“Life’s a climb, but the view is great.”
(Unknown)
My Walk into the Future allowed me to venture back to the Smoky Mountains which is one of my favorite places during Thanksgiving week. This adventure has become a tradition for me since I moved to Fort Pierce. I look forward to getting off the grid and just walking around in the Tennessee mountains for a few days to reset mentally. I never imagined hiking would become an important part of my journey but can’t see my journey without the Smoky Mountains as a backdrop.
I normally drive up to the Smoky Mountains from Fort Pierce but decided to leverage my Delta SkyMiles and fly this year. My Walk into the Future running tourism adventures produced enough frequent flyer miles for a roundtrip ticket from Palm Beach International Airport (PBI) to McGhee Tyson Airport in Knoxville, Tennessee. Flying eliminated me from having to drive 12 hours to get up to the Smoky Mountains and got my hiking adventures started sooner than normal.
The flight from PBI had a short connection in Atlanta but the overall flying experience was smooth going and coming. The McGhee Tyson airport is small and easy to navigate. Baggage claim and the rental car counter were centrally located. I was in and out of the airport with my rental car in less than thirty minutes for my Tennessee adventure. I was not in a hurry to get anywhere so found a Buffalo Wild Wings close to the airport and posted up for lunch. Left Bdubs after wings and potato wedges and headed to the Smoky Mountains. GPS took me on the scenic route which allowed me to see several small Tennessee towns on my way to the Smoky Mountains.
I am a creature of habit and stayed at the same Fairfield Inn and Suites (Marriott) property when I’m in Gatlinburg. It is centrally located and provides an easy walk into downtown Gatlinburg, so I don’t need to find additional parking. The weather was a lot warmer than normal this year and I was welcomed to my hotel by a family of black bears foraging across the street in a local backyard. I saw several people walking around the parking lot when I arrived but didn’t understand what they were doing or looking at. I quickly saw the four black bears when I got out of my car, and they were about 50 yards away. The bears were not interested in the people in the parking lot but seemed to have enough food available to them in the yard they were in. I took a few pictures with several tourists between me and the bears and then went inside to complete my hotel check-in. I’ve never seen bears in populated Gatlinburg areas but seeing this bear family so close to humans put me on alert to always be aware of my surroundings. This was needed because bears were everywhere this year! ☹
I’ve been to the Smoky Mountains so many times that I know which trails I want to explore before I get there. I always start with an easy hike on the Gatlinburg Trailhead which starts on the outskirts of town. This simple trail has a lot of scenery and flowing waters. There’s not much wildlife to see on this trail but it’s a nice introduction back into the mountains. I headed further up into the Smoky Mountains towards the Sugarland hiking area. The Cataract Falls are in this area, and I wanted to get back there for some pictures. This trail is not very hard and has multiple ways you can venture. I decided to head directly to Cataract Falls with hopes it was not too crowded. Well, it was crowded with hikers and most of them had small kids so a picture of the falls would have taken a long wait, so I decided to head back up the trail and find a trail with less people. 😊
Chimney Top was my next stop, and this trail requires a lot of energy and effort. I made my way back into Gatlinburg for lunch prior to scaling up the Chimney Top trail again. My first go at this trail 3 years ago was the toughest hike I have ever experienced. I made it but it was a struggle for the first time. It was a bit easier last year because I saved my legs prior to getting on the trail. I was able to make it up without incident this year as well. The warmer weather made it a bit tougher, but the trail was fine. There were people on this trail but there was never a feel of traffic going up or down Chimney Top. The highest point for this hike is 4,724 feet above sea level. It’s breathtaking once you make it to the top and most folks need time to rest up before heading back down the trail—me included.
I went back to the hotel to rest up and regroup before heading into Gatlinburg. There are a few music venues in Gatlinburg, and I headed to Ole Red for dinner. I found a spot at the upstairs bar and enjoyed dinner, beer and live music. I left Ole Red to head over to Jason Aldean’s for more live music. There was a large crowd of folks walking in the opposite direction and they seemed excited. I didn’t know where they were heading or why they were excited. I found out quick—there was a large bear walking close to the water below us and it was headed towards two men sitting on a park bench. Several folks shouted to the men that a bear was coming their way—I’m not sure they believed them until they saw the bear and moved. The bear didn’t seem interested in the men, but he would have walked within 10 feet of them if they hadn’t moved. Did I mention that bears were out this year? 😊
The band at Jason Aldean’s was much better than the folks playing at Ole Red. I saddled up to the bar and enjoyed some live country music and cold beers. The crowd was friendly and it was a great way to end the night.
I explored a bit further into the Smoky Mountains on my second day. I drove up and stopped to take pictures of areas I hadn’t seen before. I got on a few small hikes but didn’t venture too far off the trails since the bears were still active due to the warm temperatures. I made a quick stop at the outlet malls in Sevierville and then went back to Jason Aldean’s for more music and beers. The new band was lively and had people up and dancing. I finished my night off at Jason Aldean’s before walking back to my hotel. Fun fact—yes, there was another bear sighting on my walk back to the hotel. This bear was just walking around in another hotel parking lot. It was across the street from me, so I kept moving and made it back to my hotel without any more sightings.
This was a quick trip for me, so I made my way back to McGhee Tyson Airport the next day for my return trip to Florida.
I love my Smoky Mountain adventures and will continue to get up there as part of my Walk into the Future. The mountains are calling and I’m listening! 😊
Irie!
Calvin Williams
“Hike more, worry less.”
(Unknown)
Walk Into the Future 