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Showing posts from August 16, 2020

Hiking in the Smokies: Tuckaleechee Caverns

  Technically, this was not a hike. But we did cover 1.25 miles during the 75-minute tour.  Karel really wanted to visit a "cave" while we were in the Smoky Mountains and I came across the Tuckaleechee Caverns during an internet search. We were really impressed with all of the large mineral deposits (like the stalactites, stalagmites, soda straws and columns). Our tour guide provided us with a lot of really cool facts and information about this cavern and the history/story behind it.  Here's some information about the Tuckaleechee cavern from the website:   Tuckaleechee Caverns of Townsend, TN. Known as the “Greatest Site Under the Smokies” are the highest rating Cave or Cavern of the Eastern United States. Carved inside the earth’s oldest mountain chain and estimated to be between twenty to thirty million years old, the Caverns are rich in history and lore in recent years as well. You will find the “BigRoom” on one end of the tour that could almost fit a footba...

Hiking in the Smokies: Spruce Flats Falls

  After our strenous 8-mile hike on Tuesday, we opted for a low key hike on Wednesday. However, this hike was far from low key as it was absolutely stunning when we arived to the waterfall. We arrived to the parking lot around 10am (after getting a little lost - we drove right by the parking lot and didn't realize it until a few miles later on a packed gravel road). The hike to the falls took us 37 minutes. We took our time to enjoy the views. It took us 28 minutes to return to the parking lot. The trail was very quiet (not overcrowded with people) and not too technical. The last 0.3 miles were actually downhill (and a little rugged with rocks) as we approached the falls. This was the only technical area. When we arrived to the waterfall, there were only 2 other people there so it was practically our own little oasis. We spent 30 minutes at the falls - taking pictures, eating a snack and Karel took a dip in the lagoon. I loved this waterfall as the sun was peaking through the trees...