Day 2 - Clingman's Dome

Clingman's Dome is one of the highest peaks in the Smokies, so naturally, we wanted to see it. The other factor in this decision was that there is a 0.5 mile paved path to the top of the mountain. We took a scenic and slow drive up to the trailhead, and walked up to the top. Sarah was lagging behind so badly that I wasn't sure we'd ever get there, but we did. My dad took all of the pictures of us, so I'm posting one from the hike on the way.

After our hike and picnic on the spot that the park was "dedicated", we went and did a total tourist thing. Gem mining. Sarah had a blast, and picked out every single colored rock. Every black one as well. It was so cute, seeing her getting into it. "Hey Mom, this not real gem mining is pretty fun!" That about sums it up.