dayhiker and family car camp in Smokies

“My wife, 3.5 year old and 19 month old car camped at Cades Cove this past weekend. We got there around 2 on Friday afternoon and had camp set up in no time. Almost immediately it starts to rain. After thirty minutes or so it starts to break and we decide this is a good time to drive the loop. The kids thought it was very cool to sit up front and out of their car seats. We saw lots of deer and checked out different cabins. We get back to camp and then walked over to Abrams Creek to let the kids play in the water. Supper was grilled tailapia(fish, sp?), grilled corn, new potatoes, and a peach cobbler in a dutch oven. Topped it off with a couple of cold brews. Ahhh, the good life. Camp was actually very quiet. After cleaning up and putting the kids to bed we read until about 11. Looking around the campground it was almost completely dark with us being the last ones up. Very peaceful. Yes, peaceful in a NPS campsite in the Smokies on the 4th. Pretty amazing, huh?

After breakfast on Sat we decide we'll walk part of the Cove backwards. We did maybe a mile out and a mile back. We saw lots of horses on adjacent horse trails, lots of deer, even a fawn nursing. Oh yeah, and about 200 bicylcles going 100 mph. Everytime they'd zoom by my 19 month old daughter would call out 'SICKLE, 'SICKLE. On the way back my son picks up a stick and holds it to his rear and starts hopping and singing the TIGGER song from Whinnie the Pooh. Very cute.

After playing with some other kids at the pavillion we get back to camp and grill hot dogs and reheat the cobbler remnants for lunch. While the kids napped it rained hard for about 2 hrs. We were under a tarp and kicked back reading for a while. We got the kids up and headed over to Little River to meet some Atlanta folks. It was Sherpa who used to post here. His wife, 21 month old, and our 4 did the Little River Trail and Cucumber Gap trail to form a loop. About 5 miles total. It rained on us about 45 minutes. None of us brought and rain gear, but the kids loved it! We finished about 8 CST and so it was getting dark. I decide that by the time we get to camp at 9 and get our shish-ka-bobs cooked it'll be after 10. We decide the best thing to do would be to eat in Gatlinburg. Big mistake. I have never seen so many mullett cuts in my life. Sherpa commented on the hike that it's the only place that you can count from 1 to 50 on peoples NASCAR shirts. It was almost 11 by the time we get to camp and get the kids in bed. So much for a camp fire.

Sun we get up and break camp and do the loop again. We saw several bucks, some turkeys(no, not the one in the mirror), and lots of does. On our way out we stopped along Little River and let my son play in the water. My one regret is that we didn't have a picnic along Little River and let them play in the water. Maybe next time.

All in all it was great trip. 2 weekends ago my wife took her first b'packing trip and now this. I think we'll hike around Wesser with Sherpa and his wife in August and then do some rafting. My wife may yet become a backpacker.”

“8)”

“Sounds like a great trip dayhiker. That's so true about Gatlinburg though.”

“What a great memory maker trip! Some day I will get to the Smokies.”

“Yep, lots of pictures with the kids. It got to where everytime they saw the camera they would yell CHEEEEEESE in unison.”

“Great report, Dayhiker!”

“Nice dayhiker - I see you are breaking her in slowly... good idea.

Now maybe you can bring her to TC3.”

“I hope she goes. We're planning on it. She was all set to go last year and our babysitter bailed at the last second.”