Vacation time is finally here. :-) Played 18 holes this morning and finished all my chores outside this afternoon. Leaving tomorrow for a trip along the Blue Ridge Parkway from 1-26 to the Great Smoky Mountain Parkway and onto the Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg area. Being SC lowcountry born and raised, I truly get a charge out of the mountains. It was my favorite trip every year as a kid. Did a lot of hiking up there in college and spent many a night under the stars on top of various mountains. I'm trying to pass my love of the area on to my kids. This is their second trip. Got a 7 and 8-year old, so we're going to hike several trails to waterfalls and mountain ridge viewings. Gonna spend 4 nights in a condo with several days at Dollywood and the Dollywood Splash park. As they get older, we'll do more hiking and backpacking. To me nothing finer on the planet. I feel so lucky to have been born in SC - beautiful beaches on one side and some great mountains 6 hours away on the other.

See you guys in a week! I'll post a few pics.
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I love that area too. Have fun.
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Have a great time Jamie. If you have time, swing thru the Liville Gorge Wilderness Area. Lots of great trails, it's one of my wife and my favorite places.
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Sounds like a great trip. Post pics when you get home.
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I really enjoy the Bryson City side of the park. Small town with access to some less-hiked trails. They also have a scenic railroad, and there are three diferent rivers nearby to raft or innertube float on. And they have a great microbrewery right down by the depot--Nantahala Brewing Company. By now they should have their excellent new Russian Imperial Stout in the taps. South of Bryson City and the national park is hundreds of square miles of national forest, also less visited by tourists.

By the way a bad storm blew through the Townsend/Cades Cove area last week so some roads or attractions in that direction may be inaccessible.
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Been there twice and can't wait to go back! Have a great trip!
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Have Fun, Brother! Looking Forward To Pics!:-):-)
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Have fun bro! Better see some pictures!
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Jamie, I am so glad to hear that. Being from hot-a55 South Lousiana this was always my favorite, too.
We camped a 5hit-ton as a kid, but the Smokies were kind of a every 3-4 year deal. We were lucky,
we did a lot of camping in Canada, Minnesota, even ole Mississippi. But the Smokies are in a league
of their own in my experience.

This is the deal right here. When we are adults we often forget how important these trips
were TO US growing up, at least as far as it relates to passing that love on to our kids. You can't
just TALK about it or even show pictures. There is something about those cool, damp mountains
that call to a kid in the hot, humid flatlands. That kind of thing sticks in a child's head and
STAYS. With us it was always the Walker Sisters Cabin. (Easy walk, btw if you find yourself
visiting the old Greenbrier School building anyway. Just walk up the logging road that continues on
past the road the schoolhouse is on...there is a gate to stop car traffic, but it is the trail for people
traffic.)

http://www.hikinginthesmokys.com/little-brier-gap.htm
The link tells of 2-3 ways to get there, but with kids along, I'd go and park at the Little Greenbrier
School parking lot, check IT out, then walk up the road to the Walker Sisters Cabin.

My mom and dad got spooked on a honeymoon trip back in the late 50s. The ladies still lived there
then and they heard em kinda whispering and cackling in the house as they approached and they left
in a hurry, lol. So when we were kids,my family and I walked up that road to their cabin. The Walker
Sisters were all dead by then, and yet this was before the park service began to maintain the property
s an attraction.
We got 3/4 of the way and saw a large black snake in the road which stopped the ladies. My dad and
I went on the rest of the way and got to the cabin and the grass was 5 feet tall and there were snakes
about. My dad told me to stay put and he went into the cabin and looked around a bit and came back
out and we left. But man that STUCK IN MY HEAD and we always go back every year. We take turns
photographing each other looking out the top floor window by the chimney, lol.

We have begun a family tradition of returning to the Smokies every August. We no longer camp, there
are too many of us, but we rent a large cabin and hike daily, hit the DQ in Cherokee daily, and we
eat food for supper that we cooked up and froze before we left, gumbo, Red Beans and Rice, delicious
roast, and I even smoke ribs and pulled pork one day. Every morning we get up and each make sandwiches
for ourselves and pack a cooler for the picnic lunch at one of our two favorite picnic areas by rushing
streams. This will be the 6th year we have done it and looking for a forever tradition. I will certainly
keep going back. I am saving to buy a house there soon.
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Reading your post gave me a big smile, Brad! It's all about the great times and great memories!

Some highlights: first off, my wife and daughter ate motion sickness pills every day. I thank the Lord I don't have to deal with that. The way up was hazy and cloudy, but we had some fantastic views and the drive from I-26 to Cherokee via the Blue Ridge Parkway was absolutely marvelous. We stopped outside of Cherokee and visited Mingo Falls. Never knew about it until this year, thus the power of the Internet. We hiked a couple other small half mile trails high up in the mountains. It's amazing what 4000-5000 ft does to the O2 supply. I'm in decent shape, but those steep, high altitude trails take it out of you. Spent a couple of days at Dollywood and the water park with the kids. It was overcast and drizzly, highs in the low 80s. No lines and very little crowd. My kind of trip! Everyone made it home safe and sound. It's amazing how much you can miss your bed!

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Beautiful!
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Every other year or so, we do a family Christmas in Gatlinburg. Usually the first week of January. Almost all places still open, decorations still up, and all the church youth group traffic between Christmas and New Years are gone. We have walked down the middle of main street with not traffic in sight before. We rent a cabin in the hills behind Dollywood. Only disadvantage is road to Clingman's Dome closes months before. And if enough snow, many park roads are closed. Only had closed roads one year, so not big worry. I love the GSM in all seasons! While you are there, stop by the Smoky Mtn Brewery (Gatlinburg, Servilleville and Knoxville area). Beers brewed on site, and they have a killer sampler taste order that gives you 8-10 beers in 6.5 oz glasses, for less than $10!!!!! And food is excellent also!
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Next time - brewery - check, on the list.

Oh and by the way, I was definitely a minority at Dollywood with my Clemson hat and orange Clemson t-shirt. I wore them both on purpose. I did have several youngsters give me a "go tigers" but man that sherbet orange big T was everywhere. Yuck.
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Awesome looking trip Jamie!

:-):-)
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