Laurel Falls Hike

We had a soccer-game-free Saturday thanks to fall break and decided to answer the call of the Smokys and try out Laurel Falls hike. This was a good one for the little girls, the paved trail was much less trip-able than Abrams Falls last year. Afton and Lydia even walked all the way up without being carried, unprecedented! The weather was perfect, the foliage was stunning, and there were plenty of climb-around-on-the-rocks opportunities along the way.

Let's begin...

Hello, beautiful.

The game was to try and catch falling leaves before they got to the ground.
Emma won.

Success!

Scott climbed with the big three midway up the falls for a good photo op.

But then they decided to maximize the adventure and find a way all the way to the top.

But then (and if you know Scott this comes as no surprise) they decided to see what else was up there. While the little girls and I floated leaves in the cold waterfall pool and took photos for other families, Scott and the big three explored further and further upstream, crossing fallen trees, jumping across rocks and discovering what they named "Mini Abrams Falls." Once they returned the kids were excited to show me where they'd gone. So Scott, Lydia and Afton got a head start down the trail while Emma, Ben and Josh led me on their bonus hike. The main trail had been really busy with the peak season crowd, so it was great to spend a little time off on our own.

Mini Abrams Falls

I love these kids.