Our first campground in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was Cades Cove. A "cove" here is a flat valley between mountains or ridges. Cades Cove is an amazing place for the landscape, viewing wildlife and the historic buildings of the Southern Appalachian Mountain folks. The campground is at the beginning of the Cades Cove Loop Road which is an 11 mile narrow one-way road that goes around the cove. Harry and I spent the day in Cades Cove (lots of pictures at the end) and then tagged along with Steve & Ellen for a 10.2 mile hike up to the summit of Rich Mountain the next day. It was a good test. I don't think I've taken a hike that distance with the elevation since college! There was no internet or phone so we spent the next day at the Visitor's Center catching up w/emails, the blog and updates for Turbo Tax to finish the taxes.
On Monday, we headed to Elkmont Campground about 21 miles east. Harry and I headed to Gatlinburg for provisions and wine. What a zoo! We got in and got out but we did see a mother bear and cub from quite a distance. Normally, the bears don't come out until middle April but the warm winter must be bringing them out early.
The Smokies is a great place with the one exception that dogs aren't allow on any of the trails. Harry and I swapped back and forth and he didn't mind staying back at camp to read when the rest of us went on the long hikes. Ellen and I headed off Tuesday afternoon to hike the Jacob Creek Trail to the gap. We weren't as prepared on this hike; wrong clothes but we did have ponchos when the rain came. All day there were grumblings of thunder but we headed out anyway. Up, up, up we climbed. I think I remember Ellen saying there wasn't much elevation! We crossed paths with a group of 20 something guys coming back from a backcountry campsite. One was really sweet telling us to be safe. What do they know that we don't! After getting across a difficult river crossing about 3/4 mile from the gap, thunder was on both sides of us and the dark clouds seemed to be knitting together to form one. We headed back down and managed to get to camp without getting too wet. Good hike about 5.5-6 miles. We didn't have "tech support" with us to let us know the actual distance and elevation. That evening, Ellen showed us her ice cream machine. There are no words to describe. Click here to see how it works!
Off to Smokemont Campground on the east side of the Smokies today so Harry can see Cherokee country.
On Monday, we headed to Elkmont Campground about 21 miles east. Harry and I headed to Gatlinburg for provisions and wine. What a zoo! We got in and got out but we did see a mother bear and cub from quite a distance. Normally, the bears don't come out until middle April but the warm winter must be bringing them out early.
The Smokies is a great place with the one exception that dogs aren't allow on any of the trails. Harry and I swapped back and forth and he didn't mind staying back at camp to read when the rest of us went on the long hikes. Ellen and I headed off Tuesday afternoon to hike the Jacob Creek Trail to the gap. We weren't as prepared on this hike; wrong clothes but we did have ponchos when the rain came. All day there were grumblings of thunder but we headed out anyway. Up, up, up we climbed. I think I remember Ellen saying there wasn't much elevation! We crossed paths with a group of 20 something guys coming back from a backcountry campsite. One was really sweet telling us to be safe. What do they know that we don't! After getting across a difficult river crossing about 3/4 mile from the gap, thunder was on both sides of us and the dark clouds seemed to be knitting together to form one. We headed back down and managed to get to camp without getting too wet. Good hike about 5.5-6 miles. We didn't have "tech support" with us to let us know the actual distance and elevation. That evening, Ellen showed us her ice cream machine. There are no words to describe. Click here to see how it works!
Off to Smokemont Campground on the east side of the Smokies today so Harry can see Cherokee country.
