hiking in tn. kinda.

A few weeks ago, my family spent a week at a log cabin in Pigeon Forge, TN, courtesy of a family Christmas gift from my parents. And aside from the family dynamics that tend to creep up when you put that many people in a single house (with a single kitchen), I had a great time.

The only thing I wish I would have done more is hiking, though the unpredictable weather made that a bit difficult.

One day Katie and I decided to go down to part of the Old Mill River that runs between the two lanes of the road to Gatlinburg, just as something to pass the time and get us out of the house a little. Ally, Jacob, Jon, and Chris came with us.

We climbed down the rocks toward the water:

(Jon: "Jake, you better move out of the way or you're gonna end up breaking my fall!")

And played:

And pondered the deeper things of life:

Until our fun was cut short by a warning:

(Warning: This body of water contains elevated levels of fecal (sewage) bacteria. Contact might increase your risk of illness. Avoid swimming, wading, or fishing in these waters.)

Which really should have been posted near every access point.

We planned another day for a hike, drove over to Gatlinburg, and started to follow a road up the mountains. Picture me driving on a steep, narrow road, with lots of twists and turns and no guard rails, and a conversation in the car that went something like this:

Kristy, for the third time: I really don't like driving on roads like this.
Chris: What can we do to make you more comfortable?
Kristy: Um, distract me. Talk to me about something else.
Jon: Can you imagine a car just rolling down that cliff?

Because it was raining on and off, and because the idea of hiking on wet ground makes me nervous (I feel like the likelihood of slipping is much greater), we opted for a scenic drive, with occasional pull-offs for photo ops:

And sometimes we didn't really stop for the photo ops at all:

And last but not least, we drove back to the cabin, singing show tunes from Evita and Moulin Rouge the whole way. I'm pretty sure Jon and Chris have done a duet from Moulin Rouge before. Which is a little odd.

But I love my family!