Tag: Kuwohi

Since Greg figured he hadn’t punished me enough yesterday, he decided we were going to do another hike this morning, the Little River Trail.

Luckily for me, it was a flat, gravel trail along a pretty little river.

We took our time and stopped frequently along the way to enjoy the scenery.

Afterward, we toured the village of Elkmont, a living history museum. Here is where the wealthy vacationed when they wanted to experience rustic living.

We snuck into a nearby campground within the park for a picnic lunch and then headed back to the camper for a nap. I did some laundry while Greg did some grocery shopping.

Then we headed to Kuwohi (formerly Clingman’s Dome), the highest point in Tennessee.

Kuwohi

When we left our campsite, the temperature was 88°. After driving 20 miles up the mountain to Kuwohi, the temperature had dropped to 55°. There was even snow on the side of the road!

After bundling up, we began the half-mile trek straight uphill to the observation tower. Thank God there were benches along the way because I thought I was going to die of a heart attack before we got there.

The plan was to watch the sun set over the mountains.

We and a bunch of our closest friends had the same idea. LOL. It was fun visiting with strangers while we waited the 45 minutes for the sun to set. We even met some folks from our area in Pennsylvania!

And despite what the app (SkyCandy) on my phone said about the low probability of a pretty sunset tonight, it did not disappoint.

Although this photo that Greg took is probably my favorite:

Once the sun had set, we trecked back down to the car and hung out for an hour to let the sky get fully dark. Our hope was to get to see the Milky Way, but alas, no such luck.

However, we did get to see the nearly full moon rise, and it was breathtaking.

The 20-mile drive back down the mountain in the dark was a little harrowing, what with the serpentine turns, narrow roads, and steep drop-offs, but we made it.

And we both agreed that the trip was well worth it — even with the loss of my favorite hat.