Dave and I were up with the sun this morning and everyone was sound asleep so I talked him into walking over to the Pisgah Inn next door to our campground. I was hoping to hike along a trail to see the view of the inn but we never really found it. Instead we walked around to the restaurant porch and enjoyed the stark white foggy view. Their view definitely wasn't better than ours right now!
The view was spectacular of course. We decided to stay awhile to enjoy it as well as a snack. There were signs everywhere about nesting peregrine falcons so we were really hoping to see one but they were busy somewhere else unfortunately. We could see the Smokey Mountains from here!
Our next stop was Graveyard Fields - a hike that was so popular the parking lot was already full by 9am! Dave dropped us off and parked down the road like a perfect gentleman!
At this spot we were only hiking to the upper and lower Yellowstone Falls. I'm not kidding when I say these kids love water! They could have explored this cold water for days!
Ryan was the first to go in but it wasn't on purpose! She slipped and dog paddled back to the rocks as fast as she could. The other two went in a few centimeters every few minutes but couldn't stand to go in past their belly buttons. Ryan ended up swimming very briefly several times!
The waterfall was beautiful but there were so many people there we decided to move on to our next spot. But not before we stopped at this cool tree on the hike out!
The last hike was to Skinny Dip Falls - a place that is no longer on the official map. I'd read about it and we'd heard from several people to make sure to go so we did! The hike in was longer than I expected but it was cool with all the coverage from the trees and mostly downhill. The water was so very cold that my feet hurt once they were submerged for longer than 10 seconds. It took me about 15 minutes but I finally talked Brayden into putting his feet in!
While we were playing around, Laney was finding owl-shaped rocks to paint and the other two were trying to build a little dam out of rocks. They were never successful but surprisingly weren't frustrated!
On our long uphill hike out Evey found another salamander that was a little camera shy. He left her with a sticky parting gift too!
When we got back it was finally shower time for the Clarke kids. Dave took them and assisted with all that goes wrong while I cooked dinner. After we were all clean and fed we all walked over to the inn to check out the view now. We sat down in the rocking chairs just in time to witness the beginning of a wedding! The kids oooh-ed and awwww-ed at the flower girls, decorations, and the bride. What a lovely backdrop for a wedding!
We needed ice and needed to spend $10 for a debit purchase so we got a couple ice creams as well. The kids were initiated on the usage of Push Ups!
Evey grabbed the girls when we got back to continue exploring and learning their new wild child ways. Brayden, Dave, and I decided to play cards for a little while before the ranger program started. Brayden lost miserably!
In my excitement for the program we arrived very early which meant we were able to talk with the park ranger for a little while so it ended up being very nice. The program was about the history of the area and the parkway but first he had a short educational program on hiking. We volunteered to help figure out what things are actually needed on a hike. The kids thought this was hilarious (notice the toaster he'd packed)!
After their participation they all received fun little tokens for their efforts!
Some of the discussion turned to the CCC which caused Brayden to perk up quite a bit. Might need to add some kind of independent study for him on the depression and plans to help the country.
We did our campground walk in the dark this night but were able to enjoy bunches of fireflies leading us around. It was earplugs again for me since I'd slept so well the night before. I'm hoping this doesn't have to be a regular thing once we get home!
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