Road Trip - Part 2

Since we were in the mountains, we had to do a little hiking and what better hiking destination than a waterfall? We headed out early one morning to Grotto Falls, just outside Gatlinburg. We hit the parking area at daybreak and headed up the trail towards the falls. The falls were about 1.5 miles up the trail and the sound of rushing water let us know when we were getting close.

It was shortly after sunrise when we arrived, but still pretty dark since this particular waterfall is deep in the forest. Grotto Falls is primarily know for the big waterfall, but there are probably 1/4 mile of smaller falls leading up to this. As we rounded a turn in the trail, things opened up and this is what we saw.

I am like a kid in a candy store when it comes to this stuff so of course I had to move in for a closer look. And of course, Brandy had her camera ready. The trail lead right behind the falls and you can see how I compare to the height of the water.
I convinced Brandy to join me under the falls and she snapped this beauty.
In case you have never been to the Great Smoky Mountains before, it is a very dangerous place and I am not talking about toothless banjo players. The trails are narrow and slippery with shear cliffs at some points. There are also tons of black bears and the warnings are posted everywhere. The signs are nice and all, it's just too bad that the animals cant read them.
On our way back down the trail we heard a strange sound in the forest just off the trail. Not being familiar with this sound, I had to inspect. As I peered thru the bushes and trees, I came face to face with the most ferocious beast I had ever seen. I was able to grab a quick photo and run for my life.
Don't let his size fool you, I barely made it out with all my fingers. This was actually the first chipmunk I had ever seen in real life.

All in all it was a great trip. We got to relax and enjoy some nature, play the tourist and do some shopping and just unplug from daily life for a few days.