On the way home from Tapoco Lodge, we stopped to do a few short hikes. First up was Yellow Creek Falls Trail which is 0.6 mile out and back. Its an easy trail with a little elevation gain. The trail is rocky and stumpy. Pretty waterfall at the end and views along the creek. Definitely worth the short hike.
Next stop was Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest. The descriptions we saw at the lodge were incredible. Once we arrived, it appeared that there had been a lot of damage and numerous trees were down. The upper loop was closed due to damage. It is 0.75 miles and has the poplar cove with the largest trees. The lower loop is 1.25 miles. There were numerous trees down but we still saw some big trees. It was pretty. This would be a better trail for spring and summer I think. I didn’t feel that it lived up to the descriptions I read or pictures others had taken.
We arrived at Tapoco Lodge not long after dark. It was absolutely adorable all lit up in Christmas lights next to a creek. We checked in and went to see our cabin. The cabin we rented was a larger cabin broken into three different spaces. Once we cleaned up a bit, we ate dinner at the Tapoco Tavern. The food was delicious. I highly recommend the Tapoco chips. The drinks were good and the waiters were friendly. I can’t say enough good things about this place. The next morning we drove around the lodge a bit to see what all it had to offer. It also has regular hotel rooms and cabins for groups or families. There is hiking on the property and fireplaces randomly dispersed where you can hang out. It looks like such an awesome spot and we can’t wait to bring the kids during the warmer months. There really is nowhere to eat here other than the restaurant in the lodge so we took advantage of their breakfast buffet. Honestly, I’m not a fan of buffets but this was good. The sausage and cheese grits were the best. Don’t pass this up. We spent some time in the gift shop and exploring the property in daylight but chose to hop in the truck and head south to hike once it warmed up. It was still below freezing that morning.
For my birthday, Small‘s took me on a surprise trip. We headed out of town on a Friday afternoon and started driving north. Smalls gave me a few cities to search for campsites on Hipcamp. If you have never tried Hipcamp before, I highly recommend it. It is like VRBO for camping. They offer tent camping, car camping, RV camping and other unique opportunities like staying on an animal rescue farm or a nudist colony. Make sure you read all the details for the site you are interested in prior to booking or you might have a big surprise. I found a spot that seem to fit our needs with good views, only one campsite, and somewhat secluded. We made a stop in Blue Ridge on the way but forgot that it was the weekend after Thanksgiving. Everything was packed. We were able to get into a wine and tapas bar and had some good flatbread pizza before getting to our campsite. As usual, we set up in the dark. It was quite cold and we hung out by the campfire enjoying the stars. There is minimal light pollution and the sky was amazing. We could hear a pack of coyotes pretty loudly and decided to head to bed. Our Mr. heater a little buddy was definitely a lifesaver that night. I believe the temperature was about 24 when we woke up that morning and honestly we were pretty comfortable in the rooftop tent with the heater. We had a quick and easy breakfast before packing up and heading out.
We chose to check out the balds on the way to our surprise hotel for the night. Our first stop was Wayah Bald. Smalls and I have been here a few times before. It is on the AT and just a short walk from the parking lot to the fire tower. The views are amazing! We have done sunset here which was awesome. While here, we ran into an AT through hiker, shoutout to Bags, and stopped to chat with him for a bit. He shared stories about his through hike. He was actually doing a flip-flop hike where he started in Harper’s Ferry, Virginia hiked to Maine and then came back to Virginia to hike to Georgia. Just listening to him was so inspirational. Smalls and I dream of retiring in time to do some long-distance hiking before we are unable to physically do so.
From here, we went to Siler Bald which is an actual hike but you can see Wayah Bald from Siler bald. This hike was about 4 miles in fairly easy going in until the last quarter of a mile which is straight uphill to the lookout point. This is also along the AT and it was a little difficult at the beginning trying to figure it out which way to turn. The views are incredible here as well. There are a few places at the top to camp which would be lovely in the summer. It was too cold and windy up there this time of year to camp. We took in the views for a bit, headed back down, and then made our way to our hotel for the night. The drive took us all the way to the end of Wayah Road. The ride us gorgeous and probably one of my favorite drives thus far.
We have tried a few different options on camp stoves and the Teton2x is by far the best we have tried. It is optimum size to fit in the decked drawer system. The stove is quick and easy to set-up and breakdown. It has 2 burners and auto ignition. The heat control knobs are fully adjustable. I love that the sides slip up to create a wind barrier and snap open to make it stable.
Lets get down to details. Folded up it, the Teton2x is 22 x 13.5 x 4.25 inches. It weighs 11lbs 12 oz so it is best for car camping. Each burner puts out 10,000 btu and runs on propane. We typically use the 1# propane cannisters but recently purchased a 5# propane tank for longer trips or when we are running multiple propane items. It is estimated that you can run both burners on high for 60 min before running out of propane. We have never done enough cooking in one sitting to test this out.
There are 12 inches between the burners which works out great for us to cook in a pot on one side and use our Coleman camp oven on the other. As you can see here, I am cooking biscuits in the oven and making sausage gravy on the stove. Such a delicious and easy camp breakfast given our set-up. Perfect hearty breakfast for a cold morning.
Again, I love this camp stove. It was purchased from REI for around $180 so it is a good bit more expensive than the traditional Coleman but it is so much more sturdy and well made. I feel that it was money well spent.
I must admit, when Smalls said he ordered the camp oven, I thought it was overkill. At $50, I couldn’t argue about it. I was sold at cinnamon rolls. It never considered biscuits and pizza. The oven folds flat so it is easy to store in the Decked Drawer System. It is made of aluminum and measures 13.5 in. x 12.9 in. x 3.3 inches. The oven sits directly on top of Teton2x camp stove although it is made to go over Coleman camp stove. The racks are 10 sq in and adjustable at 3 levels. The thermostat is easy to read. I must say that I tend to burn the bottom of biscuits even on the top rack. I need to check to ensure that the thermostat is accurate. I am surprised at how quickly the oven heats up and then turning the heat to low maintains the temperature well.
The Blackstone Adventure Ready 17″ Tabletop Outdoor Griddle was an impulse buy but it is definitely the most used cooking item we have. We even use it at home for making fried rice–Amazing! It is a breeze to set-up and breakdown. I don’t like cleaning it up, but Smalls does not mind. Lets face it, he’s the expert at properly seasoning it to make it simple. The best part is the rear grease management system. Get Blackstone’s inserts for quick clean up. It runs off 1# propane cannisters but can be hooked up to larger tank. This griddle puts out 12,000 btu on h shaped burner for even heat distribution. The ignition switch and flame intensity easy to manage. 268 sq in of cooking space. This is our go to for cooking because it is so versatile. We did get the heavy duty backpack to carry it in. The back is waterproof so we feel that it is better to store it in in the back of the truck. I love the backpack straps to make it easier to carry where it needs to go. The side pockets hold propane cannisters and I keep the connector tube in the inside pocket.
For New Year’s Eve, I requested to go camping on the side of a mountain so that we could watch the fireworks at midnight. Smalls as usual, was ready to meet my request and started researching more than a week ahead of time. Just when he thought he had it figured out, the weather forecast made it apparent that we would either be staying home or camping in the rain. Smalls went back to the drawing board and researched until he found somewhere with the lowest possible rain chances. We settled on Asheville, North Carolina. The morning of New Year’s Eve, we hopped in the car and headed north. I got on Hipcamp to find somewhere for us to stay. I stumbled upon an awesome campsite with almost 360° views just outside of Burnsville, North Carolina. It was not far from Hot Springs and Smalls has always wanted to go there. It’s the only part of the Appalachian trail that actually goes through a city. The campsite was amazing! It required four-wheel-drive to get there and we drove through a tunnel and next to a private runway in order to access our campsite. The only thing that would have made it better was if we were the only ones there. The campsite allowed for two spots and the second spot, which had the best views, had already been reserved. We decided to drive straight to camp and take our time setting up and fixing dinner. It was absolutely gorgeous. We got to take our time setting up with sunlight which can be rare for us. It was windy and cool so Smalls set up a tarp to give us some shelter. We had a quick and easy dinner then enjoyed ourselves by the campfire.
The next morning we took our time breaking down. But first we started the new year off with biscuits and gravy. I absolutely love our cook set-up. The stove is easy to set-up and break down. The camp oven is on the bougie side but must say I love it!
We were too close to Mount Mitchell, or so we thought, not to stop by. The GPS originally said 30 min but was more like 1 hour and 15 min. I’m uncertain if there was a closing on the Blue Ridge Parkway that caused us to re-route or just an initial error. This also confused us on the distance to Hot Springs. We thought it was only another 30 min but it was actually 2 hrs. Either way, we were glad we made the drive. This is the only place on the AT where the trail physically goes through town. You can see blazes on the bridge and down the street. We had a great meal at Spring Creek Tavern. The atmosphere was fun, food was good, and service was good. You can sit outside by the creek as well. The last time I was in Hot Springs it was a dry county. Now there are a few breweries. It seems like a fun, growing mountain town with some unique qualities. Smalls and I were struggling to find a place to camp and bad weather was moving in so we went home. It was a great way to start 2022! I can’t wait to see what adventures are in store for us this year.
After all the kids went to their other parents’ houses for Christmas, Smalls and I went to the Cohutta for the day for some relaxation. It was 72 degrees and sunny–who could pass up that opportunity?!
I fell in love with the Cohutta Wilderness after Smalls took me here for my first real overnight backpacking trip to Jacks Falls via Beech Bottom Trail. The Cohutta is over 37,000 acres in northwest Georgia. There are seemingly endless miles of forest service roads and over 90 miles of hiking. There are not many overlooks, but there are waterfalls. I can’t quite express what it is that I love so much about this area, but it is my favorite spot in Georgia. The serenity here is incredible.
This is a 1.4 mile out and back trail outside of Otto, NC. The drive there is a little tricky as it is gravel roads for 5.5 miles, mostly 1 lane. The trail is easy with lots of off shoots with great views with a big payoff at the end. I love the rhododendron tunnels.
Grandfather Mountain sits at 5,946 above sea level making it the highest peak east of the Mississippi. to do the mile high bridge. This requires an advance reservation as well. It is $20 for adults and $9 for children. The park was pristine. It would have been truly spectacular if the weather would have cleared up. As it was, we really could not see anything. There are lots of trails there as well but they were pretty strenuous and we didn’t think the kids would really enjoy it. We did go to the wildlife habitats and stumbled into a private tour of the elk. They have animal encounters every 30 min to an hour. Carolina, the black bear, would not wake up to join.
Smalls and Talls Outdoors 