Today was our first day going into the NP, and it didn't quite work out as planned. We set off about 9:30, deciding to leave the dog, who we knew would be more than happy to sleep a lot of today after such an active day yesterday. We drove to the Townsend entrance, about 45 minutes from our cabin. Once in, we drove to the Cade Code loop, hoping to go to Abrams Falls. Unfortunately, shortly into our drive, I saw a sign saying it was closed for repairs. We decided we would go to another trailhead. Along Cade's Cove, there are several places to stop off and either see old homestead buildings or churches from the road, or some are a short hike. We stopped at a few, which were pretty neat to see. They are from homesteaders from the early 19th century, and must have been so difficult to build. We also stopped at a church with a cemetery attached. Seeing some of the dates for the lives of these early homesteaders was neat.
Cade's Cove road is a one way loop and very picturesque. We ended up stopping at a short trail that we knew would be an out and back called Elijah's place, which took you to Elijah's house, barn, and other buildings. On our way, we came across another trail called Wet Bottom that I had seen in the book. Shortly into the hike, the kids ran into two big deers with antlers. We took some pics and video, but then all of sudden Will was saying, "Back! Back! Back!" We thought maybe the deer were coming at him aggressively. Turns out he had watched a bear cross the trail right where the deer were! Admittedly, I was a little disappointed I didn't see it, though given my adrenaline level just from running away, maybe it's for the best I didn't. I really do want to see a bear, just not close up.
Back on the road, our plan was to continue along Cade's Cove and then cut across on one of two roads that serve as short cuts or cut-throughs. We saw there was a road we could take back into the town of Townsend. Unfortunately, we failed to notice that the road was unpaved. It was 12 miles of rocky switchbacks. There was a jeep in front of us going 9 miles an hour. I was feeling pretty tired due to Dramamine and was not thrilled with an extra long ride. After several slow miles, the jeep pulled off a bit and allowed us to pass, and Will was able to go a bit faster. We finally made it out. The kids wanted to go back to the rope swing, but we opted to go back to the cabin since the dog had been on her own for over 5 hours.
On the way up to the cabin, though, Will dropped me and kids off at the pool. We were going to either go to the pool or wade in the creek for a bit and then walk (!) back up the mountain home. We explored the creek (mom soaked sore legs and Ethan found a crawfish) for a bit and then started the trek up the mountain. I started my gps app to track us, and we went 1.4 miles, climbing over 800 feet! It was steep. My parents actually drove up to us when we were over halfway, but we opted not to get a ride the rest of the way so we could see how far we were going to go. Our legs will be sore tomorrow, but at least we got in our good climb for the day.
Back at home, we relaxed and read up on some things for tomorrow. I made reservations for a zipline, and Will looked up some information on biking Cade's Cove on Wednesday morning. Eleanor, my mom, and I had some hot tub time, and then we showered and had a yummy dinner of sausage, potato, onions, and peppers. After dinner, Will and I took the dog on a long walk.
When we got back, the kids were playing pool upstairs with my parents. It was clear my parents, who haven't played pool in a while, were having a great time. After they beat Ethan and Eleanor, Ethan and I teamed up against them and just barely lost. After pool, we played several rounds of Scatergories, listening to Ethan's playlist on Spotify.
And now it's time for bed. This trip is definitely more low key than most of our NP trips, and I am kind of loving it. Usually, we are gone from sun up to sun down, and we have very little downtime. I am grateful for a bit more time in the cabin, making memories and laughing together.
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