Our Marathon Fourth of July

Our Independence Day weekend was spent dodging raindrops, eating, and hiking.

Wednesday, July 1

Keith and I walked at the River Walk in Pigeon Forge and then checked out Patriot Park (behind the Old Mill Restaurant.  There is a nice trail that goes along the lake and around the grassy park area. The weather was quite pleasant so we made several laps. (6.1 miles). Then the rain came big time that night.  It was rather cool and instead of grilling, I cooked a pot of chili. (Chili in July!)  Jeff arrived that evening.

Thursday, July 2

Since Jeff was "on call" for work we had to choose hikes that were close to civilization (within cell range).  So we hiked part of the Twin Creeks Trail and the Bud Ogle Trail. (4.6 miles).  

For dinner we grilled Chicken Fajita Kabobs and Seasoned Shrimp Kabobs.  The weather cooperated so we ate outside.

Friday, July 3

Since I was involved in a "fitness challenge" and needed to get in a lot of steps on Friday, we did two hikes.  First we hiked Old Sugarlands Trail to the Watch Tower (3.4 miles). 

Then we went to Ole Dad's for lunch. Afterwards we did our old standby - The Gatlinburg Trail. (4.2 miles). It started to rain during the last 1/2 mile or so, but we were under the cover of trees so we didn't get too wet.  On Friday evening we ate out at Holston's in Sevierville and then went to see the TN Smokies beat the Montgomery Biscuits.  ( That's baseball if you were wondering).  It was a close, back and forth game with the Smokies getting the walk-off win in the bottom of the 9th. We stayed for their usual Friday Night fireworks. Great as always!

Saturday, July 4

Since I had some cooking to do we did a relatively short hike on Saturday. We hiked to Cataract Falls and did part of the Cove Mountan Trail. (3.8 miles). If you ever go to the Smokies and want to see a waterfall, Cataract is probably the easiest to get to.  The round trip is less than a mile.  The trail starts at the Sugarlands Visitors Center and is flat and easy.  Once you get to the falls, you cross the creek to get on Cove Mountain Trail.  The crazy thing about this trail is that part of it is on the boundary of the park.  Here we are, walking out in the middle of nowhere when all of a sudden we happen upon this house right beside the trail.  Since there was a big fence and lots of signage, I didn't take any photos of the house.

On Friday afternoon the rain came (again). First the sun was out and then rain, then sun,.....anyway Keith decided to rig up a tent so that he wouldn't get wet grilling.  We had Smoked Ribs and the rain stopped so we ate outside again.

That evening we watched the Gatlinburg fireworks from our deck.

Sunday, July 5

One last day of hiking.  We wanted to get in one more hike because Keith was close to getting his 250 mile pin! So on Sunday, we hiked part of the Trillium Gap Trail (4.6 miles). This one was rather challenging because there's not a lot to see and it's rather steep and narrow.  But we made it and Keith reached his goal!

So five days of hiking and eating! That was our Marathon Weekend!

(6.1 + 4.6 + 3.4 + 4.2 + 3.8 + 4.6 = 26.7 miles)

Diary of a Mad Hiker

Summer is almost here and it's time for Keith and Jeff's long awaited overnight hike to Mt LeConte!

Their reservation was for Wednesday, June 10 so Keith and I came on down to the mountain house the weekend before.  

As many of you know, I've been making a concerted effort to exercise (every day) and lose weight.  One of the reasons is so I can hike with the guys. Well, I now hike with the guys, but I don't do LeConte!  I'm content to sit on the deck and look at it!  

But Keith and I have been doing a lot of walking and running and hiking. After our arrival on Thursday, we unpacked and headed for the River Walk in Pigeon Forge (3 miles). 

Since the weather was very warm and quite humid, on Friday morning we did our favorite easy hike, the Gatlinburg Trail.  He ran but I walked and took a detour over to Cataract Falls (4.75 miles).

On Saturday, things got serious.  Keith wanted to test carrying the weight of his overnight pack so we headed to Chimney Tops.  He went to the top and back but I just did about half of it (2.7 miles).  It's   beautiful, but a bit challenging for me because there are lots of steps!

On Sunday, we took it easy and went over to check out Mills Park in Gatlinburg.  We did the walking trail and the school track.  I was kind of glad when it started raining and we ran to the truck. (1.5 miles)

On Monday and Tuesday, Keith went into resting mode in preparation for the trip on Wednesday so I went to the gym and did some strength training and running on the treadmill (3 miles).

Finally, Wednesday arrived and Keith and Jeff headed to LeConte.  They went up Rainbow Falls Trail (6.6 miles) and came back on Thursday via Bullhead Trail (7.2 miles).  Of course they did some more hiking at the top. They saw sunset at Clifftops (.4 mile) and sunrise at Myrtle Point (1.5 miles). They had a wonderful time in spite of the thunderstorm on the way back down.  They had their rain gear and found a rock ledge where they could wait out the storm. 

While they were away, I got in a lot of shopping and a pedicure, but I still did my walking.  On Wednesday I cautiously walked the loop where we live (1.5 miles).  I say cautiously because of the steep hills, curves, and bears.  I don't like walking it alone, but I made it without mishap.

On Thursday, I got my walk in early in Pigeon Forge at The Island and the River Walk (3.24 miles) so I could get back and cook those hungry boys a big dinner after their big adventure.

On Friday, I figured the guys would want to rest but, no, they wanted to work out the kinks and go to the Visitors Center so we walked the Gatlinburg Trail again (4.2 miles).  On Friday night, Jenny and Bobby came over and after our Low Country Boil, we drove over to Elkmont to see the synchronous fireflies. ( You can read about them in my blog from last year, The Big One, 6/15/14).  The show didn't seem as impressive this year. I don't know if the fireflies were past their prime or if our location wasn't as good or if the second time just didn't have that same magic.  Anyway, Jenny and Jeff both thought they were awesome. (Maybe I was just tired from all the walking and hiking!)

On Saturday, I got to choose the hike and I picked the trail to the Little Greenbrier School and the Walker Sisters Cabin (3.4 miles). I've been to the schoolhouse, but I never ventured on to the cabin. It was very hot, but this time I made it!  Afterwards we had a picnic by the river at Metcalf Bottoms and I stuck my feet in that cold water.

On Sunday, we decided to try something a little cooler.  The temperature in Gatlinburg was 85 degrees and we wanted to hike, but it was mighty hot.  So we headed up - Clingman's Dome, here we come!  Now I bet you think we're just going to climb that observation tower.  Well, you'd be wrong.  On Saturday night the guys had a pow-wow and decided that I could probably handle hiking to Andrews Bald.  Okay Gatlinburg was 85 degrees, at Clingman's Dome (elevation over 6600 feet) the temperature was 62! And it was cloudy and breezy!  Can you say cold? I was definitely ready to hit the trail.  To get to Andrews Bald, you take the Forney Ridge Trail DOWN and DOWN and DOWN some more. Then you go up a while and then down, up and down some more. The distance to the bald is only 1.75 miles but there is a total of 899 feet change in elevation!  In hiker speak, that is challenging! And of course, the worst part is coming back up! I understand now why they had their discussion about my ability to hike it. Well, I made it fine. Don't know that I ever want to do it again, but I can mark it off my bucket list. I hiked Forney Ridge Trail to Andrews Bald (3.5 miles). And was it worth it?  You decide. 

 

So there you have it - the hiking diary of our past 10 days. We've seen many beautiful mountains, cool streams and rivers. We've climbed stone steps and crossed log bridges. We've toured old cabins and a schoolhouse. We've marveled at fireflies, baby turkeys, a bear, and a snake. And we spent a lot of time in the hot tub!

And now we're planning our next adventure. 

Memorial Day 2015

I know I sound like a broken record when I say each holiday spent in the mountains is the best one yet, but it's true and this holiday was no exception.  Keith and I headed up on Wednesday, a little earlier than usual.  We wanted to get out of town before the heavy equipment blocked our driveway due to sewer installation.  We had a pleasant dinner on the deck and then headed to town to walk the Gatlinburg Trail.

Keith wanted to run and I wanted to walk so I walked all the way to the Sugarlands Visitors Center.  Since it was getting late and the trail was pretty deserted Keith said he would get the truck and pick me up at the Visitors Center. It was closed but there was a ranger hanging around outside.  She asked me if I was "waiting for the bears". Apparently, they've been having a lot of bears hanging out at the center. They came in one morning and there was a bear in the bathroom so now, for the first time ever, they have to lock the toilets at night!  On another day, a bear was hanging around watching them empty the trash cans. I was glad when Keith showed up with the truck.  I wouldn't want to be there alone after dark!

On Thursday, I started cooking for the weekend and Keith planted flowers on the deck.  We spent Thursday afternoon exploring the River Walk in Pigeon Forge.  The River Walk along the river (duh) goes from the big city parking lot at the Island all the way to Patriot Park (behind the Old Mill Restaurant).  The city has done a wonderful job with this walkway.  It's a very popular and scenic stroll.  Our round trip was 3.1 miles.

After our walk we decided to try a new restaurant that just opened a couple of weeks ago in Pigeon Forge - Harpoon Harry's Crab House. It is located on Community Center Drive, one block off the parkway. It was very good! I had a delicious Seafood Cobb Salad with shrimp and scallops. It is a very large restaurant. We sat "outside" on the patio.  It's one of those covered porches with roll-up doors, but they had the doors closed because it turned rather cool that night.  

After dinner, since we were on Community Center Drive, we decided to go check out the Community Center. You see, now that we are card carrying Silver Sneakers (Medicare) people, we have free access

to lots of fitness centers, including the one at the PF Community Center. It's a very nice facility, complete with indoor pool.  For a small fee we can use the bowling alley next door.  That would be fun on rainy days or winter nights. Pigeon Forge is a small, modest town, but, thanks to The Great Smoky Mountains and Dolly Parton, they get a lot of tourists.  Of course, you probably knew that, but did you know that revenues received in PF last year amounted to a billion dollars? That's a lot of sales tax so PF is blessed with excellent public facilities. 

On Friday, we did some things around the house and got ready for our big weekend. After the kids arrived, we kicked things off with lasagna on the deck. After dinner, we decided to go check out some of the new attractions on The Island. We were interested in the new ropes course, but once we saw it we chickened out.

I made a new friend (Carl) and I stopped to say hello to my old friend (Pirate Statue). My old friend must be mad at me because he never said a word. 

We met Carl at the 7D Adventure. We decided to go in and try our luck at shooting Zombies. As I  expected, Bobby beat us all and I came in last. It's hard to shoot Zombies with your eyes closed!  I don't do too well on 3D moving rides. You'll just have to try it out and see for yourself!

We checked out some of the unusual things at the new Emory 5 & 10. Bobby had fun trying on the masks. 

We capped off the evening by viewing the fountain show. That's Paula Deen's new store (downstairs) and restaurant (upstairs) in the background on the left. I probably won't be eating there since it's not in my (calorie) budget!  (I've seen the menu!  Sheesh!)

On Saturday, after a big, sinful mountain breakfast, we headed towards Cherokee to hike the Oconaluftee River Trail.  It goes from the Oconaluftee Visitors Center to Cherokee (1.5 miles). We were hoping to see elk calves but it was pretty warm outside so they were hiding somewhere in the shade.  

After our hike we had a nice picnic on the porch at the Visitors Center and stared at the view.

We spent the rest of the afternoon resting and watching Jack Ryan on Netflix.  In the afternoon, I let Cassie the dog out to go do her business.  She has been getting a little deaf or just plain moody because lately she doesn't seem to want to come back inside.  She doesn't go far.  She just sniffs every tree and bush on our property.  I kept calling and she kept ignoring me.  I was afraid she would get hit by a car so I started up the driveway to lead her back.  Once I got to where I could see the road, lo and behold, out of the corner of my eye, I saw movement. I turned and there was the biggest black male bear I have ever seen here!  I'm yelling, "Cassie! Bear! Dog! House! Now!"  Cassie finally saw the bear and the bear saw Cassie and they both turned and started running in opposite directions. We made it safely to the house and the bear headed up the hill. After that, I never had trouble getting Cassie to come back inside.

We went to dinner at The Park Grill in Gatlinburg. We had our usual waiter (the one who always reminds us "what he served Brett Favre when he dined there". It was delicious.

On Sunday, we had another sinful breakfast and then headed outside for corn hole. Jeff beat everybody, as usual.  After working up an appetite we had an impromptu homemade pizza party out front under the shade tree.

I was anxious to eat and get that food back in the house in case the bear came back.  After lunch we had a little sign hanging ceremony.  Most of the rental houses in The area have cute names like "Misty View" or "View-ti-full". Our house used to be called South Pointe back before we bought it.  We wanted to change that and toyed with some names and chose one we liked but never did anything about it.  Well, Jeff ordered us a sign and we put it up.  So now we are officially called Smoky Pointe and we've got the sign to prove it!

After our ceremony, I spent the rest of the afternoon prepping for our big dinner. Jenny and Bobby had to go home on Sunday night, so we celebrated the holiday a day early.  I chopped and marinated all the ingredients for Killer Kabobs. I like trying new recipes from Pinterest and I came across "20 Kabob Recipes". Some of them sounded so yummy I just knew we had to try them. I couldn't make up my mind which ones to try so we had three kinds!  So Jenny and I prepped and Keith cooked:

Steak & Pepper

Mango Chicken

and Low Country Boil

Talk about a flavor extravaganza!  We mixed and matched and tried all three. Every bite was so good.  Keith said "he didn't know what Pinterest was but he sure did like it!"  We all agreed that this may be the best meal we've cooked here on the mountain. And it all tastes even better with that view!

After dinner when Jenny and Bobby left, Keith, Jeff, and I went back to PF to walk off our meal.  The ducks joined us. 

On Monday, we got up and headed out for one more hike. I chose Grotto Falls because it was the first real hike we took here three years ago.  It's the only waterfall in the park that you can walk behind. 

After our hike we headed to Ole Dad's in Gatlinburg for club sandwiches and homemade potato chips.  Afterwards we headed home to rest. We had one last dinner of leftover kabobs on the deck before Jeff headed back. And another big holiday weekend comes to an end. Now it's time for me to get back to my healthy eating and exercise routine!