TN - Day 4 - Cade's Cove Hike

Today we woke up (still sore) and headed out the forest. It was about a hour and a half drive through the mountains. We stopped at a picnic area for lunch and then drove through another section of the mountains to get to the hiking trail. We set off to hike to Cade's Cove at about 1:30 pm. It was a pretty and warm day. About half a mile along, my brother Andrew began having a seizure. Eventually he and my mom decided to hike back out to the cars and wait on everyone. The rest of us pressed on in search of the waterfall. It was a tough hike. I carried Kate in a child backpack and Daddy-O carried Leah in a larger one. The back packs worked out REALLY well. They weren't uncomfortable at all and the kids loved them.

The Courington's

Playing in the river

Lisa, Micah and Isaiah

My beautiful sister, Michelle

A sleeping Cubby bear in a tree

Christa, Ruthie, Caleb and Michelle taking a rest

The fabulous kid carriers

J.T. and Sarah found a shortcut

Leah crossing the river on the "balance beam"

Kate-Kate getting a nap in

Us at the falls

Kate was sound asleep when we got there, but I really needed a break with her off my back. I took the pack off my back and set it on a rock, where she continued to sleep for about 20 more minutes.

Wiped out from all of the "hard work"

My Daddy catching a rest

The fam at the falls

Sarah, Caleb, Ruthie and Christa at the falls

Sarah

Kate finally woke up and got out to stretch a little before returning. We headed back in two groups. I was in the second group with Sarah and Christa. All three of us were wiped out. We had to continually push each other to take another step. There were lots of tears and sweat shed. We had NO idea how hard of a hike this would be. We hadn't done much preparing. That mixed with the fact that we hadn't taken nearly enough water almost made for a bad situation. I had to keep telling the girls that I was NOT going to sleep out there and that I wouldn't leave them behind, so we had to keep going. Luckily, we made it back to the car before dark. It was at least a 5 1/2 mile hike with lots of ups and downs and rocky terrain.

The kids did great considering they had no clue what they were getting into. My dad did great, even though he's getting a little older. The babies and Leah did awesome. They loved being outside and never once complained about being in the packs. All in all it was a decent hike and we are all wiped out and very sore. We came back to the cabin for some yummy tacos and some rest and relaxation. I think tomorrow we are going to take it a little easier!