...But this trail is Awesome!!!

Over Spring break my kids went to Rock City with my parents, who are just fabulous and deserve many many gold stars.  With the wee ones gone Richard, Michelle and I went backpacking at on the Virgin Falls trail in Middle Tennessee.  It's an eight mile round trip with four waterfalls and a cave along the way.  Sadly, we did not get to the fourth waterfall or the cave- we were ka-put by the end.  But we did see:

At one point you have to cross this stream by holding onto a cable.  With twenty-six pounds strapped to your back.  They make it look so easy.

Here's a bird's eye view of our camp.  It was c-o-l-d in the morning!!

Here's the first waterfall we came to- Big Laurel Falls.  yes, that's Richard up top being a man.

 The view from behind Big Laurel Falls.

Some crazy girl playing the tree-harp.

This is Virgin Falls.  It actually comes out of a cave up top and falls into a sink at the bottom, so there's no river flowing away from the falls.  That's just CRAZY, people!  The water levels were way too high for us to go caving here.  so we didn't.

Chief is nuts.  s'all I'm saying.

Another picture of the falls.  I just can't describe how majestic it was.  You'll have to go see for yourself.

Richard was a little crazy by the end.  Dehydrated food does that to you.