3/24/07 Yes, I Am A Hiking Snob

Excellent weather this weekend for a hike. We were originally scheduled for Smokemont this weekend, but Greg wanted to do something a little closer to home base, so we ended up doing Laurel Falls instead. This is the hike to do if you or friends of yours are visiting the Smokies and are all, "Hey! Let's go hiking in the mountains!" It's an easy 1.3 miles and is paved all the way up to the really picturesque Falls. Bring your kid, your kid's stroller, your kid's diaper bag, your kid's grandma, and grandma's Rascal, because no one will have any trouble getting up this trail. (Just keep a hold on the kid's and Grandma's hand, because there are some steep drop-offs along the trail). Take a few hours, walk along the asphalt trail with 500 thousand other families, and ohh and ahh over your oneness with nature. You can also use the "Do not climb on the rocks" sign as a foothold to hoist yourself up on the rocks. Then, if you liked that, send Grandma and the kid back to the car and keep on going, because the Falls is where the REAL trail starts. This one is not paved, is covered with pesky rocks and roots, and has a rapidly climbing elevation that will make that stair climber look like a walk in the park. It's also blissfully quiet, has lovely wildflowers, and old growth trees that are wider than you can stretch fingertip to fingertip. It takes you up to the top of the ridge where you have a fantastic view of the surrounding mountains. No little kids or Grandmas in sight.