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| Mark and Diana --taken in Wears Valley, before our hike |
Dear Friends, On 10/28/18--- George and I went to the Smoky Mountains here in Tennessee to take a hike with son Mark and his girlfriend, Diana. Mark has done this hike before and really wanted me to see that hidden cabin in the mountains. The hike begins at Elkmont --and heads up the mountain from there.
I was nervous before the hike because, since getting A Fib, my hiking days are definitely limited. I don't talk much about my A Fib anymore --but I can assure you that it is still with me, and has certainly made me change my lifestyle to a much-less-active person. I don't like that change --but for me, it is just the 'new' normal!
I was excited when we took this hike ---and my family is always so good to me, allowing me to hike at my SLOW pace and stopping to rest as needed (when my heart rate goes WAY up).... The good news is that I MADE IT to the cabin and back --which was about 4 miles total. AND it was worth all of the aches and pains I felt the next day!!!!! ha
Hope you enjoy our pictures from this special day! Before the hike, we stopped at a general store in Wears Valley and took some Autumn Pictures....
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| Oh how I love this young lady. She makes Mark SO happy!!!! (That is what a Mom loves to hear!) |
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| Mark and Diana |
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| George and me --at Wears Valley (Great place to take Fall Pictures) |
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| Beautiful Fall Colors on our Hike |
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| Beautiful Day for a hike --and a great TRAIL |
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| A beautiful Autumn Day in the Smokies |
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| Had to cross the creek on this little bridge |
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| We made it to the AVENT CABIN. |
History of the Avent Cabin: The cabin was built about 1845 and purchased by the Avent family in 1918. The national park took ownership of the cabin in 1932 but the Avent family was awarded a long-term lease and used the cabin until 1992. Mayna Treanor Avent, artist, used the cabin for 20 years during the summers as her Summer Studio. The cabin is now on the National Register of Historic Places since 1994.
To read more interesting information about Mayna and about the cabin, click
HERE.
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| What a gorgeous cabin --which is really in good shape. From the porch we could see beauty all around us as we listened to the roaring creek below... What an awesome place for an artist. Inside the cabin, there is a notebook telling more about the artist and showing some of her work in photos. There was also a journal for visitors to sign. |
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| More beautiful Fall Colors around us. |
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| Behind the cabin, there was a big rock next to that big tree... I'll bet that Mayna Avent sat on this rock working on her art!!!!!! |
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| I took this picture of Mark and Diana at 'their' cabin!!!!!! |
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| I love this picture of Mark and Diana behind the cabin, on a gorgeous Fall day! |
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| One more picture of the Autumn Colors we enjoyed that day |
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| Mark and Diana on the 'Rock by the Tree' |
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| WELL---it's time to head back down the mountain!!! |
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| Two Happy people --who loved this wonderful day!! |
What an awesome day we had!!!!!! Here was our SKY as George and I headed home late in the afternoon. This was just a wonderful finish to such a terrific day!!!!!! Thanks be to God.
Have a great week!!!
Hugs,
So glad you were able to do this hike. What a beautiful place. I can only imagine how wonderful it would be to be an artist creating in that cabin. I would love to see the inside of it.
ReplyDeleteSo glad you were able to hike like you wanted to. That is great. Perhaps it even helped make your heart stronger. Mom has A-Fib sometimes but is doing well and so far it's not come back after the procedure. The cabin looked like a good shelter!
ReplyDeleteTake care and have a good week.
Sonya
What a wonderful hike you had and I'm so glad you were able to do it. It was all so beautiful!
ReplyDeleteHappy November ~ FlowerLady
Wow! This is a new one for me and one that I think we'll look for next time we're there. We've hiked Little River Trail many times, in the same general area. I'm glad you were able to go on this hike. The photos are beautiful. Wears Valley is such a scenic place, isn't it? We used to rent cabins there until the prices got so high that we were forced into motels in Pigeon Forge. Thanks for tip about this new (to us) hike. We'll add it to our list for our next trip.
ReplyDeleteHappy to see you enjoyed the hike despite your health condition and you just inspire me as well to go to mountains, which is one of my fav things to do. I loved the autumn colors and the wood cabin which remind me my uncle’s new woodhouse. Beautiful photos and mark looks truly happy with his GF.
ReplyDeleteCheers
Hello Betsy, wonderful photos from your hike. It is good you can go at your own pace and rest when you need to. The Autumn trees are beautiful. Pretty photos of you, your son and his girlfriend and George. Happy Monday, enjoy your day! Have a great new week!
ReplyDeleteBetsy those autumn colors are absolutely stunning. Thank you for sharing them with us. However, even more beautiful than the color was the absolute joy on Mark and Diana‘s faces and the pure happiness that you and George show too. It’s so good to see Mark happy. I’m glad you were able to take that hike up the mountain and I am sorry that a fib has kept you down. I know how much your hikes mean to you.. I’m hopeful I will be able to begin doing more things soon too.
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Betsy
Betsy, love, love the pictures. We were in Pigeon Forge from the 8th of Oct to 13 Oct for our 50th Anniversary, and enjoyed driving through Cades Cove and the narrow roads on Roaring Creek, etc. We have been in Wears Valley years ago, but looking at your pictures I sure wish we had taken that trip too this time. That picture of you and George in front of that cafe is just beautiful!!! Thanks for sharing the outdoors with us. I'm so glad you were able to do the hike as I know you love to get out on those trails.
ReplyDeleteBEAUTIFUL PERFECT Gorgeous day for you all! I am so thankful you have family close by again. Those two "young" people look exceedingly happy. Kind of like the other "young" people who have hiked a LOT through life.
ReplyDeleteThankful you are able to persevere and continue to do the things you enjoy even if it is a different pace. We have to learn to adapt because if we don't- - life won't let us continue to LIVE!
Glad to hear you still can get up and down a mountain despite the a fib. Lovely spot too.
ReplyDeleteWOW! That hike sounds and looks wonderful. I'm glad your family adjusts their pace to what you can do.Good to see that smile on Mark's face again.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fabulous cabin and such gorgeous autumn shots.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful post, Betsy! I am so happy to see you did well enough to get up to that amazing cabin! Hope you continue to do well!!!! I loved it, and wish I could visit!!!! It's just my kind of place! I haven't been visiting too many blogs lately and yours is one I keep missing, and I am sorry for that. I do see you some on facebook, of course, but I'm not even doing that as much. I am busy writing a book I started years ago, and trying to devote as much time as possible to it. It is my tribute to both my grandmothers and a great aunt, all in Alabama. I also have so little energy I spend as much time as I can stand working around the house or running the roads to Dr. appts etc (we live so far out, every trip to town takes up a whole day!) and I have been painting as well. Blogging may take up less of my focus but I don't plan to stop. It's always so good to see you and George! Take care!
ReplyDeleteI am so glad this trip turned out happily for you! You've still got it!! And how blessed you are that your son WANTED you to go on this hike with him, and see everything! The trees are gorgeous and the path is nice and wide. And the cabin is fancy; for a cabin, that is. It has a nice big porch, which I don't think I have ever seen on a cabin.
ReplyDeleteAs usual, a wonderful display fall going to sleep and then the spring wakes us up. You share the best of both seasons. Trust you are doing better. My husband had a pacemaker and it worked for awhile and they never suggested the
ReplyDeleteA-Fib.
This was truly a wonderful hike, and I wouldn't mind doing it again. Your photos are gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteMark and Diana look so happy in all the photos of them. How lovely to spend a day hiking with them and enjoying that scenery. Well worth the aches and pains.
ReplyDeleteSuch a wonderful gift to have your son so happy. I am glad you managed the trip so well. The path looked far better than some I have seen you and George navigate. Loved the leaf covered walk.
ReplyDeleteI could live in that cabin for sure. What a great place for an artist.
So far my pills have controlled my A-fib nicely but if it didn't, I'd consider ablation.
Be well my friend.
Betsy, This was a terrific group of fall photos! Family times are the best too... Glad to hear that you're keeping on keeping on. Take Care, Big Daddy Dave
ReplyDeletei am so happy you were able to make this hike and to do it with people you love. what a beautiful place. Nice to see Mark so happy.
ReplyDeleteHello Betsy
ReplyDeleteSo pleased to see all of your photographs and the happy smiling faces of you all. It looks such a wonderful hike you had and I am just so pleased that you were able to do it. Everything looks so beautiful and the Autumn colours are gorgeous.
Have a good week, my good wishes
All the best Jan
I am glad you were able to make the hike with your AFib and all.
ReplyDeleteIt was a beautiful area you hiked in.
I am also glad you like his girlfriend and that he was happy.
Sounds like a great trip.
sandie
The hike in the mountains looks wonderful. It's so much fun when you're in good company. You all look happy to be walking on a trail through beautiful woods with autumn scenery at its best. The log cabin and its history is very interesting and it's not surprising that the artist used it as a place to stay. Her surroundings must have been an inspiration for her paintings. You continue to be an inspiration yourself, Betsy, as you cope with your health problem. It doesn't stop you from making the most of life and I'm sure your family and George are caring encouragers so that you can enjoy the things that you love doing best. I like the photos of you and George or Mark and Diana sitting on the rock and the ones with the bales of hay, old farm items and, of course, the gorgeous sky at the end of a lovely day out.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a great day for a hike. It would have been interesting to ride around the area on a horse in the 1800's to see where all of the cabins were located.
ReplyDeleteSweet pictures! Congrats on doing the hike.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous photos, Betsy! Sounds like you had a wonderful day with time spent with family. I'm glad you were able to make the hike. You found some lovely autumn colors in addition to that secluded cabin.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great day you had. So nice to see mark has a nice girlfriend. The scenery is gobsmacking beautiful. Its a shame about the a-fib slowing you down.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful place Betsy!!!
ReplyDeleteYou're definitely a brave and lucky woman to have such a great family!!!
By the way, your photos are amazing :)
Many hugs!
Bia
www.biaviagemambiental.blogspot.com