I recently took a backpacking trip in the Smokies with my oldest child, Aidan, who’s in the liminal state of “tweenhood.” It’s a bittersweet time for a mom, witnessing the vestiges of her little boy fade like disappearing ink each day. I have to remind myself constantly that this is the natural order of things.
It’s also uncharted territory for parents and their first child, and I find myself asking questions that parents have likely asked for generations. The questions regarding social media, however, are a relatively new landscape for parents. And to this mom, much of it resembles a dangerous wasteland.
Aidan has it all figured out though (because don’t we all when we’re twelve?), and he can’t fathom why I’d worry about an app that allows kids to send someone a photo that disappears within minutes. “All my friends have it and their parents are cool with it,” he tells me.
He likely agreed to go on this trip because it meant he’d have a captive parental audience to preach from his pulpit about the merits of social media. I, on the other hand, was banking on the magic of the Smokies distracting him from it. I’m happy to to report Mother Nature took a strong lead, and the angst surrounding adolescence was temporarily replaced with awe and wonder….for both of us.
Two thirds of Aidan’s childhood has passed, and I know I shouldn’t blink. The saga of his mean ol’ mom denying him Snapchat might one day feel silly compared to the struggles he faces down the road. I hope he’ll reflect on this short trip when the world around him feels broken, if only to tap into a brief time when everything about it felt whole. I know I will.
Enjoy the photos from one of my most favorite loop hikes in the all of the Smokies (and interestingly, the first set of trails I ever hiked in the park when I was in my third year of veterinary school….long past the days I thought I knew everything, and well into recognizing how very little I knew about anything).
“School isn’t supposed to be a polite form of incarceration, but a portal to the wider world.” –Richard Louv
Trail Report Card
Mileage: 17.75 miles
Type of Hike: Loop
Suitability for Kids: As long as your kids are accustomed to backpacking and can cover the miles, this is an excellent choice, in my opinion.
Dog Friendly: No. Dogs aren’t allowed on trails in Great Smoky Mountains National Park with the exception of the Gatlinburg Trail and the Oconaluftee Visitor Trail.
Permits: No permits are needed to hike the trails in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, but they are required for camping in the backcountry. Reservation information for backcountry website the park’s website. We camped at campsite #29.
How to Get to Trailhead: This loop starts from Cosby Campground.
From Gatlinburg, take Highway 321-73 North 17.8 miles to the turn for Cosby Camp/Highway 32. Turn right toward Cosby Camp. Drive 1.2 miles and veer right onto Cosby Park Road. Continue 2.0 miles to the Gabes Mountain Trailhead parking lot on the left. The trailhead parking area is large and there are bathrooms there, open seasonally.
The Gabes Mountain Trailhead is located across the street, just before the turnoff into the lot.
You will emerge from this loop in Cosby Campground, where you can then walk back to your waiting car in the parking lot near the entrance to the campground.
Resources:
National Geographic Trails Illustrated Map of Great Smoky Mountains National Park
I carry the 10 essentials in my pack at all times and you should too! If you’d like to know what gear I use and recommend, here’s my gear list.
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