Valentine’s Day. The day of love, but for me it was the first day of my 4 day adventure to the hills of Tennessee. Herman and I were up way before the sun, leaving -30 behind us for warmer weather. The 14 hour drive ahead of me felt daunting at first. I thought I was crazy for going by myself that far away. But as I left my small town behind me the hours felt like minutes and I was crossing into Tennessee before I knew it. Other than an ice storm between Louisville and Knoxville the drive was easy and I listened to one of my favorite series, Rose Garnder Mysteries by Denise Grover Swank.
We got to the cabin around 9 pm and I was instantly in love. This tiny studio cabin was the perfect place to relax and recharge. I found this cabin on Airbnb and Amy was a wonderful host. The first night I made burnt a pizza in the oven. And ran myself a bath in the Jacuzzi. I set the timer on the fire place and sat in the silence watching the flames and realizing that was where I was meant to be. It’s in these quiet moments that I know I am becoming the woman I’m meant to be. I am growing and learning to love myself. I am discovering what my life might be meant to be.
The rain started around midnight on our first night there and didn’t stop until the next evening. I had planned for a rainy day. So not much happened on our first full day. Herman and I cuddled, watched movies and started reading The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse. It was a perfect rainy lazy day. I sat in the hot tub that was outside on the hillside. I made a lasagna and counted my first full day of adventure a success. It was supposed to be 40 degrees outside the next day and no rain but….
We woke up to snow! I thought we had left that behind in Wisconsin. Boy was I wrong. And with the snow came ice. The driveway was so slick, Herman and I could hardly walk back up the steepest driveway known to mankind. Well that put a damper in hiking. I didn’t want to hike on ice and I didn’t want to try driving down the skating rink that was the driveway. So I decided second day of relaxing was needed. Obviously Mother Nature thought so too. Most of Tuesday was the same. Soak in the hot tub, watch a movie, read my book, nap and repeat. That evening I decided since I couldn’t get hiking the first two days I needed to stay and extra day and that’s exactly what I did. I ventured into Pigeon Forge that night. I ordered my dinner from Five Oaks Farm Kitchen and in true adventure fashion I ordered wat too much food! I knew I had another night and I’m a fan of left overs. I ate the crunchiest, tastiest country fried steak of my life. And I saved chicken and dumplings for the next night. I finished dinner with a piece of chocolate cake in the Jaccuzzi while watching a movie.
Our third day started by actually being able to see the sunrise over the mountains. The sounds of nature as I sipped my coffee solidified that fact that the day was going to be the best yet. I packed the day bag for hiking through the mountains with Herman. We drove through Gatlinburg to get to the Sugarland Visitor Center in Great Smoky Mountain National Park. The GSMNP isn’t dog friendly. Which is understandable because there is a lot of wildlife including bears inside the park. Herman and I attempted to walk on the Gatlinburg Trail but quickly gave up when I realized it was the busiest trail in the park. So we started driving to Cades Cove.
We spent quite a bit of time in Cades Cove on the scenic loop. Looking at old churches and houses. Seeing deer grazing in the open fields and searching for bears. It was a beautiful drive through the rolling hills of that area. I would recommend just a day for this part of the park. I only spent a couple of hours there and it wasn’t enough to see everything. There is a camp ground there which you could stay at if you wanted to stay in the park.
After leaving Cades Cove we traveled to the New Found Gap. This was my favorite part of the drive. We were finally driving up the side of mountains and gaining elevation. New Found Gap was the highest elevation we could travel to on the day we were there. Walking trails take you higher up mountains, I would like to go back and check those out some day. New Found Gap has a lot going on, highest elevation in a car, Tennessee and North Carolina state lines and the Appalachian Trail crosses there. It was a busy day and the parking lot was full but the views were incredible. I would definitely recommend stopping.
I wanted to drive to the next over look but was distracted by an empty parking lot and an open view. Honestly mountains make my soul happy. It’s freeing to be able to just look out on to the peaks of mountains. This world is huge and we are a small but very important part of it. We have the ability to change the world and we have the ability to add to its beauty. Don’t let life pass you up as you are waiting for the perfect time to make a change.
After a bit more driving I decided to start heading home. I had a bit of a drive ahead of me and wanted to enjoy the hot tub one last time before leaving for home the next day. One day in Great Smoky Mountain National Park was not nearly enough time. I would recommend a couple of days to explore and getting to the park earlier in the day to avoid big midday crowds. Back at the cabin we packed the car and enjoy the fireplace. My 4 night stay was not nearly long enough. When I go back to the area I will be sure to take more time. A week would be perfect. While I only had one day outside of the cabin the first few days are exactly what I needed to recharge for the rest of winter. It was nice to get away and be with my own thoughts. I slept in and had no agenda I had to stick too. Doing nothing on vacation is okay. It’s okay to not jam pack every minute of your trip. It’s okay to relax. Part of vacations is taking care of yourself. And it you need to relax then do it. I learned driving for 14 hours a day is doable but not necessarily fun. I learned that i need to listen to what my body is telling me. And I learned that it’s okay to feel small.
Rachel
henlo, followers! let me tell you, that drive was long! i thought we were just going to grandpas or somewhere fun, but we were up early and we drove until the dark again. we get to this little house and mom takes a bath, what the heck lady. we cuddled most of the time. cuddling is my favorite. then more driving, we drove and saw deer, and people, and cars. mom wouldn’t let me get out of the car every time with her which was just ridiculous. i wanted to be where the people were. after a few more pictures, always the pictures, we went back home. and then dove the long drive again. i hope next time mom picks a better hiking place. happy tails.
Herman
The Overpacked Suitcase 