Clingman's Dome

On our way back home to Georgia, following a great family reunion in Kentucky, my DH decided that we should take a detour through the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. We drove on the most beautiful (curvy) roads. We saw a momma black bear with a cub up on the side of the mountain. Then DH says that he wants to go up Clingman's Dome. I look it up and see that it is the highest point in Tennessee, the second highest point east of the Mississippi and 6,643 feet high! Did I mention that I don't really like heights?

So we begin the drive up the mountain. Up, and up, and up. Scary. After about a 20 mile drive (back and forth weaving up the mountain) we arrive at the parking lot. We changed shoes for the hike up the rest of the way. The paved trail leading to the top is only about a half-mile long but so steep that it takes about 30 minutes to hike it. DH pushed DS up the mountain in our Jeep jogging stroller. There are many places to stop and take pictures along the way. We found a cute rabbit that seemed unfazed at the people taking his picture.

At the top of the half-mile trail is a 54 foot concrete observation tower. I had already gone so far that I sucked it up and went to the top of the tower. The view was incredible! On a clear day, the view is almost 100 miles and seven states but it was overcast on our trip so we could only see about 20 miles. It was a little easier hiking back down the trail and the road didn't seem as scary on the way down the mountain but I sure was glad to be on sorta flat ground again!