Day one of our anniversary getaway started by sleeping in! We didn't roll into Gatlinburg until almost 1am and we had a full day of hiking planned out. Sleep was mandatory to survive this day!
First stop was the Newfound Gap and it's spectacular views.
Heads up if you ever go visit. Newfound Gap can be 10 degrees colder than the surrounding cities due to its high elevation. I was not prepared for this!
Back in 2016 I read a book about the Appalachian Trail that fascinated me. It set off a desire to get out and hike and explore and see all that nature has to offer. I was beyond thrilled when I turned around and saw that the Appalachian Trail intersected the very spot we stood in!
We only hiked 2 miles of it (one mile out, one mile back - still counts as two miles!) and that is okay. I can now say I was on the famed trail and hiked a portion of it.
Next stop was Clingmans Dome - the highest mountain in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park. It was incredibly foggy so I didn't get that great of pictures, but every now and then, for a split second, the clouds would part and I'd get one good shot.
The trail to Clingmans Dome is only half a mile, but it is crazy steep. The brochure states that you gain 330 feet in elevation in that half mile, but that means nothing to me. Simply put, it takes a normal person about 30 minutes to walk half a mile due to the steep grade. Thank goodness they have benches for resting along the way. Once you get to the top there is a 360 degree observation tower that, if weather permits, allows you to see 5 states!
**Not my picture
On the way back to town, we stopped at Alum Cave Bluffs. A park ranger told us of bridges we'd have to cross, a stone arch we'd have to walk under, and stairs we'd have to climb to see some of the uniqueness of the Great Smokey Mountains. Although I grew wary at the mention of stairs, we were up for a challenge so onwards and upwards we went!
A few areas had wire handrails bolted into the rock because of the footing like this. Slick, wet looking rocks while on the side of a mountain is a scary thing.
This view is at roughly the halfway point. I contemplated parking myself on a rock and passing my camera over to the hubby to finish the climb and get me some good pictures. But kindly hikers with words of encouragement kept me going. However, I should have known it was a trick! They were full of good words because they were on their way down the mountain!!! I hadn't even reached the stairs portion yet!
I made it about 7/8ths of the way up to the bluffs before calling it quits. So. Many. Stairs. Had I made it up this would have been my reward:
**Not my picture
After making our way back into town and washing the layer of sweat off, we headed into Gatlinburg for some touristy stuff - like the new Skybridge that just opened this year.
This is me pretending I'm okay with walking out on that bridge, but inside I really was not okay. That smile is completely fake!
To make the Skybridge all the more fun engineers put a glass bottom on a section of the bridge.
I made it to the other side! This smile is a little more relieved!!
Jim stopped halfway across the bridge to snap this picture. My hands were shaking enough that I probably would have dropped my camera had I tried to get a picture.
The good thing about the Skybridge is once you've conquered it the ski lift to get up there doesn't seem as bad!
We spent the rest of the evening walking the town and talking about shops, restaurants, and even hotels that we loved or stayed in that are no longer there and how we wished we liked to drink the abundant Moonshine as a form of resting our weary legs.
