Smoky Mountains

We are currently parked in the Smoky Mountains. This was one of the main stops on our trip, and, sadly, from here we will also see our last state.

Yesterday we went on a hike in the Smoky Mountains. We took a trail to Abram's Falls. Five miles round trip. The falls are beautiful....once you get there. Don't get me wrong, the trail is one of the most beautiful I've seen. However, when the sign says "moderate difficulty", they lie. This trail is just as hard if not harder then Yosemite trail. The hike to the falls is not too hard, but the way back is very strenuous. When we arrived, it was a near perfect day. The temperature was about 80 degrees and the sun wasn't too blazing hot. Then we started on the trail.

The hike was kind of a new experience. They had log bridges spanning small rivers (along with signs telling you how many deaths have occurred on those same bridges).

At first the hike was a blend of uphill and downhill. There was plenty of beautiful scenery to take your mind off how tired you were.

Then there was a sudden increase in elevation. Not too steep, but slightly strenuous. Then, we got to the top of the mountain. From there we could see all around, and the river down quite a ways in the bottom of a ravine.

From there, the hike was mainly downhill. Due to that, it didn't take us long to get to the Falls.

The falls was a nice place to stop and take a rest, letting the cold breeze cool us down.

Then, unfortunately, we had to start the hike back up the hill. With much wheezing, puffing, heaving, and coughing, we made it back up to the top of the mountain. From there, it was downhill again. We took many more stops on our way back along the riverfront. During one of these, I looked across the river and saw three splashes. A family of river otters chose that moment to start swimming and playing in the water. Otters are some of my mom's favorite creatures. They stayed just out of sight of our camera, but if you look close you can see them under the fallen tree:

Seeing the otters re-energized us enough to finish the trail with smiles. Then we took a dive around the park for a while. I have to say, this park rivals Yosemite as my favorite park. Almost, but not quite. I still love Yosemite the most. However, if you can't go to Yosemite, the Smoky Mountains is a nice substitute.