Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Last day in the smokies (try again)

Today was a great last day. We woke up and headed over to Cade's Cove. The Cove was absolutely gorgeous. We started by driving the scenic loop where we saw a small bear about 100 yards away. Plenty of people were stopped and taking pictures, so we couldn't. We kept on trekking and headed to the parking lot of the hike we planned on doing. When we arrived at the Abram's Falls trailhead the sun was out and it was about 82 degrees. It was amazingly beautiful (I've heard rumors it is not as nice in Kalamazoo today...). The hike was a simple one today. It was only a 5 mile loop with a beautiful stop at Abram's Falls. Kate led the way and I stayed near the back with Daniel (he stubbed his toe in the mirror maze last night in Gatlinburg and is still in pain). We weren't too at behind as the trail today was considerably easier than the hike on Saturday. It was mostly flat with only a few spots of rough terrain. Once we arrived at the Falls we stopped and ate lunch together while being in the presence of nature - everyone should have the opportunity to eat lunch with the serene sounds of a waterfall in the background.

After our break we headed back and all did a wonderful job with the last 2.5 miles of hiking while in the Smokies. At the end of our last hike many of us stopped to wade in the creek. The water was refreshing and exactly what our feet needed!

As we exited and headed home via the scenic loop we happened upon three bears (at a safe distance - and we were in our van). We stopped for about 5-10 minutes and took pictures and just watched the Bears in their natural habitat. People all around us got out of their cars to get closer pictures; we did not make that silly choice! But we did get some pictures from inside the van.

We are now back at the cabin packing, relaxing and hanging out. Oh, and some people are getting their nails painted as well...

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