from the crowds and see so much scenery that I had never seen before.  Next stop: Clingman’s Dome for sunset!!