Great Smoky Mountain National Park

While zip lining, our guide pointed out our view of the highest peak in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.  When he mentioned that we could go there, of course, we wanted to.  So, after zipping through the woods, we decided to spend the rest of the day in the smokey mountains, looking for hiking trails.

I was really proud of Jeremy, because he very randomly pulled over at a lookout point on our way to Clingman's dome.  This is not his nature....so, it was super cool.  And, it was a beautiful view!

Until the girls found this path...and started walking down it.  There is not even a trail name!

Of course, Jeremy followed and so did Nathan, until I was standing, alone at the lookout, as my family hikes down an unknown path.  I was not a happy camper.

Once they disappeared from my sight, I decided that I probably should follow after them.  

The four of them were happy and having a great time (Nicole was in her glory!)

I, on the other hand, was teriffied.  Like, I was actually quite scared.  These photos don't show it, but this was quite a steep trail, and between wondering if a snake was hiding under every crevice, root, and rock we stepped on, and worried we wouldn't make it back up as easily as we were going down....I was just a big ball of whinning mess.  I admit, I made everyone else miserable and nervous.

But- I tried to put on a "happy face".  In fact, it was here that I kept saying "fun mom....you are suppose to be fun mom on the trip."  Then I would reply (to myself) "NOPE, not fun mom anymore.  Scared mom.  Freaked out mom, Worried mom.  NO MORE FUN MOM!!!!!"

It was a pretty view though.

So, I sucked it up, and we took a family photo.  

Thankfully, we made it back up the trail to the overlook.  Hopping in the car, we enjoyed the rest of the drive to the parking area of Clingman's Dome, where we encountered dandilions.  These Florida kids would have stood there and blown these weeds for hours.  We gave them about 15 minutes :)

The kids were over the moon excited about this giant area of rocks and boulders to climb all over.  My mama heart was conflicted here.  Of course, I want my kids to be safe...but I also want them to explore and learn.  

Unfortunately, our culture has swapped life for safety.  Parents are looked down upon or shamed for allowing their children to do natural, childhood things, like climb.  Things that children have done for centuries.  Because....it's not safe.  They *could* get hurt.  They *could* fall down.  The *might* get scared.  

But guess what, growth comes in times of challenge.  Growth happens when we fall and get back up.  Growth happens when we push past our fears.  So, I let them climb, even amongst the "what ifs".

What if- they succeed?  What if they face their fears?  What if they become stronger?  What if we let them grow?  What if they rise to the challenge.  

So, they climbed, they played, they made memories.  And- surprise- no one got hurt!

The hike up to Clingman's Dome is surprisingly difficult.  It's about .6 miles of paved, steep uphill climb.  We had to stop at every bench and rest...it really was a challenging hike with beautiful views.  

We finally made it!  YAY!!!

It's hard to see....but in the middle of the photo is Gatlinburg, and in the far background we can see Pigeon Forge, TN.  

Beautiful view of the sloping ramp to get to the top of Clingman's Dome

The North Carolina/TN state line is basically right down the middle of this photo (actually, a smidgen to the left of the middle.)

On our way back to the parking area, we found the coveted sign which read "Appalachian Trail".  Nicole has talking about hiking this trail when she is 12 years old since she was about 5.  She has one year left to plan....I wonder if it will really happen.

 I thought this photo may inspire her to train and prepare this year though.  If not...at least we got the picture to prove we were here.

I am the chicken of the family, but I am also the planner.  Which means, I knew this trail was here and I planned on hiking a portion of it with the family.  By "a portion", I meant just far enough to take a picture and move on.  However, that did not satisfy anyone.  

We went further and further and further.

Can you even find Jeremy and Nicole in this picture?  No, I bet you can't.  I stopped here and din't want to go any further.  I thought for sure we had walked at least 5 miles down this trail. 

In reality, it was probably about 10 minutes.  But, I was done.  D.O.N.E.

However, these kids look pretty awesome, don't they?  Man...why am I such a chicken?!?

We were getting hungry and it was getting late, so we decided to head back towards the house.  However, I had heard a rumor that we may see some Elk on the trail behind the welcoming center.  Of course, the scarty-cat mom would intentionally plan a hike down that path, wouldn't she?

First, we got to walk past a replica of an old Appalachian village.  I love these old fences.

Looking back on the village before we disappear into the forest.

I'm going to write a whole blog post on this photo one day.  For now, I find it quite fascinating.  

I was first to spot it...a wild elk!  I was so thrilled and perfectly content to see this beautiful animal from a nice safe distance.  The elk had its space....I had my space....everyone was happy.

Except Jeremy.  Of course, he wanted to get closer.  

Which made me freak out....which made him want to get closer...which made me freak out more....yeah- this is why we are a good match :)

We finally parted ways with the Elk and I reluctantly continued down the trail.  I mean...the ONLY reason I wanted to hike down the trail was to see the elk.  Checked that off my list, got the picture...let's go!  haha- not the way the rest of my family think.  

I'll tell ya what though, completing that little trail was a treat.  There was a beautiful little ending to the path.  Apparently, something really cool happened that I missed, and Jeremy wasn't able to photograph. Hannah bent over to look at something in a bush, and hundreds of butterflies flew up from that bush, all around here and flew away. Jeremy said it was quite amazing.  

We made it back to the little Appalachian village, and look what we found!  The Elk.  Sheesh....we didn't even have to walk down that crazy trail to see the elk!

Although these guys are wild, they are clearly quite used to humans.  

In my eyes, this was the most adventurous day we had, followed closely by our visit to Grandfather Mountain....which will have a post all of its own :)

I'm glad we hiked.  I'm glad my kids have a dad who is adventurous and fun.  I'm glad that we saw some elk.  I'm glad we hiked until our legs hurt.  I'm glad we had a great day together, full of memories...even if my heart was racing just re-living them again to write it out.  

North Carolina- White Water Rafting & Zip Lines

The big event we had planned for this trip was a "Raft & Rail" tour with WildWaters.

We took a site seeing training, almost 30 miles  through the mountains until we got to our drop off point for the rafting.

The train ride was a different experience for us.  I don't think any of us have ever been on a train.

We were in an open box car, which meant we got to enjoy the beautiful weather and scenery.

Fontana Lake

It was lovely.

This was one of the rapids we went down.  No photo from the river, but I have one from the train :)

Then, the big moment came...our trip, 8 miles down the Nantahala River on class II and class III rapids.  The biggest regret I have is not taking my phone or a water proof camera.  I wish I had pictures of our kids enjoying this trip.

More rapids that we got to experience.

We had a fantastic guide, Chris, who was playful and fun.  We enjoyed splashing other rafters (they may not have enjoyed it though, haha) and listening to him tell us about the history of the area and the science behind some of the trees and wildlife.  He was fun and spontaneous as well.  Once, he did a back flip off the raft, just to splash the raft the behind us.  Another time, he jumped onto a log and ran along the bank of the river until he was able to jump back in our boat.  The kids enjoyed his antics.  As a mom, I felt safe under his guidance, because I could tell he was careful as we went through some of the rapids, yet he still made sure we had a great time.  The girls LOVED White Water Rafting, and asked to do it again.  Nathan...well, he survived, haha.  He was cold and happy to make it down the river.  It wasn't his favorite experience, but he also didn't complain.  He just sat there quietly until we were done :)

Chris, chatting with us on our train ride.

While rafting, he mentioned that he was leading the canopy zip line tour the next day and told Jeremy and I we should come.  We hesitated because two of our kids weren't old/big enough to do the big zip lines.  However, the company had a Kids Zip that was perfect for them.  So, we took the bait and went the next day as well.

Listening to their safety speech.

She looks like a natural

This was totally his "thing".  The highlight of his trip.

The kids had an absolute blast!  I was so proud of Nathan because he bravely went first, and never stopped after that!  They zipped for over two hours

We quickly snuck off with Chris, his girlfriend Tracy, and one other couple to the canopy zip tour.  We had 13 platforms and 8 bridges to cross.

It was beautiful and fun!  Chris (and his girlfriend) didn't disappoint us either.  They shared with us their tidbits about the trees and surrounding areas.  We tasted some leaves, and checked out the scenery.

They even took pictures for us of a few of our zips.

I highly recommend Wild Waters for all of your rafting/zip lining needs.  They were fantastic.  When the kids are older and can experience a more intense river, we will be looking them up again.  The Nantahala was perfect for the kiddos and any beginner rafters as well.