This year for Spring Break we gave the boys the option of beach or mountains and much to our surprise, they chose the mountains.  We ventured back to the Great Smoky Mountains of TN to the Wyndham Wilderness Resort. The weather this time around was a much different story from our first trip where we had to hike through about a foot of snow on the way up to Grotto Falls.  This time we had temperatures between 70 and 80 at the base and it was great hiking weather.  We were deeply saddened to see the devastation from the fire that took place November 2016.  Many homes were destroyed and most only having the foundation left.  Because of the fire one of the trails we wanted to hike “the Chimney Tops” was closed so on the first day we set off to Alum Cave Bluff  with a distance of 4.6 Miles round trip and a difficulty listed as moderate. However, Ryan could not stop there as this trail lead to Mt. Le Conte, a hike to the 3^rd tallest mountain top in the Smokies and one that he has always wanted to accomplish.  Alum Cave to Mt. Le Conte with a round trip distance of 10.2 Miles had a difficulty listed as Moderate. The views along the trail were breathtaking.  We climbed right up into the clouds that day.    Once we got to the top, it became extremely cloudy which limited the views, but when you could see the views were amazing. The air near the top of the mountain was very cool and damp and then it started to rain.  The hike back down the mountain was a wet one. We were completely soaked when got back to the car. Needless to say Mom and Dad could barely walk after the decent down the mountain.  This was a hike we will never forget. 

 After the long hike on the first day, the family needed the next 2 days to recoup.  We spent time at the indoor and outdoor water parks at the resort and then spent a day at the NASCAR Speed Park in Pigeon Forge.  The boys rode on 13 different tracks as well as a rollercoaster, the scrambler, tilt-a-whirl, and the Starship 3000.  They also had a rock-climbing walk that the boys were able to climb to the top of and ring the bell.  One would have thought they had enough climbing the day before but they proved us wrong.

 On the 4^th day we ventured back to the mountain to get in another hike.  We decided to hike up to Grotto Falls again.  We climbed to this spot 4 years prior when it was frozen and snow covered.  Grotto Falls, which was a distance of only 3.0 Miles.  However, the road to the trail was still closed for the winter so we had to hike an additional 4 miles.  The trail was listed with a moderate difficulty and offers the only waterfall that visitors are able to walk behind.

On the 5^th day, we packed up and headed off to Nashville to take in a Nashville Predators game as they were playing Ryan’s favorite NHL team the Toronto Maple leafs. The Leafs were hot that night and we were able to cheer them onto a win. This was only the second NHL game the boys have been too and they really enjoyed watching it now that they were older.

One the way home we asked the boys if they enjoyed this trip and they said it was one of the best ever. I would have to agree, from the weather, the beautiful mountains and great family times this vacation left a lasting impression on us all.

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