On our drive to Cade's Cove, we pulled over to check out some scenery. Everyone had been on the lookout for black bears as we were driving.
The kids weren't content to just pose, they needed to explore, too. They were given the instruction "to stay dry" which they did.
We stopped for a picnic lunch.
We were also hoping to see some elk. We had heard that you can often find them in the big open fields.
The kids used binoculars to try and find some interesting wildlife.
For our hike, we chose Abrams Falls.
It was a 2 1/2 mile hike to the Falls, then another 2 1/2 miles back. We completed it in about 3 hours. We started just before 2pm and we were motivated to be back before it got dark, around 6pm.
We made very few stops along the way to ensure that we made good timing.
There were 3 or 4 of these partial bridges for us to cross.
After a little over an hour, we made it to the falls.
We rested for a bit, then hiked back to the car. It took a little longer to get back. We did let the kids stop a little more this time.
The road at Cade's Cove is only 1 lane, so it made for some slow driving. There were signs saying that if you wanted to stop your car, do so only at the pull over sights, but many people just stopped anyway. But we did finally get to see some wild life!
And look at this little guy! We finally saw a black bear! The kids were super excited to see him.
We made it back to the cabin eventually. We spent the rest of the evening relaxing.
That feels like a long hike to those falls! Especially in the summer when it's hot.
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