Day #199 - Leisurely Stroll - Porter Creek

Gatlinburg, TN
Guest Blogger - Lori

Note from Suzie:  We welcome guest bloggers.  Over the weekend, Beth and Lori visited with us.  If you ever want to join the fun, just let me know!  The leisurely stroll took place on the Porter Creek Trail in the Great Smokies National Park (http://www.nps.gov/grsm/index.htm).

Who likes to play games?  We do!  If you do too, let’s see how many 4-letter words you can find in this entry.  Bet your total will be off by just one or two.

(Have you ever heard the old folks talk about how they had to walk to school in the snow uphill both ways?  Here’s my version.)

Friday was a very warm, humid, beautiful day.  Kelly and Suzie had suggested we (Beth and Lori) go for a leisurely stroll in the Smokey Mountains; one they had done in the past and enjoyed.  WARNING!  DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS UNLESS YOU ARE A PROFESSIONAL!  Unfortunately for us, we had no one to warn us, so we agreed.

They suggested we each take a hiking stick they were offering.  That should have been our first clue.  We both turned them down at least once, maybe twice, before we acquiesced and gracefully accepted one of their sticks.  Clue number two should have been they both took two sticks.

When we arrived, we saw several folks walking toward their vehicles with smiles on their faces as they greeted us.  How bad could it be?  We started out at a bit of a brisk climb but stopped here and there to take pictures of the beautiful foliage.  Kelly, can you say “shutterbug?”

Suzie and Kelly gave us a little bit of a history lesson about the families who once owned the land in the area.  We visited a family grave site and sadly viewed headstones of children who died before experiencing the joys of life.  We saw the remnants of numerous stone walls and parts of a very old vehicle – a Model T perhaps?

As we continued to climb on this leisurely stroll, the perspiration was starting to make itself known in a foul way.  Have I mentioned humidity yet?

We were urged on by the promise of seeing a very old, interesting homestead that is in remarkable shape, along with some other smaller buildings, and an outhouse.  As we approached the area, we overheard a person in a group already there telling more of the history of this particular area.  As it turns out, one older fellow in this group was a descendent of the family who once owned (and donated) the land and the buildings we were about to appreciate.

Let me tell you a bit about the outhouse.  It was that – in every sense of the word.  After Kelly and I gingerly crossed a creek, we saw a wooden shell.  Kelly approached first and saw the wooden door was open.  To our surprise, it was a two-seater.  Instead of going in and sitting side-by-side, I let Kelly have dibs; I didn’t want to leave her with memories of smell as well as sight.  Humidity at this point would have been the least of her worries.

Heading back to the trail again we were tempted by a new carrot – a really cool bridge made from a very large log, overlooking water tumbling over rocks.  How could we say, “No?”

Here’s where the age difference kicked in – or so I thought.  Kelly and I, the younger folks in the group, forged ahead of the not-so-young Suzie and Beth.  Even with Kelly stopping often to take pictures, we were well ahead of the oldies-but-goodies.  Later I realized it was probably planned that way – to split up Beth and me so we couldn’t compare notes about just how far ahead this cool bridge was.

I don’t know how Kelly did it, but somehow she got these folks to cross our path periodically and when asked, “How much further to the bridge?” they replied, “Not much further.”  Did I mention humidity yet?

Finally we arrived at the bridge and the scene was magnificent!  Kelly and I used our hiking sticks to climb down some huge rocks to get to the cold water to cool off.  Eventually Beth and Suzie arrived and although they appreciated the view, Beth’s vertigo prevented her from going more than a few steps on the log bridge.

The leisurely stroll back down the mountain went reasonably smoothly with help from the hiking sticks; our legs and backs were straining a bit.  All in all, it could have been worse.  (It could have been snowing!)  When we arrived back at the vehicle, we spoke to a man standing next to a vehicle parked near ours.  When we asked if he was okay, he replied with a sigh, “Yeah.  Did you happen to see a set of car keys on your hike?”  Poor guy!

Okay, so how many 4-letter words did you count?  A bunch I’ll bet.  Whatever number you came up with (No, I’m not going to give you a specific number.), add this to your sum.  If you take the phrase, “leisurely stroll,” and add up the letters and space between the words it equals 16.  Now divide that by the number of us who took this so called leisurely stroll – there were 4 of us.  So, 16 ÷ 4 = a 4-letter word.  Beth and I each now have a special 4-letter word for the phrase “leisurely stroll.”  If you don’t heed my warning and someday accept their offer to go on a “leisurely stroll,” I’ll bet you too will come up with your own 4-letter word.  (hehe)

As we were heading to hopefully see some black bears in their natural habitats, we opted to stop at a Subway to grab a bite to eat.  How fortunate that they were located next to a liquor store!  Can you say piña colada?

When we arrived at the park where we hoped to see the black bears, Suzie and Kelly set up chairs in the back of their truck for Beth and me to sit in so we’d get a great view.  I think it had more to do with our odiferous body odors, but I’m sure they’ll deny that if asked.  We drove for miles and miles and miles and although I got some great shots of deer, we didn’t see any black bears until we were near the exit of the park.  We did get two glimpses of black bears and that was kind of exciting.

I suggested looking for a BBQ place. We weren't sure if anything would be open that late but we happened upon Corky’s BBQ (http://www.corkysbbq.com). Even though we all "pigged out" on their BBQ, we had enough food left over for dinner on Saturday. Our waitress was a hoot. For those of you who are carnivores, we all HIGHLY RECOMMEND this place.

Day #179 – Cades Cove

Gatlinburg TN

Today was a busy day.  Busier than I like, but probably about right for Kelly.  Our goal was to get out of the house and see some sights without making my tooth throb.  Not an easy task.

We started with the Gatlinburg Farm Market (http://gatlinburgfarmersmarket.com).  We’d seen signs for it all week and were very excited at the prospect of finding locally grown produce.  It seems the weather here, at least in terms of last frost, spring temperatures, etc., is close to Pittsburgh’s, so I expected to find greens and maybe some beets.  What we found was a gem, and a surprise.  This was not just their first market of the season – it was their first ever market.

It was small, but wonderful.  We apparently missed the local berries; there were no beets; we found lots of spring greens.  We bought some bread and brownies from the local bakery, some soap from the local soap maker, and some fresh greens.  We talked with a couple farmers about herb plants, but didn’t buy.  There was live bluegrass music.  I won a raffle – reusable-man-made-from-recycled-bottles-save-the-earth shopping bag from our favorite outfitter.  We helped a woman take down her tent – turns out she was on the market’s board.  She and I chatted about the market and how fantastic it was.  She had heard about the markets around Pittsburgh and was happy to see a tourist at this one.  I told her about our experiences with the Saturday farm market in Williamsburg VA and how they cater to tourists as well as locals.  I told her we would certainly be back next week.

On a lark, we headed over to the Roaring Fork motor driving tour (http://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/autotouring.htm) within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  There were signs warning that the road was closed, but it wasn’t blocked off and the road was freshly paved.  So, we gave it a go.  We got pretty far.  Actually, the motor driving tour didn’t start until after the trailhead for the Rainbow Falls trail.  By the time we’d reached the trailhead, the road had narrowed to one lane.  The parking lot for the trail was full, so cars were parked along the road, alternating on either the left or right side.  It was very difficult for us to drive through that area – we were sure we’d either clip a car or fall off the mountain.  Kelly cursed the whole way.  And, naturally, just down the road a bit was an overflow parking lot, nearly empty.  I guess a sign pointing to the second lot was part of the upcoming construction.

The road for the tour really was closed, so we looped back and stopped at the Noah “Bud” Ogle nature trail.  The grounds around the house and the nature trail were practically deserted.  The Ogle family was one of the first to settle in the Smokies.  By 1879, when this 400-acre farm was started, the family was a powerful force in the community.  The house started small, but additions were added as the family grew.  The downstairs was used for living; adults and girls slept downstairs and the boys slept upstairs.  The spring house was located quite a ways from the house.  An open wooden flume was wedged into the stream and angled to carry water to a sink outside the house.  The sink, too, was wood – dug from a single massive tree trunk.  This plumbing was all very modern, and rare, for this time period.

A custom in these parts was the “weaner” house.  After a couple married, they moved to a “honeymoon” cabin, near one of the parental homes, for one year.  This gave them time to build and establish their own place while remaining close to their parents.  We saw the remains of one of these houses, now just a big pile of rocks.

Most families built and operated their own grinding mills.  The one on this farm was a tub mill – the water wheel was horizontal and enclosed in a tub-like box.  Families who did not have a mill would bring their grain to a mill and pay the “toll” of one gallon of meal per bushel of corn.  The tour notes indicated that widows and “other unfortunates” were not expected to pay.

The Ogles built a drive-through barn.  There were pens on each side, with a common roof over them and the center aisle.  The aisle was wide enough to accommodate draft animals pulling farm equipment.

On this tour we learned a lot about how plants were used for medicine.

• Hemlock trees: use the tea for boils.  Mix the juices from the bark with corn meal and spread the paste on burns.
• Wild black cherry trees: render the inner bark into cough syrup.
• Butternut tree: use the hulls and bark to dye cloth brown.

After our walking tour of the Ogle farm, we headed off to Cades Cove, another driving tour in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  The road to the cove had been closed, so this was new territory for us.  The road was a twisty turny narrow two-lane that soon went down to one-way, one-lane.  The road is closed to all motor vehicles at certain times of the week so that hikers and bicyclers can enjoy the tour without risking life, limb, and respiratory system.

The tour had 18 stops along its way with opportunities to examine houses, churches, roads and lanes, and a mill.  The touring guide included this letter, addressing common problem encountered during the Civil War.  While Tennessee did secede from the Union, many people supported the Union.  “We the Primitive Baptist Church in Blount County in Cades Cove, do show the public why we have not kept up our church meeting.  It was on account of the Rebellion and we was Union people and the Rebels was too strong here in Cades Cove.  Our preacher was obliged to leave sometimes, and thank God we once more can meet.”

We saw lots of wildlife on the tour, some of it human.  At one point, all traffic stopped – a bear jam.  A mother and her cubs were wandering through a meadow.  We saw too many people, including children, way too close to them.  (Remember to click the photo to see a larger version - with bears!)  Later, we became particularly frustrated by the driver in front of us.  Despite numerous parking spots along the road, she insisted on driving well under the speed limit and stopping every now and then to gaze into the woods.  She never noticed the long string of cars behind her.  Several drivers honked their happiness when she finally turned off onto another road.

We finished the day with dinner at the Texas Roadhouse, hosted by the campground manager, Don.  We talked politics over steak and baked potatoes.  He is a wealth of diversity – a conservative man who did not support Mr. Bush, who does not like Mr. Obama, and thinks our country is going to the socialists.  He is a well-read man who reads from many sources and watches news on many TV channels.  Neither of us could keep up with him, but we had a great time listening.

Day #170 – Andrew Johnson NHS

VA to Gatlinburg TN

Today, we visited the Andrew Johnson National Historic Site (http://www.nps.gov/anjo/index.htm) in Greeneville Tennessee.  Andrew Johnson was someone who, until today, was not exactly on my radar screen.  Today I learned a lot about him – he was a pretty interesting guy.  Abraham Lincoln was a Republican and Mr. Johnson was a Democrat.  Mr. Lincoln wanted Mr. Johnson on his ticket when he ran for his second term in the hopes that Mr. Johnson would pull in votes from the South.  Mr. Johnson became president after Mr. Lincoln was assassinated.

Andrew Johnson started as a tailor’s apprentice when he was three years old.  His father had died and his mother could not support the family on her own.  She basically sold her son into the apprenticeship program.  He ran away before his stint was complete and eventually started a tailor business in Greeneville Tennessee.  He was not educated – nearly illiterate – but, his wife taught him how to read and write.  He took some classes at the local school and became active in the debating club.  From there, he began to run for public office.  He started as an alderman (justice of the peace) and worked his way up to the Senate, and beyond.

Andrew Johnson dedicated his life to the Constitution.  He urged Tennessee to stay in the Union even though he had very strong beliefs about the boundaries between federal and states’ rights.  He kept his Senate seat when Tennessee seceded from the Union.  Mr. Lincoln appointed him military governor of Tennessee during the Civil War.  Mr. Johnson owned slaves.  The first slave he bought was a 14-year-old girl who approached him and asked him to buy her.  After purchasing her, he also purchased her family.  Mr. Johnson never sold a slave and there are records to show he paid his slaves long before Emancipation.  He freed his slaves on August 8, 1863, over a year before slavery was made illegal in Tennessee.  The freed family stayed with the Johnsons.  To this day, August 8 is celebrated by the African-American community in Tennessee and her neighboring states.

Andrew Johnson did not agree with Congress on the best way to handle reconstruction after the Civil War.  To make a very long story short, they tried, and failed, to impeach him.  He did not get along with Congress and was pretty pushy about his ideas.  When he was not re-elected president, he returned to Greeneville.  He ran for Senate again, and was elected on his second try.  He was the first former president to ever return to Congress.

After touring the visitor center, we walked to his home, where we were met by a NPS Interpreter.  This was the first time we’d taken a ranger-led tour of any type.  It was great!  She knew so much about the history and culture of his era and was able to answer every question we asked.  For example, every bed in his home was covered by a quilt made by Mrs. Johnson.  When I noticed a mistake on the first quilt we saw, the Interpreter was able to tell me all about it.  (Quilters often put an intentional mistake into a quilt because they believe only God is perfect and they don’t want to tempt fate by making a perfect quilt.  I’ve always thought that was a bit pride-ful – nobody’s quilt is ever perfect, but whatever.  My thoughts on this particular one was about “hiding in plain sight”.  During the Civil War era, many quilters – usually slaves – worked maps and directions for the Underground Railroad into their quilts.  Since the Johnson family was so sympathetic, I thought this “mistake” might have a hidden meaning.  Turned out, it was a mistake and not a map.)  The Interpreter then helped me find the intentional mistake on every other quilt in the house.  We had a long discussion about how the town of Greeneville had been affected by the Civil War.  Many of the homes and store buildings were left intact because the town had been taken so many times – there was so much back-and-forth that neither army burned buildings as they left town.  We talked about the graffiti the Confederate soldiers had left behind in Mr. Johnson’s home – they thought he was a traitor because he voted against succession.  We also discussed Tuberculosis.  Most of the Johnson family died from this disease.  She told us it was very common during his era and the various family member’s illnesses and deaths were not unusual.

Next, we drove to the local cemetery, the Andrew Johnson National Cemetery.  It is located at the top of a high hill and overlooks the foothills of the Smokies.  It was one of the most peaceful and beautiful cemetaries I’d ever seen.  If one wanted to be planted, rather than scattered, one would be hard pressed to find a better place.  Mr. Johnson had left instructions with only one person, his former slave Sam – his coffin was draped with the United States flag and a copy of the Constitution was placed under his head.

After a long day of history lessons, we went to a restaurant recommended by the Interpreter.  We were expecting Italian, as it was called the Brick Oven.  We were confusingly surprised to find three menus – Italian, Thai, and Greek.  I’ve never had garlic bread with marinara sauce followed by curry chicken.

I never got to my curry chicken.  I broke a molar!  Actually, it broke all by itself and not as a result of what I was eating.  The waitress was kind and gave us the Yellow Pages.  I called over 20 dentists before I found one willing to see me.  Elite Dental (http://www.elitedentalsmiles.com), in Dandridge, treated me very well.  They waited the 45 minutes it took us to drive there, not closing until after I left.  They put a temporary filling in the tooth.  On Wednesday, I get a temporary crown and in three weeks, a permanent crown.  Their photo in the Yellow Pages, and their web site, made me a bit nervous – too fancy for me!   But, they were awesome dentists.  Dr. Johnson worked on my mouth, assisted by Dr. Chaney.  Dr. Chaney was wearing jeans and a t-shirt, which actually helped put me at ease.  They have a very high-end, high-tech office, but I liked the way they treated me.  I’m terrified of dentists, but I think I’ll let these guys work on my mouth some more.

Driving from Dandridge to Gatlinburg was interesting.  As soon as we crested the last hill and saw the Smokies rolling away in front of us, I felt like I was coming home.  I found that I love these mountains.  As much as I’m eager to get back on the road and find new places, I’m excited to be here longer.  I want to meet more people from Tennessee and learn more about their history, art, and culture.

We signed up for another month at the Arrow Creek Campground in Gatlinburg.  Good thing we like the Smokies.

Day #156 – Walker Sisters’ Cabin

Gatlinburg TN

Today we planned to hike the Metcalf Bottoms trail to the school house, and then connect to the Little Brier Gap trail to visit the Walker Sisters’ cabin.

From the Metcalf Bottoms trailhead parking lot, we had the choice of either hiking the trail up to the school house or driving up a twisty, turny, two-way one-lane dirt road.  I was surprised when Kelly did not park the car, but headed up the mountain road.  I had chosen this hike for a couple reasons – first I wanted to see these two preserved buildings, and second, I wanted to hike through meadow and take a break from the steep inclines we’d been experiencing on our waterfall walks.

We were surprised to find a large, well maintained parking lot with an adjacent HP-accessible port-a-jane.  As more and more cars arrived, it began to make sense – those kinds of improvements end up lessening the environmental impact of heavy, intense use.

The school was built in 1882 and the last class was held in 1936.  There was a cemetery next to the school, which should not have surprised us because the school did double-duty as a church until 1924.  Again, we saw many children’s graves with dates within a month or week of one another.  This is the third cemetery where we’ve seen this pattern, but surprisingly, we have not seen a similar pattern for the deaths of adults or the elderly.

From the school, we hiked up the Little Brier Gap Trail to the Walker Sisters’ cabin.  The original part of the cabin was built in the 1840s and was added to in the 1870s.  The cabin was made from tuliptree logs, notched so skillfully that no nails or pegs were needed.  The roof shingles were from white oak trees.  The spring house was situated away from the cabin and placed a bit downstream from the spring.  This ensured clean drinking water in the event of a spill in the spring house. 

Mr. Walker was a skilled builder.  On his farm he built a barn, corncrib, blacksmith yard, poultry pens, apple house, smokehouse, pigpen, and grist mill.  The mill even had a lathe for turning wood.  There was never an outhouse on the property – women walked uphill and men walked downhill.  Mrs. Walker, an “herb doctor”, was credited with raising all eleven of her children to adulthood.  Both these people had skills that made them an asset to their community, as well as ensuring they had a productive and comfortable farmstead.  Despite the opportunities for modern conveniences, they refused all because they believed indulgences were sinful. 

The Walkers were one of the last families to live in the Great Smoky Mountains.  In fact, when the park was formed in 1936, five of the daughters decided to continue living on their farm.  Until the last sister died in 1964, the women collected and harvested, and prepared and preserved their own food.  They spun fiber and wove their own cloth for their clothing.  They tended their livestock and worked their fields.  (I’m not making this up or exaggerating - many people in these mountains still live this way.)  They lived their belief, “Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.”  For many years, this area was known as Five Sisters Cove in honor of these women and their way of life.

After wandering around the farm and exploring the cabin, we started back down the trail.  We stopped along the way to eat our lunch.  Since there were no big rocks by a creek to sit on, and there was poison ivy everywhere, we were very happy to have our new chairs.  Yet again, a Kelly Idea to the rescue!







Our round-trip hike was 2.8 miles, on a gentle grade and an easy trail.  When we returned to the truck, we couldn’t figure out why we were so tired. 

On our way back to the campground, I began lamenting the lack of opportunity to just sit and watch nature.  I threatened to take up fishing, being willing to stand in the middle of moving water and holding a string in my hands just so I could be quiet and watch.  I miss being quiet.  So, Kelly pulled off by the side of the road.  There was a steep incline down to a creek.  My knees were too sore to even try that bank, so I plopped on a big comfy rock and watched Kelly do her mountain goat routine to the bottom.  She found a rock, too.  It was great for a few minutes….until the mosquitoes found me.  Later, she told me how peaceful she felt and how wonderful it was to just be quiet.  She felt sorry for me, so preoccupied with swatting at bugs.

Later, Kelly told me she’d had a sore throat all day and that was why she’d driven to the school.  If she had told me she’d felt so lousy, we would have stayed home and played cards.  Or, found big comfy rocks on which to sit and stare at nature.  I took Zycam and we went to bed early.

Day #155 – Fighting Creek Trail

Gatlinburg TN

Today was a slow day – the first we’ve ventured outdoors since the last blogging marathon.

Our first stop was the outfitter for socks. When you take only a few pairs of socks on the road, and use laundromats, they wear out pretty quickly. Kelly decided she wanted to switch from cotton to wool. Along the way to the sock department, she found some camp chairs and I found several necessary additions to the first aid kit. We definitely stimulated the local economy.

Next stop was the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (http://www.nps.gov/grsm/index.htm) Sugarlands Visitor Center. No shopping here. We headed directly for the Fighting Creek Trail. This 1.5-mile self-guided nature trail wanders up and down a mountainside that was once the home of several families. The settlers couldn’t decide where to build their school, hence the name “Fighting Creek.” 

The first settlers arrived in the early 1800s and began cutting down trees to build cabins and clear fields. By 1935, when the park acquired the land, there was a community of 25 farmsteads, plus a school, church, post office and store, grist mill, and saw mill. We learned that tuliptrees and pines are indicators of formerly open areas. Non-native plants, such as yucca and boxwood, indicated a homestead. Yards were small to allow maximum space for gardens and fields. Corn was planted on all but the steepest mountainsides. The steepest land was reserved for pasture. Because of the terrain, wagons weren’t of much use. People used sleds to haul materials and harvests. Beans were interplanted with corn so the corn stalks would support the bean vines. Fences were made from rocks that had been cleared from fields.

This area is gradually returning to its original state. New forest growth has taken hold, making it hard to see the remains of buildings and fields. White and pitch pines came back first, followed by hemlocks and hardwoods. As the forest developed, it became more shady, making it difficult for the pines to live. Oaks and hickory trees are taking their places. The wildlife has returned, too. Deer were very scarce by 1920, but have returned. Bear had retreated to higher ground to avoid human contact, but can now be found at all elevations in the Smokies. Birds in particular have changed over the years, based on the types of trees and shrubs available for nesting.

Day #150 – Road Trip to Cherokee NC

Gatlinburg TN

Today we drove over to the Oconaluftee Visitor Center (http://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/mfm.htm), part of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, in North Carolina.  From there, we drove into the town of Cherokee, North Carolina (http://www.cherokee-nc.com/index.php). 

As soon as we crossed the national park boundary, we were visually assaulted by gift shops, whose names included words such as “teepee” and “wigwam” and “chief”.  Kelly remarked that she couldn’t figure out why Native Americans would make such a big fuss about the name of a sports team and then turn around and use even worse names for their gift shops.  We were disappointed to find the play, “Unto these Hills” would not start its season run until June and the outdoor re-enactment village would not open until early May.  The museum was open, but it was too late in the afternoon for us to give it a proper visit.

We opted to gamble.  We drove off to the casino and parked way far away in the free lot.  On the shuttle to the casino, we agreed to lose no more than $40 - $20 each.  I had very bad luck that day.  I lost half my money, just trying to figure out how to play one of the machines.  Kelly had different luck.  First, she won $130, then lost it before I could grab her winnings and stuff them safely in my pocket.  (She wants a new camera and that would have really helped).  Then, she won $78.  That one, I was able to grab.  We continued to lose our money, but started doing so more slowing and having a bit more fun at it.  I finally gave in and gave her the $78 back.  We ended up with a net loss of $20.

I really don’t like to gamble.  I think it’s incredibly boring.  I actually dosed off one night, in West Virginia, while she played a slot machine time and again.  If the games had some strategy to them, I might feel differently.  Also, I don’t get into a zone the way she does.  I can happily take my winnings and walk out –even if it’s a profit gained in the first five minutes.  Win or lose, she likes to play for at least an hour.  Luckily, she doesn’t like other forms of gambling, so I’m not especially worried about this personality quirk of hers.

We emerged from the casino to discover the HOGs were in town – the annual Thunder in the Smokies.  Harleys were roaring – quite literally – up and down the street.  There were packs of them and they made us both nervous.  We both have ridden motorcycles in our pasts and we are supportive of riders, but in large numbers, they made it difficult for us to drive safely.

On the way home, we got lost and ended up on the Blue Ridge Parkway.  The sunset was beautiful.  From there, we linked to the Newfound Gap Road and were home in a jiffy.

Day #149 – Big Creek Trail

Gatlinburg TN

Today we hiked the Big Creek Trail, in the North Carolina portion of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  Kelly had found a book of hike-related scavenger hunts, so we used that to keep us busy on the trail.  We had to find trees growing out of rocks, rocks that looked like a school bus, bear-proof trash cans, and so forth.  We also took a book for wildflower identification.  We looked up, and photographed each new flower we saw.  This was Kelly’s project.  She made me look them up while she took photos.  I didn’t know there were so many different flowers in the Smokies that bloomed in April.

We stopped at Midnight Hole for lunch.  This is a very deep pool at the base of some falls.  The Hole is reportedly dark blue in winter and green in summer.  We saw a couple trout, which got us extra points in the scavenger hunt.

Next stop was Mouse Creek Falls.  This waterfall was the last item on the scavenger hunt.  Since this feature wasn’t as far up the trail as we’d hope, we turned on the GPS and kept going.

Because this trail is so wide, horses are allowed on it.  All day, we hopped from one side of the trail to another, trying to keep our boots clean.  Some of the poop did not look like it came from horses.  We guessed there were bears in them thar woods.

Again, photography got the better of our time management planning.  We turned around at 5 P.M. in the hopes of getting out of the deep valley before dusk.  By the time we’d worked our way down the trail, the mosquitoes had come out and we were slapping ourselves silly.  We made it back to the truck before dark.  Our GPS indicated we’d hiked five miles – our longest hike yet.

Neither of us was as sore after this hike as we’d been on previous ones.  It was just as strenuous in terms of elevation, and longer than any of the others.  Maybe our bodies are bouncing into shape more quickly than we’d thought possible.

Day #145 – Porter Creek Trail

Gatlinburg TN

We met up with Linda and Debbie around noon today.  They had done some extensive hiking yesterday and were worried their muscles would stiffen.  So, they talked us into a short walk – really a stroll – to see some nice water falls on the Porter Creek Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  They even offered to let us carry their day packs.  Unfortunately, I failed to notice the copy of Tom Sawyer on Debbie’s night stand.

The drive to the trail head was exciting.  We drove over single-lane roads with pot holes that threatened to swallow the Prius.  Debbie likes to drive and read map at the same time which allowed me plenty of time to practice my death grip on the dashboard.  Linda and Kelly, in the back seat, were oblivious to most of this; they chatted the whole way about all the pretty trees.

It was a beautiful trail.  It was wide and soft, with a gentle rise.  We passed paths leading to foundations of old homes, an old barn, a hikers’ cabin, and an old family cemetery.  We also passed hundreds of wildflowers.  Debbie and Kelly stopped at each flower to take photographs.  Linda and I walked on. 

OK, I doubled back for the cemetery.  I’m a sucker for an old cemetery.  Linda came back, too, and the four of us wandered around the graves, softly reading the markers to each other.  When you see many people, mostly children, dying at roughly the same time, you can figure there was an epidemic of some sort.  It’s impossible for me to imagine the grief and helplessness their parents must have felt.  So many deaths would have affected the whole community, not just one family.

The trail continued upward, rising a total of 640 feet over the course of our walk to the falls.  At one point, I lost patience with all the photography and just kept walking.  I later found out that Debbie and Linda wanted to turn back (They wanted to get back to camp before dark and were anticipating an evening of cards.), but Kelly wouldn’t let them.  She figured I was on a roll and should be encouraged with my forward, and upward, movement.

The falls were beautiful.  We stopped and took pictures, then headed back down.  While the walk went more quickly because all the flowers and bugs had already been photographed, going downhill is really hard on my knees.  We took a break by walking off the trail to see an old barn, and a cabin built by hikers.

The barn was cantilevered.  Apparently, back in the day, buildings were taxed based on their dimension on the ground.  So, this farmer had built a barn that touched the ground no more than absolutely necessary.

When we finally got back to the car (total journey 3.7 miles), I was so sore I could barely move. 

We made taco salads and burritos for dinner, using soy crumbles Kelly had found at the grocery store.  Afterward, we settled in to cards.  Linda and I again trounced Debbie and Kelly.  Debbie would not give up.  She wanted to play until she won.  Linda suggested we open the wine.  For some reason, we all got tipsy pretty quickly.  By 2 A.M., I was dozing between turns, but we were still winning.  Linda finally called a stop to the torture and we all rolled off to our respective beds.