Great Smoky Mountains - August 2016
A friends' wedding in Asheville, NC provided an opportunity to explore a new national park on this side of the country. For three days Ray Ray and I camped through a small - but very steep - valley in the park, sometimes re-cutting what was supposed to be a semi-cleared path. We came across some incredible sights.
At our first camp site we found a fireplace that used to be at the end of a cabin used by members of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), a New Deal program FDR started to put able-bodied men to work in the national parks and provide some much needed economic help for them and their families.
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We heard more bears than we saw but one did cross our path on the second day, scurrying away as quickly as possible. We crossed stream and rivers that often required a footwear change - better to have wet sandals than soaked boots.
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By the time it was over we covered a total of nine miles, though it felt like a thousand. The third day was all uphill and a fist-hand lesson on the importance of packing light. Click on any image below to see our trek. We did all the hard work for you!