One of the lovely friends we met at Lost Valley Ranch contacted me.  Told me that she had a timeshare that she’d be happy to share with our family because her family couldn’t use it this year.

It is in the Pigeon Forge area.  And the week it was available was the beginning of August.  I wanted to say yes.  But I was afraid it was going to turn out to be the week we were moving, or needed to move, or were packing, or would have just moved.  And I was afraid the timing would be all off.

Turns out, the timing is just about perfect.

And we pretty much leaped at the chance to get out of our box infested house and to stare at some mountains out our back patio and to relax and do school in a tidy space.

Turns out, in fact, it is exactly what we needed.

On our way up (or over, or both) we stopped at a spot that I have long wanted to visit.

I keep a list (of course I do) of beautiful places I want to see and spots where I’d like to hike or camp or be dropped off from a helicopter.  (That’s not real.  I’m afraid of helicopters.)

Often I pull this list out around my birthday and force everyone in my house to accompany me to a hike somewhere with mountain views and a good vibe.  (That’s how we found Craggy Gardens and Joyce Kilmer Forest and a host of others.  Black Balsam was on the list.  The John Rock Trail at Pisgah.  And so many more – Clingman’s Dome, to name one.)

Max Patch was on that list.  It has been considered as an option for the last three birthdays but I was always discouraged by the mileage to get from our house to that peak.

But when I looked at the map on this adventure, I realized that Max Patch was only about half an hour (ish) off the path we would be on anyway.  That felt left stars aligning perfect timing to me.  Of course, we had been having torrential downpours every single day for ages and I knew I didn’t want to make it to Max Patch to see fog and nothing.  But, like a lovely gift, the rains cleared on Sunday and the fog lifted and the day was bright and pleasant and full of SUNSHINE!

The road up to Max Patch was winding and sort of crazy and two dogs seemed to want to sit in the middle of the back roads and turns out there is a MUCH easier route than the one we took but we got there nonetheless.  Although every path up there is a bit treacherous.  The parking lot was full and for some reason that discourages me every time – but I guess everyone was ready for sunshine after the monsoon season.  Hannah was trekking up with us for the adventure to Max Patch and if there are family photos, then she’s the photographer and what a nice convenience that turned out to be.  (Or if Hannah is in the shot then Piper probably took it – she’s getting pretty good actually.)

We brought our lunch of sorts with us – we followed the sign that said “easier” and it wasn’t a bad hike by any means but it was a little uphill and everything my body is telling me lately is – you are old and you are out of shape.

But you guys.

That view.  The feeling of seeing so much and seeing no building and just seeing mountains and land and trees and valleys and green and flowers and so much pretty.  

My next time going to Max Patch I want to bring sleeping bags and stay the night – watching the sun set along all those mountain ridges – and rising to a cup of hot tea and the sun rising again, true and faithful and beautiful.

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