I may live in a super small town, but my town is also the closest town to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  It is virtually the only reason Townsend is on the map.  Being so close the Smokies, I often take for granted how great our mountains are and how many miles of hiking trails we have.  Thankfully I have a fit boyfriend who is more than willing to remind me of just how pretty our backyard can be.

We set out around 4pm which is fairly late for a hike in the Smokies.  Upon arriving at the trailhead, the skies opened up and rain began to fall.  Great.  But we had wasted a lot of gas in getting there so we had to choice but to do it.  Chimney Tops trail is only 2 miles to the summit but it gains more than 1500 feet over those two miles.  Plus you have to actually climb the rock face at the top just to see the view.

After what seemed like forever we finally made it up.  I had taken my shirt off since it was physically weighing me down from all the sweat.  My brave little soul climbed that rock and took in all the breathtaking views.  My boy was brave and climbed all the way to the tip top of the rock to look out but I didn’t feel like ending my life that day. 

Overall it was a great hike, some good sweat, and some good times.  I’m thankful that I have someone willing to be physically active with me and that I live so close to a place where I can be active while still enjoying nature.