Pining for the Fjords

Did you read Part 1 ? Our second day's hike, along the Middle Prong Trail, in Great Smoky Mountains National Park We woke up on Tuesday without too many ill effects from our hike the day before; my right instep was a bit angry with me, but after warming it up a bit, it seemed fine for a second day of hitting the trails.  The rain was coming down at a decent clip, so we took our time putting together breakfast burritos and coffee/tea; eventually, with the rain allegedly over, we geared up and headed down the hill to a nearby parking lot with Bea and Zoe.  While driving around town the day before, we noticed a paved pedestrian path that ran right along the main thoroughfare in Townsend, and it seemed like a great spot to stroll the girlies before we put them in their kennels for the morning. We all had a great time on our stroll; the pavement was warm but not hot, and there was plenty to explore. We didn't check out the Caverns on this trip, but we did use the big sign as an eas...

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 Smokie...