Smoky Mountains Family Hike: Conquering Alum Cave Trail

Let the kids do hard things! And Momma too. They’re so proud of themselves and it pushes them forward. . Alum Cave Trail family hike. Check. Five miles. Lots of stairs. Cool cave climbed through. Smoky Mountains. Trees. Hiking over wet boulders. Streams to cross. Phone says 42 flights climbed. . While the older kids and Dad doubled the distance further up, the rest of us headed back down at Mom’s normal pace. Dad hikes on a mission - also why he doesn’t love my random road trips as much 🤣. Mom stops to enjoy the water and look at flowers and be leisurely. . Big kids did big stuff, and I am so proud of their accomplishment. 11 miles round trip and the top of the mountain. But, I’d say we did good too! . We can be hiking less than two hours from home. My goal is to go more often! Maybe every other weekend? Here’s to a new school year and new goals. I’d much rather think about those than planning math anyways, right?