Weekly Hike: Denny Cove

 

Our family is in count-down mode to a big road trip that will take us out west for about a month. 

 

As we are winding down our days in Tennessee, I decided that our hiking group should take advantage of the beautiful weather and do a waterfall hike that would take us a bit out of our normal hiking area (officially this is our last hike before our trip... unofficially we might try to squeeze in one more short hike next week).

 

So for today's hike we drove up to Jasper, TN to the tail-end of the Fiery Gizzard and hiked the Denny Cove Trail that is a part of South Cumberland State Park. It was so worth the hike (minus the slight detour of getting off the trail and having to climb a boulder field to get back on track).

My boys and I have been talking about joy this week (each week we discuss a specific character trait that is important to our family). Joy has to do with more than a feeling. It is related to happiness, but it is a choice and it is something evident in our faces and actions (even when we don't feel joyful).

Walking up to this waterfall gave me immense joy. As we got closer and felt the mist and saw the rainbow hovering over the center of the falls, I couldn't help but grin.

It doesn't matter that we are stressed at home about this upcoming trip we are trying to get ready for, or the fact that the kids sometimes act the exact opposite of joyful, that waterfall gave me joy. 

 

And when I am having a hard day, sometime in the future, I am going to remember Denny Cove and let myself feel joy in spite of whatever circumstance life has thrown at me.

 

 

This was our 17th hike in 2021 (17/52), with 3 miles over rocky terrain bringing our total miles hiked this year to 50 (my friends said it felt more like 5 miles).

 

I love that each of our hikes ends with me and Isaac walking together. He still likes to hold my hand as we finish our hike.