Cucumber Gap Loop

The trailhead for cucumber gap was not too far from our cabin and the start of the tail was by the Little River. Although it was nice to hear and see the river for the first 2 or so miles it made for a lot more potty breaks for the boys. 

We found that having invested in a hydration kit for all of us was very beneficial. It worked out well in a few ways we didn't have to stop and a dig out water bottles every time someone was thirsty. Also everyone was carrying their own water so Eric and I didn't have extra weight. 

Since this was the longest hike that we had planned for the trip we thought it would be better to do it first while we still had a lot of energy. Also it made the rest of the hikes not as long to the boys. On the first part of the hike there were a ton of bugs. This was very fun to the boys, and Sup liked to stopped and look at a lot of them. Here is has a snail. 

After a few stops we had to help Sup move along a little or the hike would be a lot longer if we had to stop every few minutes to look at the different bugs. If it was something new we would stop and see it to help them with their Jr. Rangers books that they were working one throughout the trip. 

At first Sup wanted to kill every bug that came is way. After a few conversations that they were in their natural habitat and we wanted to not intentional step on them, he became a protector. He would diligently lets us know not to step on the bug on the path. 

Just about half way through our hike there was a little waterfall we stopped and looked at. The boys really haven't seen any so they thought the waterfalls were pretty cool. Eric and I have seen Niagara Falls so they were nice but not overly impressive to us.  

We hiked up a little father to where we took Jake Creek trail, the second part of our loop. At this point we were all ready for something to eat. After getting out our different trail mixes that we mixed earlier we sat on the logs and had a nice rest. Livvy was having a fun time too :)

To this point the boys were complaining and dragging more then usual so it was a nice break for them. After eating they were A LOT better and in fact very enjoyable for the rest of the hike. They were walking in front and were enjoying everything around them. 

One of the things the Smoky Mountains are know for are all the salamanders. Eric and Phillip were trying hard to find them. As we were crossing a small creek Sup was the first one to spot one! After moving some logs we were able to see a bunch of them. Eric and Sup were the most excited.

By the end these boys still had plenty of energy and were running to the truck. We had completed our 5 miles for the day! It was a great start to our morning :)