Sophie Girl

Last Tuesday was an unexpectedly hard day for our household, and it is something we are still sort of in the middle of.

What started off as a fantastic weekend camping with friends (where our extra-grouchy dog was the most chill she has ever been and got lots of love) ended with Sophie being terribly sick.

Daniel took her to the vet first thing Tuesday and we learned through x-rays that she has a significant growth that appears to be pressing on all of her organs and does not seem to be allowing her to digest food properly.

There's a good chance it is cancer.

Her bloodwork showed she had possible liver damage and the overall prognosis wasn’t good. After seeing the bloodwork, the vet specifically told us she had a 10% chance of recovery.

The vet gave her fluids for dehydration and anti-nausea medicine, then sent her home with us so we could love on her and spoil her for at least 24 hours.

Daniel brought her home and we immediately cancelled all plans for Tuesday and Wednesday and decided to take a spontaneous drive to the mountains to hike as a family. Daniel rode in the very back with her while I drove us up to Huckleberry Knob on the Cherohala Skyway outside of Tellico Plains.

Our Sophie loves to hike with us. She loves to stop and smell the roses (really any flower in her path). She loves to run free on the open balds. So we let her do all of these things.

The four of us talked about all of our good memories with Sophie over the last eleven years and just took the time to enjoy being with her, not getting home until midnight that night.

We were actually supposed to start school last Wednesday but decided to wait since everything felt a bit upside down. For five nights Sophie got me up every couple of hours. It was exhausting and emotional.

Sophie didn't (and doesn’t) appear to be in pain and is still enjoying long daily walks with Daniel at Green Gorge. We talked about end of life plans, but couldn’t quite bear to make the call that seemed to be on the horizon.

That was last week. Friday night she finally pooped and all of her energy bounced back. She quit waking us (me) up at all hours and is eating again. We have no idea what to expect in the future, but for now she is doing leaps and bounds better.

We have been walking through joy and sorrow and the knowledge that her time with us is limited, but  are also incredibly grateful for this gift of extra time with our thirteen-year-old girl who still seems so much like a puppy.

CVSD: Day 74 (Mother's Day Make-up)

Every year we try to go on some kind of adventure for Mother's Day. Often we hike. We have paddled our kayaks (one year we paddled through the lock at Chickamauga). And we have taken bike rides. Every year is a different adventure. Kind of like motherhood.

This year we had to postpone our Mother's Day adventure. But on Memorial weekend we were finally able to go. My pick was the Huckleberry Knob hike on the Cherohala Skyway.

If I am being truthful, I am generally the kind of person who doesn't like to do the same trip twice. However, I am finding that there is joy in repeating experiences and finding something, or somewhere, you truly love and returning again and again.

This was our third trip to Huckleberry Knob, and perhaps the best. As we drove, we all recognized different landmarks. Mostly random places we have stopped to let the kids pee on the side of the road over the years! Hah!

The first time we came, I carried Isaac to the top on my back and Jack probably whined about the two-mile walk. Last year, Isaac was the one doing the whining. This year, they raced each other to the top, and then back to the car!

Jack had the idea to bring his kite this year. Initially I told him no. But after explaining that whatever he brought he would have to carry, we came to an agreement. He carried his kite, as well as his own snacks and water, and his rain jacket. Isaac volunteered to carry his own backpack with snacks and water as well. We have come a long way from that first time of me carrying Isaac and Daniel carrying all the other stuff!

Hiking and adventuring with my little family is probably my greatest joy in life. I look forward to returning to Huckleberry Knob again. 

Thankfully, even though it was raining all around us, and we even heard some thunder in the distance, we didn't get rained on!

After our hike, we drove back down the mountain with Isaac insisting that Daniel drive Hyper Speed while he gleefully laughed in the back. We got back down to an open restaurant that is creek side that we have stopped at before. 

I took the kids to wade in the water, while Daniel braved the line. People were fairly good about distancing themselves. We enjoyed coke floats and hot dogs (for the kids) by the creek. It was a lovely day. 

Past Mother's Day Adventures:

Monte Sano Hike (a couple of weeks after Mother's Day), 2012

Hays Nature Preserve (a couple of weeks post Mother's Day), 2013

Biking South Chick Greenway, 2014

Family Time (no Adventure as Isaac was just a month old), 2015

Paddling Lookout Creek, 2016

Stringer's Ridge Pump Track and Mountain Biking, 2017

Paddling Through Chick Lock, 2018

Huckleberry Knob Hike, 2019

Mother's Day/Memorial Day Adventure

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Spent the afternoon on the Cherohala Skyway today. We hiked over Oak Knob to Huckleberry Knob, one of our favorite places. Then made a quick stop at Hooper Bald. We hiked a total of four miles. This was supposed to be our Mother’s Day adventure, but I’m glad we waited because we were rewarded with excellent weather (69 on the knobs!). #summer2019 #memorialdayweekend #cherohalaskyway #huckleberryknob #hikingwithkids #mohaus2019

A post shared by Cheree Moore (@mo_haus) on May 27, 2019 at 4:34pm PDT

Cherohala Skyway: Huckleberry Knob and Bald River Falls

Back in 2007, what feels like a lifetime ago, Daniel and I took a trip to western North Carolina where Daniel convinced me to bike part of the Cherohala Skyway. 

On that trip, we started on the North Carolina side at Hooper Cove, elevation 3,096 ft., and biked 9 miles straight up to Santeetlah, elevation 5,377 ft., before heading back down to our car. Did I mention it was my first experience road biking? Or that most of this bike ride was on a 9% grade?

Anyways, nine years later we decided to take our kids to hike a trail that is located on this same section of the Cherohala Skyway. 

As we drove up the hills and through the many turns, I was a bit shocked that we had actually biked up this road. We told Jack about our feat, but I'm not sure that he believed us... I'm not sure that I believe us! Thank goodness for pictures to prove we did it.

For this adventure, we decided to do a hike to the top of Huckleberry Knob. The bald can be accessed from the Huckleberry pull off, with a starting elevation of 5,300 ft. At 5,560 ft., Huckleberry Knob is the highest point in the Cheoah Ranger District.

From the parking lot, we walked over Oak Knob before ascending Huckleberry Knob. At 2.5 miles round trip, this was a very easy hike for our family.

As always, it took a little while to get Jack in the mood for hiking. I think he is like his mama in that hiking in the woods is ok, but running across wide open spaces with endless views provides a thrill that fuels his desire to hike.

Once we reached our destination, we enjoyed the beautiful 360º views. We pointed out Oak Knob that we had walked across and even found a section of the Cherohala Skyway in the distance. Jack was amazed.

On top of Huckleberry Knob is a small cross with a plaque that tells the history of a group of men that died on the mountain and were buried in the 1800s because they were unprepared for the weather – the temperatures can drop up to 20º on the Skyway. When we left Tellico Plains, TN it was 80º, when we reached our trail head it was 65º.

After we explained the meaning of the cross, Jack told us, "I'm always going to be prepared. I don't want to die up here." Good plan, Jack!

We had a snack break before heading back down to our car. Since we had a little time before dinner, we decided to check out the Bald River Falls, located about 6 miles off of the Tennessee end of the Cherohala Skyway.

We were surprised to find so many cars at this destination, but the falls were worth the visit. They are located right off of the road, so many people just took a photo from the bridge in front of the falls. We opted to climb down to the river to get our feet wet.

While splashing around, Jack informed us that it was the most awesome-est day ever. As parents, there is no better compliment.

I felt a little bad dragging Jack away from the water, but we did let him do a little free climbing, with Daniel's help of course. 

It really was an awesome day. The weather was perfect, we were outside spending time with the people we love most in the world. Not too bad for a little impromptu trip.

And who knows, maybe we will come back and bike the entire 36 miles of the skyway one day!