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Smokies Trip 2009

A week in Wear Valley, half of it with Anna & Jon, February 1 - 8, 2009

Photos 1 - 84 of 84

At Cracker Barrel in Sevierville - it ain't the Anniversary trip without doing the golf tee puzzle at least once at a Cracker Barrel restaurant

First try, too.

Mom looks on patiently, but dissuaded Dad from trying to repeat the puzzle as the food arrived.

Leeland Ridge - our refuge for the week

The porch and hot tub on the north end

Interior of Leeland Ridge, from main room looking into kitchen

Interior of Leeland Ridge, from kitchen looking into the main room

Downstairs bedroom off the kitchen - very nice

hiking to Greenbrier school on Sunday afternoon - Mom takes a moment to absorb the beauty of the creek

Dad at school

inside of Greenbrier School

closer inspection reveals the yellow rose

Mom checks out the cemetery at the school

Trailhead for Kephart Prong Trail on NC side below Newfound Gap

Kephart Prong, a tributary to the Oconoluftee River

what exactly is a "foot log'?

Mom at the Foot Log; this trail gave you the choice of wading the stream or taking the Foot Log. The creek was a little too deep and temperature too low to wade.

Dad on the Foot Log

Our destination, Kephart Shelter, just as the rain began in earnest. What great planning

Mom checks into the log book in the shelter for a little entertainment

Dad prepares lunch

Time to leave. At this point it was raining steadily.

A picturesque Foot Log just past the shelter on Sweat Heifer Trail (honest, that's its real name).

Rain turns to a little sprinkling of snow

Rain really turns to snow at Newfound Gap

there's a road out there somewhere

Here we are on the wrong side of the gate, locked into the park road. There was a phone number to call just for that circumstance on the gate. It took only about 5 minutes for a Park Ranger to arriv

Snow back at the Cabin

A winter wonderland in Wear Valley

Tuesday's hike - Chestnut Top from the Townsend "Y"; a good choice since the park roads were all closed and the trailhead was outside the gates

A bit snowy but at the moment sunny

Cold but pretty

Freezing our butts off on the ridge. Where did the sun go. The wind was blowing the snow from the trees and it might have been snowing for real. Another case of secondhand snow.

Putting the feeling back into her feet.

Inspired by a few sessions of Red Green, Dad undertakes the task of readjusting the ceiling fan. Without duck tape this was a real challenge. A bent paperclip and his walking stick.....

plus a chair and we got the speed down to a nice slow mix.

Mare strikes the standard "Hiker" pose as we take a short jaunt on the Lumber Ridge as we wait for Anna and Jon. We had to go out after lunch due to road closures.

The much loved vista

The roads were re-opened so off to the Little River Trail from Elkmont.

Thursday morning with Anna & Jon at the required Smoky entrance sign

Little River

Husky Creek Falls

Lunch time with very cold feet. There were 3" or 4" of snow on the trail.

Anna balances her hot chocolate on one knee as she retrieves her Oreos.

Jon checks the ingredients on the soup he just ate.

A perilous crossing of Husky Creek - Mare makes it after Jon and Anna succeed. Not as well as one of the two fellas before us - wet feet on a snowy day are not a good combination.

A rhododendron tunnel with a bit of snow on Cucumber Gap Trail.

A stately Tulip Poplar- they must have left this one in 1927 because it was too small.

Anna at The Sinks

At the Sinks of the Little River gorge

more Sinks - note the ice buildup below the cascade.

Friday. Warmer temperatures and sunny skies. We spent the morning in Cades Cove. Looking south through the front porch of the Oliver cabin toward Cobb Ridge

Here are turkey tracks outside the John Oliver cabin in Cades Cove.

wild turkeys near the Cades Cove campground

Jon herding turkeys

lunch at the Cades Cove picnic area

Anna & Jon go off to Newfound Gap; Lar and Mare go to the Curry Mountain trail at Metcalf Bottoms

Having a spot of tee near the crest before we returned to the car

Boiloing water, something Larry has finally mastered

The View from Curry He Mountain looking east

The typical evening activity - gaming away. Jon and Anna take on British Rails, after a game of Settlers of Catan with everyone.

Mom gets ready to turn in before the big Saturday hike.

Saturday morning consultation on the trail hiking plan

West Prong trailhead

tulip poplars, straight as arrows 70' into the sky

more tulip poplars

West Prong at Campsite 18

making up our minds on where to set up lunch; Jon meets the foot bridge challenge

West Prong comin' down

the usual lunch routine

log rolling competition

one last look at the West Prong

a trail obstacle

Larry shows how it should have been done

The trip home - never too many pictures on this leg. Jon & Anna met us at this Skyline in Florence, Kentucky for luch. we were only 10 minutes apart on the x-way; we left just before them. Then

Copyright © 2008 Will Grauvogel. All Rights Reserved.

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