Inflatable Kayak Blog

We went on an extended weekend to Gatlinburg, TN this past weekend. We were able to get in a paddle at Douglas Lake, but one of our other plans was to go for a hike in Smokey Mountain National Park. We asked at the visitor’s center for suggestions of somewhere not too strenuous, preferably something along one of the pretty mountain streams. We chose to go to the Elkmont area. There was a wide, well-groomed trail along the rocky mountain stream. Most of the trail was in the shade of the tall spring green trees with the sun peeking through the trees here and there. I loved walking along listening to the sound of the rushing water while butterflies were flitting everywhere. There were old abandoned cabins scattered in the woods just off the path that added to the charm of the area. As I was taking pictures of the stream, we noticed a young man in something like an inner tube floating calmly down towards us in the shallow areas and then slipping over the rocks as he went over a little waterfall. We had never before seen anyone do that in a mountain stream, so we stayed and watched him float by. We couldn’t help making the comparison to a float tube for fishing. Though this wasn’t exactly the same, he was definitely in a tube that was floating. It looked like fun and a great way to spend a little bit of time in the Smokey’s, but I think I will stay with kayaking.