Anyway, I've missed the mountains so much! My heart was yearning to be there so we planned a little trip. We went down on Thursday and did some outlet shopping. Then we checked in to our rental cabin.
I recognize that view! I like it better without all the green roofs!
Jeff joined us that night and then on Friday we hit the trail! You may remember me mentioning, in a previous post, an area called Twin Creeks that was damaged by the fire. We decided to check it out.
There were lots of burnt trees and most of the ground cover was burned, but we did see a few beautiful signs of life.
We hiked the Twin Creeks Trail over to the Bud Ogle Cabin.
We sat on the porch and looked at fire damage practically at our feet. We saw a ranger and asked him how in the world they managed to save the cabin? He said they built a back fire. Yes, the damage you see in the photo above was from a fire that was deliberately set to eliminate "fuel" for the wildfire that was headed that way. They did a "controlled burn". They certainly knew their stuff because it worked and the Bud Ogle Farm remains intact!
On Friday afternoon, Keith and I had lunch with our builder and architect but Jeff hiked the Gatlinburg Trail.
There was lots of fire damage but the river is still as beautiful as ever!
On Friday evening we drove over to Maryville for dinner and a snorkel lesson with Jenny and Bobby. The pool felt good after our busy day. Then Jenny and Bobby went back to the cabin with us.
On Saturday we just had to go have a big Smoky Mountain breakfast at Crockett's Breakfast Camp! The cinnamon rolls are huge, but the griddle cakes are to die for. Eating there is an adventure!
Jenny, Bobby, and I hung around the cabin for the rest of the day.
Jeff and Keith decided to hike at Porter's Creek. The wild flowers were putting on a show. No fire damage there!
Oh, and remember that awful, awful "L-shaped" bridge that used to give me fits? They've added a second handrail! I should be able to cross it now.
That evening we had dinner at JT Hannah's on the Parkway in Pigeon Forge. It was our first time there, but it definitely won't be our last. It's pretty good.
On Sunday morning we tried another popular breakfast spot - Sawyer's Farmhouse Breakfast. It was good, but I still like Crockett's better! After breakfast, Jenny and Bobby headed home while the rest of us hit the trail again. We spent some time on the Little River Trail. We were anxious to see the trail now that they've started removing some of the old falling-down cabins. It's sad to see them go. I wish they could have refurbished all of them. Elkmont is such an interesting area.
It was so good to be back on the trail. Even though it rained on us a little bit and even though I got a big blister on my toe, it was great to breathe the mountain air!
After our hike, we hurried on over to Dollywood to see some Festival of Nations shows. I especially like the Steel Pan Orchestra's version of Rocky Top!
After a long day of walking we had a quick supper and then headed back to the cabin to pack up and head home on Monday. It did my heart good to spend time in that wonderful place. I got my "mountain fix" for now, but we are already looking forward to our next visit sometime in May! In the meantime, we have big plans coming up in April. Stay tuned!
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