Walk Into the Future

Tag: Tennessee

  • The Return to Gatlinburg

    Gat Waterfall3

    “Every mountain top is within reach if you just keep climbing”.

    (Barry Finlay)

    Not a huge secret but I love Gatlinburg and the Smoky Mountains!  There, I said it again!

    I deviated from my normal Gatlinburg trip in 2022 and headed to Asheville, North Carolina instead.  Asheville and the Black Mountain area were beautiful and happy I got a chance to experience the area.

    My winter getaway is designed to allow me to get back to nature and wander around in the mountains to relax and recharge.  Asheville is an eclectic city with a ton of things to do and a restaurants to choose from.  This is not a bad thing but not really what I need for my mountain retreat time.  Black Mountain was a pleasant surprise with the views and trails available to explore.  May look to add Black Mountain on a return trip in the future.

    Decided to make my way back to Gatlinburg and the Smoky Mountains this year.  Yes, I’ve explored most of the trails there but love the environment and smalltown appeal Gatlinburg brings.  I can park my vehicle and walk the downtown streets to hit restaurants, attractions and moonshine tasting venues.  Downtown Gatlinburg also provides direct access to the Gatlinburg Trail which is the gateway to the Smoky Mountains. 

    I started my adventure on the Gatlinburg Trail again since this provides a nice warmup and allows me to capture some great water views.  The Gatlinburg Trail covers just over two miles of trails with minimal elevation and is connected to the Sugarland Visitors Center.  The Gatlinburg Trail is used by hikers and joggers looking for a quick mountain adventure.  I like this trail since it allows me to take a quick break and then hit the Sugarland trails.  These trails are smaller and popular with park visitors.  There were several tour buses at the visitor’s center, so the trails were crowded this year.  Cataract Falls is a popular spot, and I was able to make my way to the falls and get a few pictures before heading back down the trail towards Gatlinburg.

    Clingmans Dome is one of the highest points in the Smoky Mountains and is a great spot to take in the smoky hue of the mountains.  This was another popular spot and parking was a bit of a challenge this year.  I parked a little down the road and made a small hike back up to the trail that leads directly to the Clingmans Dome observation tower.  The trail to the observation tower is paved so that makes the climb a bit easy, but it takes effort to get up to the top of the mountain.  Once there you get a panoramic view of the mountains and can see points in North Carolina and Tennessee—very cool place to take in the Smoky Mountains.

    Decided to head back down to Gatlinburg before it got dark—not a fan of driving in the mountains at night.  Made my way back to Ole Smoky Moonshine shop to see if they had new flavors to try out this year.  The folks at Ole Smoky seem to create a couple new flavors each year and this year did not disappoint—they added pineapple and pickles into moonshine to create special edition flavors.  I’m not a fan of fruit in liquor so passed on those flavors but got a chance to sample my favorites:  Blue Flame and Hunch Punch again.  Got a bottle of Blue Flame to add to my collection so I could drink when I got back to Florida.  Fun fact, most of the Ole Smoky moonshine flavors can be found in Publix, Walmart, and Winn Dixie liquors stores.  Prices are good there too.

    Hiking on day 2 was centered around the Cades Cove area as I searched for waterfall views again.  Parking was tough again, but I was able to get a spot that required a short walk to get on the trails.  I hit this trail back in 2021 and wanted to explore the waterfalls a bit more this year.  This was another paved trail so climbing up the mountain was easy.  There were a ton of people out again, so the trail was crowded but manageable.  The waterfall area provided a great view of the mountains and was a convenient spot to rest up before heading back down the mountain.  Got a couple nice pictures before making my way down the mountain.

    Mapped out the Cades Cove area and my plan was to hit every waterfall in the area.  Made my way down the road a bit and ventured to a new area to take in the water views.  This was the last water I got a chance to see while out.  The park rangers came out in force to let everyone know there was a wind advisory, and everyone had to leave the mountains.  They were concerned about campers starting fires in the high winds so everyone had to go.  The rangers directed everyone in the same direction, so I found a new way back to Gatlinburg.  It was scenic but not exactly what I planned for the day.  The high winds shut down most of the entertainment attractions to include the Gatlinburg Sky Park. Decided to find some good Tennessee BBQ and beer to ride out the storm—pun intended.

    Discovered Pigeon Forge has a Tanger Outlet so headed over there to get some shopping in.  I never miss an outlet mall, so this was a great way to complete my mountain adventure.

    The mountains called and I answered.  Already planning my 2024 trip back to the Smoky Mountains. 😊

    “Today is your day!  Your mountain is waiting, so, get on your way”.

    (Dr. Seuss)

  • 2022 Nashville Rock N Roll Half Marathon

    Nash Expo2

    “A half marathon is just a 5k with a 10-mile warmup”.

    (Pinterest)

    My Walk into the Future led me back to Nashville for the 2022 Nashville Rock N Roll Half Marathon.  I have run this race 4 times prior but did not get a chance to run in 2020 or 2021 due to COVID-19.

    My original race registration from 2020 rolled over twice to this year and I was thrilled to return to one of my favorite cities to run, explore and enjoy live music again.

    Nashville did not disappoint!

    The weather was projected to be hot this year and it was.  Nashville normally is still cool in April but this year the high on race day was 85 degrees which is 20 degrees higher than normal.  This impacts all runners, so the race organizers sent out messaging for runners to take extra precautions (dress with light clothing, drink plenty water, consider slowing the pace, etc.).  The weather was like the 2017 race and most runners felt the difference with the heat and the hilly course that Nashville is famous for.

    I did not enter this race with a projected finish time in mind due to the weather and the hills.  I have run one of my fastest half marathons on this course in 2019 when the weather was much cooler–the weather was not favorable for this year.  Training on the hills in Tallahassee helped as well. 😊

    Decided to capture my time in Nashville with pictures instead of giving you a complete recap of the race—most of my readers are used to a full recap.

    Here is the cliff notes version for the race:  I ran 13.2 miles, there were hills, it was hot, I earned a medal, and they gave me beer at the end.  Yep, it was worth every second.

    EXPO

    Nash Expo1

    (Got my race bib and packet)

    (Scenes from the EXPO at Music Center)

    Wild Horse Saloon

    (Time at the Wild Horse Saloon / Line Dancing)

    Race Day

    Nash Race day4

    (New compression sleeves for the 2022 Nashville Half Marathon)

    Nash Race day5

    (2022 Nashville Half Marathon start line)

    (Scenes before the start of the race, downtown Nashville)

    Broadway

    (Rooftop bars on Broadway)

    After race

    (Ice for my legs after running the Nashville hills)

    Saturday

    (Venues = Luke Bryan’s, Whiskey Row, The Stage, Tequila Cowboy, Lucky Bastard)

    Sunday

    (Last day in Nashville! Broadway, Union Station Hotel, The Stage (again), Wild Horse Saloon (again), Lucky Bastard and The Parthenon)

    Two new restaurants I recommend on the West End of Nashville are the Midtown Café and The Row Kitchen and Pub.  The Midtown Café is a great place to get a hearty breakfast.  The Row Kitchen and Pub has a large menu but recommend getting the catfish dinner if you are ever in Nashville—it is worth the wait!

    https://www.midtowncafe.com/

    https://www.therownashville.com/menus/#dinner

    The weather and hills did not stop me from enjoying my time in Nashville.  I am already planning my return next year for the 2023 Nashville Rock N Roll Half Marathon—I registered for the event as soon as I returned home.  😊

    Who is joining me in Nashville?

    Irie!

    “Congratulations on finishing your half marathon!  Good luck walking tomorrow!

    (Pinterest)

  • Smoky Mountains 2021

    Gatlinburg1

    You knew it was coming, didn’t you? 😊

    Yes, I made my annual pilgrimage back to the Smoky Mountains right before Thanksgiving.  This was my third year in a row Walking into the Future with the Tennessee mountains as my backdrop.  I plan to continue this tradition as long as possible to live life on my terms.  Never envisioned the Smoky Mountains being part of my life journey but happy I found the mountains for the peace and joy I feel there.

    My drive up this year was uneventful.  Decided to bypass all the outlet malls except one as I made my way north.  It took me an extra two hours to drive up in 2020 because there were so many outlet malls on the way.  My friends know I love outlet malls so for me to bypass several is a major growth step for me.  I made a quick outlet mall stop in Georgia and got some new running gear for my 2022 races—always looking for running gear.

    My drive up this year was pleasant—not much traffic to fight through.  I arrived in Gatlinburg early in the evening on a Saturday night and decided to venture out and see some familiar sights. 

    The Ole Smokey Moonshine Distillery is always on my list of places to visit while in Gatlinburg.  Decided to get my moonshine tasting in early and figured the moonshine would help me warm up since the temperature was 25 degrees when I arrived in Tennessee.  Happy to report the folks at the Ole Smokey distillery were still conducting tasting tours.  They added a bunch of new flavors to the rotation this year.  My goal for visiting this year was to restock with Blue Flame moonshine which is 123-proof alcohol.  They did not have Blue Flame in 2020 because they were highlighting a special 150-proof blend.  I was able to get my preferred Blue Flame this year.  Note:  most of the other blends are available in Publix, Walmart and Winn-Dixie liquor stores and the prices are less than what I would pay at the Ole Smokey Distillery.

    Moonshine

    A new adventure for me in Gatlinburg was a visit to the Ole Smokey Whiskey Distillery.  I have walked past this store multiple times but never ventured in since my focus was always on moonshine.  They have a similar tasting tour in this distillery as well.  Pay $5 dollars to get a taste of each whiskey flavor and get a $5 credit towards your purchase.  Not a bad deal!  The whiskey flavors were all good, but I decided to get a Strawberry/Lemonade blend which the folks in the store identified would go great with Publix lemonade.  I have tried it as suggested and it is good!  Not a bad first day back in the Smoky mountains.

    I mapped out several hikes for Day 2.  Decided to warm up with the Gatlinburg trail again to get myself moving and prep for the bigger trails I wanted to tackle on this trip.  The Gatlinburg trail is scenic and allows hikers an excellent way to explore the Smoky mountains without taking too much energy.  There are a few spots with elevation, but the trail allows hikers to experience the best of the mountains.  Took this trail out to the Sugarland area before turning around and retracing my steps back to the trail head on the outskirts of Gatlinburg.

    Gatlinburg2

    This was my warmup for the real reason I was back in the Smoky mountains—the Chimney Top trail. 

    This trail beat me down in 2020 and I decided to tackle it again earlier this time.  I did not want to have tired legs as I made my way up to the top this year.  Happy to report I was able to handle Chimney Top this year without having to stop as much as I did last year. 

    This trail has it all—elevation, tough terrain, rocks, water, and amazing views once you make it to the top.  I was able to help other hikers keep going this year by providing them with the encouragement I needed last year.  It was a great experience when several hikers finally made it to the top and thanked me for not letting them give up before making it to the top.  Turns out there were a lot of people on the top this year enjoying the views.  This sounds like a great thing, but I did not hike to the top of a trail in the Smoky mountains to have a bunch of folks around me talking about work.  Decided to make my way back down the trail and discover other areas of the mountains.

    I left the Chimney Top area and drove further up into the mountains looking for adventures.  The colors in the mountains this year were fantastic.  Made multiple stops so I could capture the views and colors in pictures.  The smoke (clouds) on the mountains made for some great pictures.  A new aspect to my Smoky Mountain adventures in 2021 was the fact there were black bears out.  Yes, black bears are normally hibernating in November but for some reason they were out and about this year. 

    The first one I saw was in a tree as I was driving down the mountain heading back to Gatlinburg.  I could not figure out why there was so much traffic, but cars were stopping to get a picture of the bear.  This Bear Jam (traffic) was unexpected but seeing a black bear in the wild seemed to energize everyone as they took pictures while still in their vehicles.  Seeing the bear in the tree made me reassess my next hikes and pick trails with better visibility. 

    Smokey Bear

    Day 3 adventures centered around the Gatlinburg Skybridge Park and finding waterfalls. 

    I discovered prior to driving up to Tennessee the Skybridge Park added a new feature:  The Sky Trail.  They were building the Sky Trail last year, but I had no idea what it was at the time.  This added feature allows for amazing views of downtown Gatlinburg and the mountain tops.  Decided to begin my day in Skybridge Park and enjoy the views and new features.  The Christmas lights were already hanging on the Skybridge and made for a festive walk across.  Grabbed some lunch after spending a few hours on top of the mountain and mapped out the next adventure.

    I made my way to view smaller waterfalls on my previous Smoky Mountain adventures but wanted to hike to one of the larger falls this year.  Laurel Falls was recommended by a lot of folks I spoke with, so I decided it was the next stop on my trip.  Turns out Laurel Falls was about 15 minutes from downtown Gatlinburg, so it was a quick trip getting there.  It took me a little time to find a parking spot since this was a popular destination.  I almost turned around due to the number of cars parked at the trailhead.  Glad I decided to make the trek up the mountain.

    This trail was paved so this made it a bit easier to get up the mountain.  There were a lot more people on the trail than I normally see in the mountains, but everyone was friendly going up and coming back down.  The inclines grew gradually but you could tell we were walking up the mountain.  The views were amazing and there were multiple spots with steep drop-offs.  Please note, I saw bear #2 at the bottom of one of these steep drops.  It was a cub getting some sun and mama bear was close by.  We were safely out of range, so I continued my trek up the mountain to view the falls.  Again, there were people everywhere but finally getting to the falls was well worth the traffic on the trail.  I was able to get several good pictures of the fall and surrounding area, glad I didn’t let a crowded parking area keep me from this trail.

    My walk back allowed me to get some great pictures of the mountains and the fall colors.  Took in as much of the scenery as possible before heading back to Gatlinburg.  I recommend Laurel Falls if you make it to the Smoky Mountains.

    Made my way to Ole Red after my mountain adventures to get some food and listen to live music.  I have seen this place before but never made my way in.  This is a place to add to your dining experience when you visit Gatlinburg.  I decided to get the meatloaf wrapped in bacon and mashed potatoes.  It was as good as it sounds. 😊

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    The mountains were good to me again this year.  Can’t wait to visit again in 2022!

    Irie!