Christmas in the Smokey Mountains

Christmas Day started fairly early for me...prepared the Weber, prepared the turkey and got everything cooking for Christmas lunch.  It is bear hunting season here, that is why I'm wearing my bright orange vest.

Aside from drinking wine and waiting for the Turkey to cook,
I had a lot to do...preparing veggies for roasting...it was an exhausting morning for me.

Finally it was time to eat.  As usual, I spent too much time with the wine and fell asleep.  Chris carved the turkey and I had some leftovers later.


After all the food, we all went for a walk.  We were in the Pisgah National Forest, where there are over 400 miles of hiking trails, so there was not an instant to waste and plenty of hiking to do.  There are some dangers in the area...Black bears live here and there are signs instructing on what to do when a black bear is encountered.  Fortunately for me, I was excused from all the hiking because of the hunting season.

 We cross plenty of streams and rivers.  Often there are nice bridges or crossings, but not always.

We clambered around on this rock face (John Rock) where I am sure we were not supposed to be.  Great views!

Lots of tall trees and scenic spots. After a few days in the park, there are still many many unexplored trails (by us), but we have more adventures awaiting in other places and need to be on the road south again..