Water and Trees

When we go camping, we do our best to choose a site close to the stream that runs through the campground.   We do that for several reasons.

1.  The sound of the stream can put you right to sleep at night.  Who needs a fan?

2.  The sound of the stream wakes you up gently, and invites you to come out and play.  Who needs an alarm clock?


3.  The first light of the day dances off of the rippling stream in such a way that it is a perfect companion to my morning coffee.  Who needs the news?

 4. The cold mountain stream is the perfect place to chill my tired legs after a 5 mile morning hike.  Who needs ice?

Now don't get me wrong, I do not swim in this ice cold water like my dear husband does, but it is really quite refreshing after those long hikes.

Speaking of long hikes, we decided for our second day to see if we could find some of the old growth trees that are rumored to be past  Laurel Falls, on the same trail, just a mile or 2 further up and in.

It didn't take us long to find them,  They just kept getting bigger and bigger!

Easily 3 or 4 times the size of the trees you normally find in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.  It was amazing, and really quite accessible, you just keep going gently up the trail, and they reveal themselves to you as you walk.

We knew that we were not planning to take the trail all the way to the Walker Sisters cabin, that would be for another day.  So, when we met a hiker coming back down the trail, and he was quick to warn us about a juvenile bear on the trail,  about 20 minutes further up.  We thanked him and proceeded another 10 minutes or so, but we felt it was better to leave that young bear to his acorns, after all the bears are preparing for their winter hibernation.

We turned and made our way downhill to the trail head, and while the hike was the same 5 miles that the previous days hike was, the last half of this hike was all down hill.  That makes a huge difference!

We only got 1 camping trip in this year, but we made the best of it.  I believe it was our very first camping trip with no rain!  Not only does that make the camping more fun, but putting everything away once you get home is so much easier!

I finished the pink pair of booties, but I haven't taken any pictures yet, maybe for next week.

Until then, Happy Crafting, Tina