Camping in the Smokies

Last weekend, Erin and I headed to the western part of the state. 150 miles west and a couple of thousand feet up helped us to get away from the temps that were generally around 102 (with a heat index of 107). I have some pictures, and the stories to go with them.

First of all, how can you not love a place called "Moonshine Creek"? Unfortunately, the distillery was not in use anymore.


The owners have named all of the cabins after booze. I took a picture of what I call "The Chandler Suite." Other cabins were Jim Beam, Ezra Brooks, Johnnie Walker, etc.


The "Creek" portion of the name comes from the creek (or "crick" if you want to get the appropriate southern pronunciation down) that flowed through the middle of the campground. Our site was right on the banks, which created the very pleasant sound of running water.



Even though the temps were lower there than in Charlotte, they were still in the high 80s. When the sun broke through the trees, bathing us in heat for several hours, we coped by putting the chairs in the creek and letting the cold water run over our feet and legs. It helped.



Saturday morning was actually quite cool for a while, giving us some extra time to lay in the tent and relax.


For dinner on Saturday, I was determined to make hobo dinners. The problem was that the fire pits had low walls, and no grill/grate over the top. I didn't anticipate that. However, with some ingenuity, I was able to solve the problem.

I started by creating a small fire in the center of the pit, and placed two larger rocks on either side. I took the grate off of the propane grill, and set it to the side.


As the fire burned down, I created a nice bed of coals in between the two rocks. I then built the rocks up higher.


I put the grate across the rocks and over the coals.


I added some additional wood to keep the heat up.


Flipping every few minutes, I was able to make a tasty meal of seasoned beef, potatoes, and carrots. Hooray for ingenuity!



Some scenery shots in and around the campground:





The only complaint I had is that the sites were very small, and totally lacking in privacy. Fortunately, there weren't many tent campers, so it wasn't an issue. In the future, however, I think I'll stick to state and national parks for my camping.

In all though, the trip was a resounding success. Very different than the booze-a-minute trips that I am used to. We read, we cooked, we hiked, we had some drinks. I taught Erin a few things about making fire and cooking outdoors. She took to it very well, which is important if our marriage is to succeed ;)