Fall Creek Falls

Fall Creek Falls is the largest and most visited state park in Tennessee. At 256 feet, the Fall Creek Falls waterfalls is one of the highest waterfalls in the eastern United States. 

The park has trails, a lake, a lakeside inn with a restaurant, 30 cabins and 222 tent sites, a zipline course, and a golf course. If you like to be outdoors, this park offers just about everything.

The last time Daniel and I visited the park was in 2007. We met up with my sister and her husband for a weekend camping trip (at the time we lived in Charlotte, NC and they lived in Nashville, TN). All of our lives have changed quite a bit in the last 9 years!

 
Previous to that camping trip, Daniel and I did a weekend rock climbing class in the park (I think it was the spring of 2003), not to mention numerous hiking trips there.

We have been back in Tennessee for two years now and last weekend was our first chance to go back. Honestly, I had kind of forgotten about it. 

It is so weird to be on a trail and suddenly remember things from a life time ago. Who we were with, what we were doing.

After grabbing lunch at the inn, we found ourselves back on that well-known trail, heading to the bottom of the falls, with our two kids in tow. 

Hiking and spending time outside are among my favorite activities, but watching our oldest son navigate the steep trail while climbing over large boulders as his own love affair with the outdoors is sparked may actually surpass my own love of the outdoors.

It's only half a mile to the base of the falls, but the hike is classified as difficult by the park. Jack kept telling us that he was a marine iguana that sticks to the rocks. He was so proud of himself for doing the entire hike.

At the bottom, Jack begged to get in the water. We let him stick his bare feet in and he immediately changed his mind. The water in April was still cold. So we climbed up on some large boulders to enjoy a snack before heading back up.

Overall it was a great day as a family and Jack made it back up to the parking lot without a problem.  

We continue to be thrilled that Jack is developing a love for the outdoors, we hope Isaac follows suit in the coming years.

Camping/My Journal

We had a really good time camping with Angela & Robert this weekend at Fall Creek Falls. The weather was perfect and overall the campground was good. Daniel and I generally avoid campgrounds - we prefer camping where there are no people, but we made the exception so that Angela could sleep on an air mattress ;)

  

Anyways, the first night Daniel and I got stuck in the overflow camping area and it was awful b/c we were crammed in next to other people. The 2nd night we did manage to get a nice secluded spot with lots of trees and no one around - which was much better.

This weekend I came to the end of my "written" journal. I keep a written account of all trips that we take. Sometimes I make other people write their thoughts - thank you Angela, Robert and Daniel - I might even posts yall's thoughts later. 

I looked back through my journal b/c it is sad to come to the end but it is also an exciting prospect to start a new one. This journal actually started with a camping trip to Myrtle Beach with my brother in the summer of 05 and it ended with a camping trip to Fall Creek Falls with my sister and brother-in-law this weekend.

 

This journal has spanned several trips to TN and AR as well as our trips to Oregon and Canada. It has brief thoughts on hurricane Katrina and war. It covers my frustration with work as well as the elated feeling of quitting a job. There are trips with friends and trips with family. Our summer of bad luck, our hitch hiking experience. 

I periodically look back at where we were compared to where we are now. Life speeds by so quickly, sometimes it is nice to stop and think about the past.