Smoky Mountain Rain - Part 1

Just some father/daughter bonding at the cabin in Townsend

Howdy, all!  In case I haven't mentioned it on the blog yet, in early October, Chris and I are heading to Scotland (my third trip there, his second), and part of our adventures will include hiking the "Highlands" section of the West Highland Way.  We're working with a baggage transfer company that will move our luggage from one night's lodging to the next (no camping/backpacking for us this time, I'm a bit cranky for that), and we'll be completing around 36 miles of trekking over three consecutive days.  To ensure we're ready, we've been gradually increasing our trail mileage, and to further help us prepare, the week of the 4th of July found us packing up the girls and heading to a cabin in the Great Smoky Mountains.  Our plan was to hike three days in a row, to simulate our upcoming time on the Way, and the Smokies gave us plenty of trail options from which to choose.

Although the Smokies have several campgrounds, we decided an Airbnb was the better way to go this time, since we wanted to bring Zoe and Bea along with us.  While the travel trailer has AC (when we're plugged into a 30 amp source), we didn't feel comfortable leaving them alone in the rig for the time it would take for us to hike our planned distances - the chances of a power outage occurring and something horrible happening were just too high in the warm weather.  A pet-friendly rental seemed like a better option, and we found a great one, complete with an amazing deck and hot tub, in the city of Townsend, near the western end of the national park.  Growing up, I visited the Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge area several times and greatly enjoyed it, but after taking Chris a few years back, we preferred not to go there again; the whole area has become vastly overcrowded, jammed full of tacky tourist offerings and horrible traffic.  Townsend was a much better option; our spot was ten minutes from the entrance to the park, and there were enough restaurants and activities to keep us busy without there also being tons and tons of folks.

We left home on Sunday, June 29th, passing through Knoxville and stopping at Knoxfill on the way (I needed more lotion).  Making it to the treehouse just after the 4pm check-in time, we settled in for the evening.

Bea really loves to ride in her truck.

She'll nap sometimes, but she really loves to look out the window and watch the world go by.

Our treehouse!

There were 8-10 cabins in this area owned by the same firm,

and while some had shared driveways, we were all on our own.

That allowed us to set up the dog fence you see there, which made potty time much easier.

Quiet and peaceful

A view from the side porch

Surrounded by tons and tons of trees

After putting together a pasta dinner (chicken tortellini with homemade basil pesto) and a green salad, we lounged on the porch for a bit, before moving inside to cuddle with the girls on the couch and watch tv before bed.

Zoe is ready for snuggles

Our seated view from the porch

Bea would like to know when her dinner will be served

A rosy maple moth I found on the front door - he says, "welcome!"

Waking up on Monday, we made breakfast and coffee/tea, then changed into our hiking clothes and wandered the girls around our area a bit.  They were still pretty sacked from the traveling excitement of the day before, so they didn't need too much exercise before they were ready to chill in their kennels for a few hours.

We stayed in the Treehouse, the first site on the right

Since we knew the week would only get busier as we approached the 4th, we headed right away to Cades Cove, one of the park's most notable spots.  Even though we were there on the earlier side of things (around 10am), it was already decently crowded; still, we enjoyed the first half of the drive and parked at the trailhead for Abrams Falls.  

Entering the national park from the city of Townsend

The ever present line of cars around Cades Cove - it was moving pretty well at this point

Look, wildlife! The whole line of cars stopped to take a picture of this deer (so we did, too).

Cades Cove is really lovely.  Even with all the visitors, the NPS keeps it in great shape.

The parking lot at the trailhead was starting to fill up, but we were still able to find a spot; after a quick bathroom visit, we grabbed our packs and hit the trail!  Although it wasn't actively raining while we were hiking, the trail was wet from previous storms (as well as its proximity to the streams in the area), and it was a bit muddy in places.  The Abrams Falls Trail is a pretty popular one; it's only 5 miles, out and back, and it's not too technical.  Plus, it's accessible from Cades Cove, and it ends at a lovely waterfall.  We were glad we did it earlier in the day and on a Monday.

The trail had 4-5 of these bride crossings over the river; they were a bit wobbly, but we made it just fine

A massive uprooted tree (with tall human for scale)

Abrams Falls - so pretty!

Selfie time!

The 5 mile hike took us just under two hours (with stops and whatnot, I keep my watch running during those), and by the time we made it back to the truck, the parking lot was totally full.  Additionally, clouds were starting to roll in - we were very glad to enjoy our packed lunch and get back on the road toward Townsend and the cabin!

My stats for the hike

Tri-bean quinoa salad, mmmmmm

After releasing the hounds from their kennels, we strolled them around a bit, then we cleaned up.  I napped while Chris cuddled on the couch with our ladies.

Bea loved these stairs, Zoe not so much (you could see through them, which weirded Zoe out)

"Dad, cuddle with me!"

The road up to our cabin was a bit narrow and rocky, so we didn't want to risk driving it in the dark; thus, we headed back into town on the earlier side to eat dinner and enjoy some beers at Peaceful Side Social, just about 10 minutes away.  Peaceful Side is a local brewery, and the "Social" part of their name refers to their Townsend complex, which also includes a full kitchen and ice cream parlor.  Everything we had from drinks to fries to sandwiches was absolutely incredible, and we can't recommend them highly enough.

Our delicious dinner noms

Art at PSS - we found some nice mushrooms!

After a quick run to the nearby IGA grocery store/gas station for a few items we forgot at home, it was back to the cabin once more - this time, we were in for the night, which delighted the puppers.

Zoe giving kisses

Better than tv!

It was overcast at the time, but the rain moved in a bit later.

She's a lap dog, really

In the next blog post, we pretty much do the same things for two more days - more hiking, more eating, more porch sitting and dog cuddling!  What a great way to spend a holiday week!

Later!

Amy