Tennessee Wildfires

East Tennessee has been experiencing an incredibly bad drought this year. And with the lack of rain has come the unexpected challenge of wildfires. A few weeks ago our mountain had back-to-back fires that consumed over 1,000 acres and required an evacuation of one neighborhood.

Thankfully the fire was contained without damaging property or anyone getting hurt. For a two-week period fires burned on the mountains around us. Signal, Mowbray, Lookout and other surrounding mountains had fires blazing. At one point downtown Chattanooga had grass fires next to the interstate due to careless drivers throwing cigarette butts out the window.

(Chattanooga, image via WRCB)

You don't realize how big a deal this is until your city that is normally covered in a blanket of fog in the fall is suddenly covered in a blanket of smoke. Everyone was suffering from allergy-type symptoms from the smoke, and for two weeks it felt like you really couldn't get a deep breath of air.

Newfound Gap, circa 2001

But we were lucky. The big winds held off. Firefighters from other states joined the fight to contain the fires, and last night we finally got a good rain.

1st Anniversary Backpacking Trip: Anthony Trail to Spence Field, 2003

Before the rain arrived last night, the wind was something fierce. As we waited for the much awaited rain to roll in, Facebook lit up with videos and photos of the Smoky Mountain being on fire. As the rain started here, we realized that Gatlinburg was about to be engulfed in flames, with mandatory evacuations of the city late that evening.

Voyles Family Reunion, circa summer 2004

In the middle of the night I was up with Jack and happened to check Facebook again and realized that the winds we had experienced earlier that evening had wreaked havoc on the Smoky Mountains and this iconic town that so many of us know and love. I read reports of people being trapped and then thankfully rescued, as residents and tourists alike tried to escape the flames. Amazingly there were no fatalities and only a few hospitalized for burns, but the main strip of the city seems to be gone.

Backpacking Trip: Gabes Mountain Trail, 2007

I think I read that 450 buildings in the area were damaged or destroyed, with initial reports saying no known casualties and four people being treated for burns. The most recent report I saw said three had died – which is even more devastating than the loss of property.

Daniel's 30th Birthday Weekend: Clingman's Dome, 2010

Daniel and I have so many memories from this mountain town. Daniel has been visiting with his family since he was little and my very first visit here was with his family in 2001. We have a special place in our hearts for these mountains and we have no idea what is left of the town itself.

Daniel's 30th Birthday Weekend: Riding Four Whelers near Pidgeon Forge, 2010

We have celebrated anniversaries in Gatlinburg – our first anniversary and our 13th last December. Our first was spent backpacking on the Appalachian Trail, taking the Anthony Creek Trail out of Cades Cove up to Spence Field. At the end of that trip, we spent the night in Gatlinburg, thankful to soak our sore bodies in a hot tub and enjoy some of our favorite restaurants. As newlyweds, we also spent a significant amount of time hiking and backpacking in the Smoky Mountains.

Log Cabin Pancake House, 2010

On one particular day trip (2003-ish), we were hiking in the Laurel Snow Falls Area and we decided to make a spur of the moment overnight trip to Gatlinburg. We stopped at Goodwill for a change of clothes and Walmart for toothbrushes and deodorant. It's one of my favorite memories. 

Gatlinburg at Christmas Time, 2015

We have vacationed here with family – both in the summer of 2003 (I think) and Christmas of 2005. On that particular Christmas we had 19 family members in one cabin and our water stopped working on Christmas Eve. So we had to move to another cabin on Christmas morning. Even with the chaos of changing locations, it is one of my favorite Christmas memories.

13th Anniversary Weekend: Newfound Gap, 2016

In 2007, we were living in Charlotte, NC and met friends in Gatlinburg at the Log Cabin Pancake House before heading to the Gabes Mountain Trail for a quick overnight trip on the trail with friends.

13th Anniversary Weekend: Newfound Gap, 2016

In 2010, we celebrated Daniel's 30th birthday by renting a cabin in Gatlinburg for the weekend. We rented four wheelers, hiked to Clingman's Dome, and enjoyed many of our favorite activities.

13th Anniversary Weekend: Log Cabin Pancake House, 2016

Our most recent trip was last December when we took our boys with us for the first time. It was actually our 13th anniversary weekend, but I'm so glad that Jack and Isaac were able to visit once. We did many of the things we loved best. We froze at Newfound Gap, hiked to Laurel Falls, and had the best breakfast's in town. I don't know if, or when, we will be able to do that again.

(Gatlinburg, image via WRCB)

There are those who are from Gatlinburg who have lost so much. Friends with timeshares and cabins that are now gone. I am praying for those who are still in the area fighting the fires. Praying for more rain. And praying for those who have lost so much and will only have memories as they rebuild.

13th Anniversary Trip

I mentioned in a previous post that I thought coffee was my love language, the truth behind that statement is that quality time is what fills me up.

Daniel's work schedule over the last two years hasn't provided a lot of time for quality time, so a last-minute anniversary trip to Gatlinburg was something we were in desperate need of.

It was a trip with kids in tow, but sometimes you just have to make it work. 

We rented a little cabin just outside of Gatlinburg and squeezed in some of the activities that we like best. It has actually been 5 years since our last trip to these mountains and many memories kept flooding back as we drove around and visited old spots we loved. 

Reminiscing is good for the soul and we have a lot of fond memories from experiences in these mountains.

My favorite thing to do on vacation is to eat out for breakfast and we had 3 amazing breakfast experiences, which I will share in a later post.

 

Our first day in the mountains was cold with snow flurries swirling around. We used the day to visit shops that Daniel wanted to see (Daniel and Jack had a blast at Bud's Gun Shop, Coleman, the Dewalt Store and the Smoky Mountain KnifeWorks).

We finished out our day with a visit to Bass Pro Shop where we snagged a time slot to see Santa. The boys were both troopers had we finished the day with dinner at Bass Pro.

 

Saturday we woke up to sunshine and decided it was a perfect day to be outside. After a big brunch, we headed up to Newfound Gap. We had hoped to drive up to Clingman's Dome, but the road was closed due to ice.

 

We bundled the boys up and stepped out of the car to freezing temps. The outside temperature was a balmy 30º but the windchill was probably in the teens. We huddled together for photos before hurrying back to our car to warm our frozen cheeks and fingers.

 

After Newfound Gap, we went back down to hike to Laurel Falls (I will share more in a later post). Our love of the outdoors must shine through because the first thing we were asked when we stepped out of the car was, "You guys look like you hike a lot." This from a stranger at the trailhead who had a question about the area.

 

The Laurel Falls trail goes up for about a mile on a paved path that has steep drop offs on one side. We decided to push Jack in the BOB stroller and the entire trip he kept saying, "Daddy, you're making me nervous!" Thankfully we made it to the 80-ft falls without a hitch.

 

It was a fun weekend and I'm so glad we took a moment to celebrate 13 years of marriage by spending time together as a family.

Project 52 Date Nights: Four Wheelers

A few weeks ago, I asked Daniel what he wanted to do for his birthday {we generally skip on presents and like to make memories instead}. The first thing Daniel said he wanted to do was to go ride ATVs in the mountains. He had been looking for a place to rent decent sized four wheelers and the only place he had found was in Knoxville. It was expensive and we would actually have to haul the ATVs to whatever trail we wanted to ride on. Considering the cost, Daniel was almost ready to just buy a used ATV off of Craigslist.

So I did a little research and came across Bluff Mountain Adventures in Pigeon Forge. They offered a variety of guided rides for a good price AND the vehicles were 4x4 Yamaha Kodiak 450s {more than big enough to make Daniel happy}. In addition, they were really cheap. Our options were to do the Mountain Trail Adventure Ride {easy with lots of scenery} for $60 or the Ridge Run Ride {some good views, lots of technical maneuvering} for $70. Daniel wanted to do the technical ride.

The thought of riding four wheelers in the mountains sounded like a lot of fun {much better than his alternate desire to go skeet shooting for his birthday} and even though I had only ridden four wheelers once before, I figured I could handle the technical ride.

Even though I had very little experience on a four-wheeler, I have ridden jet skis, motorcycles and mountain bikes. All of these experiences came in handy and we both had a blast riding up and down steep hills {on difficult terrain}, around tight turns and through big puddles. It was AWESOME! We would totally go back.

After our ride, our guide told us that we would have a lot of fun on the custom ride {$90 for an even more challenging course}. Another cool thing about this place is that you can keep you tickets {for life} and get a 15% discount on your next visit.

We would HIGHLY recommend this outfitter.

Recipe for a Happy Birthday

1. Rent a cabin in the woods.

 2. Fulfill a lifelong dream.

3. Eat at good restaurants {those you love and some new ones for good measure}.

4. Take a hike.

5. Or two.

6. Meet friends for dinner followed by coffee and dessert. 

Dinner was at Tony's Pasta Shop & Trattoria – our only complaint is that we wished we had ate outside. The food was excellent. Afterwards we went to Rembrandt's Coffee House for coffee and dessert – definitely our favorite coffee house in Chattanooga.

Happy 30th Birthday Daniel! I am so thankful that I am a part of your life.

Our Walk In The Woods

Daniel and I waited until the last minute to pack our gear Friday night - we are such procrastinators. We knew we would have to be up to leave by 5:30 a.m. Saturday morning and that we really needed to be in bed early, but we found ourselves packing until midnight... so much for good intentions.

5:30 a.m. came way too soon. My hot shower did little to wake up my senses, but for some reason I volunteered to drive the first leg to the Smoky Mountains. I was hoping to make a quick stop at Starbucks on our way out, but of course we were running behind and Starbuck's wasn't open yet.
 

 

 

It is strange to be awake and driving so early. There was no one on the road. The humidity was awful and I couldn't get the inside of the windshield defrosted properly. Finally the combination of windshield wipers and freezing cold air blasting seemed to help. I felt bad for Daniel, he was curled up under a blanket, freezing, while trying to sleep.

 

I drove for what seemed to be forever. When the sky is dark, there is not much to focus on except the road. As the sun begin to peak through the clouds, fog became a problem. I finally had to stop for gas and to give myself a break. We swapped drivers so that I could get an hour of sleep before we met our friends.

 

  

I woke up to a blinding light - that is what it seemed like anyways. The fog was really heavy in the mountains, so heavy that you almost couldn't see and the sun was blasting through the fog so that everything was an intense white and blinding around us.

 

We made it to Gatlinburg and managed to get to our favorite Pancake House, while avoiding the strip. I hate the strip in Gatlinburg... it is the same as the one in Niagra Falls or Myrtle Beach. Daniel and I try to avoid these places where the throngs of people are so intense... if there is a Rippley's Believe or Not Museum, chances are it is not a place we want to visit for a prolonged period of time.

 

Anyways, we met Gwynn and Chuck for breakfast. I love the opportunity to catch up with friends over pancakes and coffee - this is one of my personal joys in life.

 

Soon we were headed on to Cosby, TN and our trailhead, the Gabes Mountain Trail. There is a loop here that includes Maddron Bald, but you need 2 nights to complete it and we only had one. We opted for an out-and-back trip which would have a total mileage of 10 miles.

Gabes Mountain trail does not offer spectacular views, but it was a nice walk in the woods. I was amazed at how green everything was, even though like North Carolina, Tennessee has not been blessed with much rain this summer. The mosses on the rocks were vibrant green and oh-so-soft.
 

The walk to camp was 4.8 miles with an extra 0.2 mile detour to a waterfall. The waterfall was a good place to break for a late lunch of tuna and crackers, but due to the lack of rainfall, was little more than a trickle. At the waterfall, we met some "frat boys" or as Daniel called them, "The AA Members of Tomorrow" (they were each carrying at least one 6-pack with them). They were headed on to campsite 34 that we would also be calling home for the night.

 

When we walked into camp, there were so many people - lots of the "frat boys" setting up tents and chopping up firewood. Big, burly guys that loved to make their presence known. They also had a radio playing a ball game. The whole sight made me cringe... I walk into the woods for peace and quite, not for the chaos of other people.

 

Thankfully Daniel and Chuck found some sites further down that were away from the chaotic scene before us. The site was nice and quiet and secluded from the rest. There was one other couple at a neighboring site and later in the evening a lone guy would sleep in a spot above us. I was happy that we would have the peace that I crave when in the woods.

 

  

Daniel and Chuck set up the tent while Gwynn and I gathered firewood. I would put sticks in piles and Gwynn would carry the piles up to camp. When I finally came back with a pile, Daniel wanted to know why Gwynn was bringing so much wood to camp and I only came back with a few sticks! I had to explain that I had been making the piles that she brought into camp.

 

Soon we were cooking our dinners and then making fire for the evening. We were under some really big trees, but above the trees you could see huge clusters of stars in the sky above. We enjoyed our campfire until 9:30-ish before finally bedding down. It was cool out, but warm enough to leave the fly partly off. I love to be laying on my back looking up at the stars.

 

  

I am always amazed at night noises. The symphony of bugs lasted well into the night. There were a few rustlings of something, probably small, poking around our campsite. Our food was hung in the trees so bears could not get at them. The night noises paused briefly for a few hours, before the early morning birds took up the chorus again before sunrise.

  

When sleeping outside there is an alertness that is always with you - especially when sleeping in bear territory. The adrenaline is always there, ready, just in case you need to use your instincts to fight or flight. It is a strange feeling, but it makes you feel alive in ways that you don't experience at home in a bed.

 

  

Morning brought more nice weather. We boiled water for chocolate coffee and soon were frying spam... what backpacking trip would be complete without fried spam? We were soon breaking up camp and Daniel and I headed up to the "frat house" to pump water from the creek.

 

  

I felt bad to learn that a father and daughter had had to camp beside all of the frat boys. The daughter could not have been older than 12 - if we had known, we would have invited them down to the lower section that was quieter.

 

  

Everyone was breaking up camp and we were all soon on our way, back down the trail. We took our time, stopping occasionally for pictures and just enjoying each others company. Hiking in the morning was nice - it was not so hot and the temperature was bearable... 80+ degrees in October is a little much (especially when our sleeping bags are rated for zero degrees).

 

  

Back in the parking lot, we encountered a couple whose car battery was dead. Daniel and Chuck helped to push the car into a place where it could be jump started. Ever since Daniel and I were stranded with a dead car in the middle of Pisgah Forest and we had to hitch hike out (with most people ignoring or refusing to help us), Daniel feels a calling to help others in need (I share this feeling and I am thankful that we can help out when possible).

 

Overall, it was a great trip. Hot showers and hot food always taste and feel best when you first come off of the trail. Sharing our backpacking experiences with others is always special and I am truly looking forward to our next walk in the woods.