"in no time it was ancient history" Great Smoky Mountains National Park Favorite Tip by richiecdisc

Fondest memory: The trail down was a bit slippery from the storm and our knees were not quite ready for the decent as we’d not done any hiking in over a year. You can get in the best shape ever and that does help for going up but once you have to come down there isn’t much you can do to prepare yourself for the inevitable pain that follows. We made it down quickly nonetheless and were happy to get back to the car about 4:30, pretty fast considering we were at the top for a good 45 minutes to an hour. Unfortunately I’d forgotten to call my friends before embarking on the return trip and now found myself in the valley with no signal once again.

We raced as best we could but these were winding roads that would slow us down no matter what our intensions were. It was a beautiful ride we’d have enjoyed if not under time constraints and even passed by a drive in restaurant right out of the 50s. We didn’t get a signal until we got to Blairsville, GA-the town our friends lived in. They’d call numerous times and assumed we didn’t have coverage since we never picked up or returned their messages. It was all ancient history soon enough as we settled in on their big porch and a refreshing beer. They knew me well enough to know that I wasn’t always on time and even better that I wouldn’t likely pass up a hike even if I was running late. Turn back? Not in my nature. Besides it all made for a good story and that’s what they were waiting for anyway. We’d have the next day to discover their little corner of the planet. We could see already that we’d have to come back again and when we did we’d make it the sole focus of our trip. Then we’d be on time or at least a lot closer.