Clingman's Dome

On Sunday, I got the opportunity to explore the Great Smoky Mountains during the most beautiful season. The trees were lush with golden, orange, and red bursts of color that amazed the eye and warmed the heart. 

We decided to drive up to the North Carolina/Tennessee border to explore Clingman's Dome, the highest point in the Great Smoky mountains, standing at 6,643 feet high. The dome was named after Thomas Lanier Clingman, a North Carolina attorney and politician who aided in the exploration of the region. 

The path itself was paved, and due to the high elevation, patches of ice and snow lingered about the trail and then summit itself. We drove a short distance to get to the trail, and we then hiked the steep 0.5 mile path to the top. The wind and cold air burned my throat yet energized my spirit. Below are some of my favorite pictures from the trail, including one of my husband and I at the summit. Aren't the views spectacular?

Walking through Beauty

I took a walk through the woods with my husband. Perfect time for self-reflection and to take a breather. God does some magical things with his creation.

A Beautiful Autumn Day

This weekend my love and I explored new hiking trails at a new park near our house. It was a glorious day. Perfect fall weather, and you can just see the leaves beginning to change. I love how the colors always seem to be hopeful---a chance for a new beginning regardless of what happened in a previous season. Autumn. A time of beauty. A time of change. A time of hope.

In my personal life, I'm going through quite a bit right now, but I hope I can always hope. Hope is what we long for as humans to get us through even the toughest times. That's what Autumn symbolizes to me-- hope in tomorrow.

After a crisp, fall hike nothing's better than some hard apple cider to warm you up!