Meigs Creek Hike

Yesterday I was able to spend most of the day with my brother, niece and nephew. We hiked on the Meigs Creek Trail. The trail is 3.5 miles, which would be 7 miles total. Some of the highlights of this trail include a paw-paw patch (which bears ripened fruit in September), a rhododendron tunnel, and 18-20 creek crossings. Creek crossings are normally a fun time for me because as a little girl I loved going to creeks and engaging in some rock hopping. After hiking around a mile and a half (as well as about five creek crossings) there is a small waterfall. I hiked this trail in October and again yesterday and both times have hiked to the fall before having to turn around. The first time was because of a very late start to our hike. Yesterday we had a little more trouble because of the water levels being higher than last time. On a couple of the crossings my brother learned a new talent. We would get to a crossing only to find that where you could previously cross without much problem, now with slightly higher water several crucial rocks were covered by water. This required a good bit of puzzle solving ability. There were a few times that he was trying to place rocks into a position that would make it possible for all of us to safely cross. This made me nervous as to how we these rocks would stay in place for us as we crossed. To my delight they worked well both crossings. We got to where I had seen the fall from my last attempt on this trail and when we hiked to the top where you cross the creek again (a little behind the top of the fall) there was no likely way to cross. The water was deeper in this area and there was going to be no way to create a crossing. Of course the option of wading across was also impossible since the mountain water is cold enough in the summertime, but in winter it is unthinkable! So we decided that we would make this the end of our trail and we would rest as we ate our lunches. So we sat at the side of the creek and I enjoyed eating my peanut butter and honey sandwich. After our lunch we started our hike back to the "Sinks" where the trail started. The crossings were a little faster since we no longer needed to create ways to get across. It was a fun hike for me and I hope that is was for the rest.

Since our hike ended a little early we decided to drive through the loop at Cades Cove. I always enjoy going there for several reasons. First is that is where Joe and I were married. Second is that Joe and I also had gone on a picnic there underneath a tree in one of the fields. This was while we were dating and he was getting ready to leave for basic training in the military. We had spent a lovely day looking around in the Cove as well as having our little picnic. Every time we have gone back to the loop we have always looked over to see what we had called "our tree". I was saddened to see that our tree along with another close by was gone. I guess now we can still have the lovely memory of that day so long ago, but the visual reminder will no longer be there for us to see. I suppose that just stands as a reminder of the way life is constantly changing. We may have the memories, but the people or places are no longer here as a reminder.