Photo Blog with Waterfalls, Hiking, Outdoors, and other Adventures
2017 was full of travel, but December has come and I still somehow had vacation time saved up. I quickly searched airfare and weather forecasts and decided the Las Vegas area was the easiest and most economical shot. My plan? Get plane tickets and a rental car, then figure out the rest later. As usual, … Read more
Last stop for this Tennessee journey was Piney Falls State Natural Area. After leaving Ozone Falls I had almost no cell service and had to rely on loose notes & Google map printouts. Took a chance and eventually found the trailhead – no surprise, with sunset looming I was the only one here. The start of the … Read more
Time was moving quickly today, and the sun was getting noticeably lower on the horizon. Next stop was Ozone Falls State Natural Area, a smaller park with a tall waterfall. I visited the lower section via the Plunge Pool Trail. Along the way, there is a cave eroded in the cliffs called Gambler’s Den with … Read more
There are no shortages of hikes or waterfalls in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and luckily my next stop wasn’t far after leaving Cataract Falls. Only several miles up the road, Laurel Falls is another popular short day hike. Parking at the trail head was a battle – likely due to the Thanksgiving holiday and kids … Read more
Left Newport this morning and bid Kelly farewell; she was heading east for work and I had to go west for tomorrow’s outbound flight. Sunshine and 40 degree temps made for excellent hiking weather (something we could have used the last few days). Oh well, onward to make the most of my limited time here! … Read more
Nothing super exciting in Newport, Tennessee – especially on a Sunday afternoon if you aren’t at church. Kelly had to study so hiking was a no-go. Daylight was running short so I just wandered around exploring the area. I’m mainly adding this to drop pins on my live G-map, but there a few points of … Read more
Woke up and left Gatlinburg with some time for day hiking before the next destination. Cold and wet weather killed most of our planned hikes, but we decided to try our luck on Max Patch, one of the most popular viewpoints along the Appalachian Trail. Remember that smoky fog from yesterday? Well that doesn’t look too … Read more
Stayed overnight in Gatlinburg because it was close to the Smokies. The area is very tourist-y with many shops & attractions but we didn’t have time for most of these things. Directly behind the hotel there was a small rapids/waterfall – seems like these are everywhere! Aside from putting pins in my live G-map, I … Read more
Several days into the trip and we finally made it to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. First stop was Clingmans Dome, the highest point in Tennessee and the infamous Appalachian Trail. Views here looking over the mountain range are normally quite amazing, however today Mother Nature had other plans. Driving up the 7 mile … Read more
Yesterday was a “zero day” for hiking – Kelly had job interviews and I visited my family in Knoxville. Late start today but we briefly visited Panther Creek State Park while still in the Morristown area. We chose to do the Point Lookout Trail loop in a somewhat modified fashion due to road closings for tree … Read more