Our first stop was at the visitors’ center to get some maps and then on to Laurel Falls, about 5 miles into the park. The falls were at the end of a moderate 1.3-mile trail that followed the contours of a few small valleys then went up the side of a larger one. Although the hike itself was not strenuous or long, Sarah and I were nonetheless soaked in sweat when we arrived at the falls. The heat and humidity were crazy; not as bad as Nashville, but definitely unpleasant at about 90ยบ and 70% humidity. The falls themselves were beautiful and well worth the hike, especially because Sarah and I were able to boulder down below the falls a bit before hiking back to the car.
From there we took a drive through Cades Cove, which is a flat area in the western part of the park that had a farming community of about 600 right up until the park was created in 1937. The cove features an 11-mile long one-way road that passes by a few houses from the 1820s and a mill area that cut much of the wood for the Cove. Aside from the history of the Cove, we also were fortunate enough to see several black bears feeding in trees near the road and were able to stop at appropriate places to take some photos of them. I say “appropriate” because many people decided to stop in the middle of the one lane road in order to see the bears, thereby blocking traffic for everyone behind them. From Cades Cove we headed back out of the park and set up camp in Cosby, a town at the eastern end of the park.
I had some trouble sleeping at the camp, mostly because it was very hot in the tent and the insects decided that it was a good time to create a din the likes of which I had not previously experienced. I was able to get enough sleep to enjoy the day, however, and we were back in the park at about 8:30 to head up to Clingman’s Dome – the highest point in the park at 6,600 feet and the third highest mountain in the eastern United States. The drive through the forest through Newfound Gap to the mountaintop observatory was beautiful, but grew increasingly foggy as we ascended. Sarah decided when we got to the top that it was too foggy and that she was too tired to warrant the short but steep hike to the top of the mountain, so Justin and I set out to the top. After a brisk half mile walk in which we gained a little over 300 feet we arrived at the observatory, which is basically a 100 foot tall platform that is reached by a wide, spiraling pathway. The view from the top was beautiful, although it was still a bit foggy. We were able to pick out the Tennessee/North Carolina state line and several of the mountain features surrounding Clingman’s Dome.
From there was drove east through the mountains, through the Cherokee Indian Reservation and several towns on our way to Charlotte. In one town, we stopped to get some lunch at McDonalds, although I resolved to eat food that we had previously purchased and to limit my McDonalds consumption to a $1 sundae. As I came out of the restaurant a guy came up to me and asked if I would buy him and his wife lunch because they had broken down and didn’t have money for gas or food after fixing their car. Without really thinking about it I agreed to buy him lunch, so we went inside. I should have set some guidelines, because he ordered two Big Mac meals, then asked if he could get a Happy Meal. I shrugged and said yes, but after ordering it he asked if he could have another one. I asked him, incredulously, how many kids he had. He said two, so I acquiesced. Recap: I went form buying this guy lunch to buying his family of four lunch. Oh well, hopefully this one will come back around at some point.
From there we headed straight to Kristin’s house in Monroe, about 30 minutes southeast of Charlotte. Right now we’re cooking up burgers and are about to watch a movie after planning out our two days in DC. Can’t wait!
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