Another sunrise, and long walk in the snow...up to Clingman's Dome.

Another glorious sunrise on our last full day in the cabin. We loved the hiking so much we extended our stay by two days and got a hotel room close to the Parkway so that we could take in as much as we wanted. This day, Thursday, we were off to Clingman's Dome. We drove up the mountainside, a long but beautiful ride through the snow, to get to the trail head of Clingman's Dome.

On our ride up the mountain, we were able to pull over and get this amazing shot of icicles. There were other photographers there, too, with tripods. I'm just a point-and-shoot girl...for now. These were all up and down the mountainside. Talk about a winter wonderland!

Once we arrived, this is what we found. There were plenty of people visiting that day. The snow was knee high. This couple were making a snowman.

The park crew did a pretty good job of clearing the path....

...until about here. It was a long and arduous hike, only 1/2 mile, but seemed so much longer. It was steep and slippery. We didn't fall once, though. I wish I could say the same for a few others. Everyone was in good spirits about it, though.

                                          Totally worth the climb.

         Here we are! Ten years and going strong. Now we can say we've climbed mountains together.

                                       After that drive, and 1/2 mile hike we were at 6,643 feet.

                         On the way back down the road from Clingman's Dome is Newfound Gap road. On it is a parking area with the Newfound Gap Look Out, and the trail head to the Appalachian Trail. Next time....look at all that snow! But if you ever want to get to Maine, the L-O-N-G way, start here. It's only 1,972 miles.

                Here's a little snow covered bridge we found while we were still at an altitude with plenty of snow. There were so many cascades and bridges in the whole area. When they say the Smoky Mountains offer a lifetime of hiking adventure, they are so right. Noah and I took our hiking map and highlight the trails we went on and wrote in the dates we completed them. We will keep this map and take it back with us every time we go and add on to our accomplishments. While I know we will probably
maybe never go all the way to Maine, there is enough to keep us busy and definitely coming back for more.

Thanks so much for reading today!

There's a little more, yet, on this adventure, hope you come along!

Nanette

Gatlinburg Falls Resort on Dwellable