There are few activities I enjoy more than hiking: fresh air, fantastic views, a workout that doesn’t seem like a workout because of the scenery.  What’s not to love?  So when the weatherman predicted a rare mid-60 degree day in January, we seized the opportunity.  Saturday morning we set off on an adventure to Crabtree Falls with our friends Chris and Regina.

The hike from the parking lot to the top of the falls is 1.7 miles and an almost 1400 ft climb in elevation–not outrageous, but it certainly raises your heart rate!  One of the things I love about this hike is that you can see the falls multiple times on the way up.  From the top of the falls, there is roughly a two-mile hike to the base of the Appalachian Trail.  When Andrew and I did this hike back in May, we kept saying, “Let’s go a little bit further:” top of the falls, base of the AT, beautiful overlook on the AT, and beyond.  Seven-ish miles later, we turned around and began making our way back down the mountain for a grand total of  fourteen-ish miles.  We hobbled on sore legs for a few days after that.

We cut ourselves off a little sooner this weekend (we made it to the base of the AT… just over seven miles round-trip,) and I have a feeling my legs will thank me for it for the next few days.

Chris and Regina

   Andrew photo-bombing + the photo I was actually trying to take (“Don’t think for one second that I won’t put that on the blog.” -Me)

View from the top of the falls

Yeah, we love each other that much.

We also got to see this guy on our way back down.  Anyone know what kind of snake it is/whether I should have gotten close enough to take this picture? 😀

The obligatory selfie 😉

Beautiful day.  Awesome company.  Gorgeous view.

Totally worth the sore legs.