- We're currently in the Smoky Mountains on vacation with Miriam's family. We left after work on Friday, stayed halfway in Virginia and got into Gatlinburg about 1pm Saturday afternoon, quickly dropping our stuff off at the cabin and heading out to meet the fam on a hike. The wildflowers are out here like crazy, quite beautiful. Sunday we headed up Mt. LaConte, one of the biggies in the Smokies. It was a really pretty hike and a great way to spend Palm Sunday. Yesterday we went on a hike with Miriam's sister Rachel and her husband Mark along a ridge to Charlie's Bunion (a sweet rock outcropping). Sunday was filled with sun and was nearly 80. When we left the car Monday it had just started snowing and was 31 pre-wind chill, gotta love how mountain weather can shift so quickly. We got pelted with snow the whole hike and by the time we were coming down New Found Gap Road they had closed the lane going up because it was getting so icy. Currently we can't see the mountains because it is snowing and blowing like crazy. They are predicting nearly a foot for high elevations, pretty wild.
- Some things I've noticed about the Smokies in comparison to the mountains I know best (The Adirondacks)
- You see a lot more people on the trail who look like they have no idea what they are doing. We saw one woman Saturday in a blouse, dress vest, dress pants, and dress shoes out on the trail! We had another guy ask us at 5:45 pm if he could take his kids up a 4 mile round trip trail that is mostly up! I suppose that happens in the most visited national park in the US, but it still is pretty wild.
- Gatlinburg is a mix of Lake George and Lake Placid. The boutique shops of Lake Placid mixed in with the hokey touristy things of Lake George.
- It's cool getting to talk with thru-hikers since the AT doesn't come into the 'Dacks.
- The roads to the trails take you up a lot higher in elevation so some hikes just involve a hike along the ridge to the peak of the mountain.
- The trip has been fantastic overall, so nice to be in the mountains and on vacation. Miriam's family asked if it was a hard sell for me to come here and miss a week of school. My response was "Miriam said, 'hey want to get out of NJ for a week and skip school?' and I responded with an emphatic, 'yes! So no, it wasn't a hard sell!" We head out Thursday morning and it will definitely be a bummer to leave the mountains.
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