Appalachian Trail, Ramsey Cascade Falls & A Smelly Ride Home!

Today was our last day of our mini getaway into the Smoky Mountains. That meant packing up and gearing Ernie for one more day of adventure and the drive home.

packed up... again

Off we set, in search of our day's adventure. We identified Ramsey Cascade Falls as our end goal, and after an hour jaunt in the car, we were winding down the gravel path towards the foot trail. We strapped on our day packs and were off on the 4ish mile ascent up the mountain to the falls.

more rivers! 

bright colors of the woods! 

hey, mare! 

subiendo, subiendo... subiendo y no bajando

orange spotted newt

We made it to the top, after a grueling network of rock steps, slippery tree roots and loose shale rock. 

nothing like this boost of confidence at the top.. :/

ramsey cascade falls - totally worth it. 

 Fortunately, we managed to get all of our photos done without any casualties.

friends :) :) 

just gracefully snacking..... yenno.. 

 

We breathed in our fill of God's gorgeous work at the top of this mountain. We sat with each other and did nothing but just listen and stare at the waterfall. We stayed there in that place together, yet silently still: isolated in our own internalized conversations with God. I wouldn't have traded that for the world.

And then the descent..

It couldn't have been a better day for a hike up to and down from the falls, and there's no two people I would've hand selected to spend that time with today, either.

We left the falls and captured a last reminder of the morning on the way out:

The laughable moments didn't end when we stepped off the trail for the last time this weekend; in fact, it continued from the moment we were back in our seats. Marianne and I traded spots for the trip into the city, and I decided it would be fitting to assume the role of my seat's previous occupant... and to own it.. haha.

i. am. marianne. 

We journied back into the commercial part of Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge, with a few stops before lunch. I suggested we stop off at NOC, which is the PF equivalent of REI. Always a good choice:

It was a fuel stop after that, during which we thought it fitting to capture Ernie in the aftermath of our excursion:

a successful day! 

Our last notable stop before the drive home was Starbucks - Let the fru fru drinks begin! My love-hate relationship with Starbucks continued; I can't drink their coffee because it's always so burnt, so I indulge in the fancier drinks on the rare occasions that I find myself there. I share a similar sentiment with both Becky & Mare, and today we learned that Mare's pseudo name is still a tricky one, even in its true classic nature:

"fankenstien" 

I'll let you decide what you think that should have been. Haha.

Fast forward through all the other stuff: Lunch at TR, then the 4ish remainder of a drive back to Cincinnati. We made it unscathed, and Becky's continued on to her place. Mare and I are both showered, which was desperately needed.. laundry is running and our bags are already unpacked for the most part. This is the super-accelerated version of an unwind.. hah.

We're spent. I'll be re-living this several times until the next outing, I'm sure.

Until then, good night blogbots - see you in the AM!

xo | cmd