Great Smoky Mountain NP

We had the perfect morning.  The pups got to stretch at the dog park, Ariel and Wyatt got to play at the playground. I got a moment to fit in some exercise and a nice shower. That is heaven for me at this busy pace we keep.

I packed lunches and we were off to see Clingmans Dome in Great Smoky Mountains NP.  Apparently from this vantage point you can see 7 states: Tessessee, North Carolina, Kentuky, South Carolina, Virginia, and Alabama. This is a very popular site in the park. For the last 45 minutes we were crawling to try to find a parking spot. I prayed that this wasn’t going to be like Glacier NP where we had to park a mile down the road just to get to the start of our hike. I knew that Wyatt wouldn’t make it, so Ron dropped us off at the trailhead and left to find parking. Thankfully it did not take him long.  

We started our hike up and up the paved trail. We finally got there after a long upward climb where Wyatt struggled most of the way, even with lots of water and snacks. My goodness, we will have to put Wyatt in bootcamp before our next adventure.

  • Fun walking up with Wyatt
  • Almost to the top of Clingmans Dome
  • Ron and Wyatt on the way down

The upward climb was only 0.5 miles and the view at the top was so beautiful.  I couldn’t necessarily point out all 7 states, but I did see beautiful stands of forests.

It looked like a  wildfire may have come through the area, but we later learned that it was balsam wooly adelgid—a pest killing the stands of Fraser Fir. In BC we have the Bark beetle and here they have their own kind of introduced pest. It’s sad to see majestic stands of forests taken out by such a small pest that would be easily kept under control in its native habitat. 

From Clingmans Dome, we were back on our way and looking for a great lunch spot along the Little River which flows through the Great Smoky Mountains. We’ve been driving along this river the last three days and it’s perfect in every sense of the word. We love the small rapids, lush shorelin vegetation, and large boulders and reflecting sunlight.

The kids and I all fell asleep along the way, our heads rolling back and forth along the twist road. Ron found a great spot and we all headed to the river. On the way down, Remi and Maggie used their super powers to tangle Ron up again. He had such loving words to say to them. I am loving to see their relationship blossom along this trip. We spread out our picnic blanket and enjoyed a peaceful lunch aside from Remi barking at us. We love him but he’s a dingbat! 

After lunch the kids had fun throwing sticks into the river. I enjoyed taking some pictures while Ron took pictures of me taking pictures. It still seems to be his favourite hobby.

Our picnic by the river

Once we’d all had our fill, we headed back to camp. The kids ran to the playground and Ron and I did laundry while we updated our football teams and responded to emails and texts. The laundromat is the only place that has cell service here so we have to capitalize on it. We also had firewood delivered and our propane tanks filled. All we had to do was text, then they took them away and brought them back full.  Another KOA perk!

So much laundry!

Now, Ron is making dinner inside the RV and watching a Josh Gates episode on his laptop (it’s his favourite show). Wyatt is trying to make a great campfire for me and Ariel is at the playground. Maggie is cozy in the best of our camp chairs and Remi is making mischief. 

It was another beautiful day  in Tennessee!