Wet Bottoms Trail

After our epic hike on Monday, we were not in any shape for anything too ambitious for the rest of the week.  However, we were feeling the for a bit of activity, so we decided to check out Wet Bottoms Trail in Cades Cove. This is a 1 mile long trail that connects Cooper Road trail with the Abrams Falls trail. It would be a great trail to take small children on. Grandkids, are you listening? Parts of it would probably be stroller friendly, but not the whole thing. For such a short trail, there is a lot to see.  You pass by a  barn, the Elijah Oliver homestead, and finish at the Abrams Falls trailhead, where there is a nice stream to cool your feet.  An added bonus was the beautiful rhododendron blooming.

         

 This was an upscale cabin with several glass windows and multiple rooms. 

 The springhouse

How do you tag a butterfly?

That was the burning question of the day.  Steve and I were invited to a Monarch Tagging event, hosted by our friends Hank and Margaret.  The event was sponsored by the Smoky Mountain Institute at Tremont , which is not far from our house.  They host science camps for kids and families, and participate in a variety of worldwide research projects, such as monitoring salamanders, banding birds, and tagging Monarch butterflies. 

It turned out to be a cold rainy day, and there was not a butterfly in sight, but we had fun anyway.  And to answer the question, you tag a butterfly by placing a sticker with a unique number on it, on a certain spot on the underside of the wing.  If you ever find a dead monarch, look at its wings, and you may find one that's tagged.

Following is a YouTubevideo put together by one of the participants, Gina.  For some reason, it doesn't seem to play well on a mobile phone, but is fine on a laptop or desktop.  Enjoy!
 http://youtu.be/5OXkd4VsHfs

Bote Mountain

October 29, 2014. Finley Cane, Bote Mountain, Lead Cove loop. 

 The fall colors were at their peak in the Cades Cove area, so although this hike offered very few long range views, the colors were beautiful.

 

 The trail intersection where we ate lunch.  It was all downhill from there!

Oct 13.  My mom came to visit us for a couple of days, and we took her to Cades Cove, one of her favorite places.  We did a hike to the John Oliver cabin, about 3 miles total.  A volunteer ranger was at the cabin, and he was a fountain of information about the people that once lived here. 

 

 We had lunch at this "hidden" picnic area in the cove.

The view from Rich Mountain Road, looking back into the cove.  This is one of my very favorite views.