This morning's hike was the toughest: Alum Cave. Again with the river! You're killing me, rivers!
Alum Cave isn't actually a cave, but we got to walk through this hole in a rock, so that kind of made up for it.
This hike had a lot more vertical to it, but my boys crushed it! In fact, we got to the cave so fast I thought it wasn't it!
The wire handrail made me feel like I was in Zions. Our boys were the youngest we saw on the trail and they did so great. So proud of these little boys!
After a lunch of pie iron calzones back at the campground, we headed out to drive Cades Cove. This is a spot which highlights the people who lived in the area 100-150 years ago.
We even saw a bear! Not the best shot, but I refuse to be one of those people who gets too close to wildlife.
A visit to the mill and the ranger station (where the boys were awarded their Junior Rangers) and the camp store for ice cream (which was free for the boys because of their Junior Ranger status), and we were done.
And because we were done earlier than thought, we may have bribed the boys with McFlurries (the next day) to get them to do one last hike: Laurel Falls. We ate a sandwich dinner there.
Saturday morning we hit the road and were home by 5:30.
It's all just so great! Did you feel a tiny bit like you were in the west? How was the humidity? The hike with the rope looks cool - that always makes the hike a little more exciting, especially for kids.
ReplyDeleteGo hikin' boys! (And parents.)
You crushed spring break! Way to go! This looks like such a great trip and I sure think those boys were excellent hikers!
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