Unforgettable weekend at the Smoky Mountains

  





On July 27, 2024, my parents and I embarked on an exciting vacation to the Smoky Mountains. Our journey began with a six-hour drive from our home in Columbus to the beautiful town of Gatlinburg, Tennessee. As we ascended into the higher elevation of Tennessee, I could feel my ears popping due to the change in altitude. We stayed at a delightful Airbnb nestled on a sloping hillside. The highlight of the rental was the hot tub, which offered breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains. There was a pool table as well which my dad & I played a couple of rounds as well.


Our vacation was filled with adventure. We embarked on a couple of exhilarating outdoor pursuits: hiking and white water rafting. The white water rafting experience was undoubtedly my favorite. If you’re unfamiliar with white-water rafting, it is an experience where a group of 7 navigate a river in a large inflatable raft, encountering a thrilling variety of rapids ranging from gentle to heart-pounding drops. We also challenged ourselves with some hikes, which provided a decent workout. However, the trek left my parents and me feeling tired.


We didn't fully explore Gatlinburg's restaurant scene because we were enjoying cooking meals at our Airbnb. When we did venture out to eat, I opted for a classic combination of pizza, fries, and ice cream. However, to my surprise, it tasted quite similar to the typical fare I'm accustomed to. One interesting fact I learned about the Smoky Mountains is that the park is actually split between North Carolina and Tennessee, with half of it located in each state. The day before we were leaving, we had an amazing wildlife encounter at our Airbnb. We were thrilled to see two adorable baby bears and their protective mother trying to find some food, I assume. It was such a cute and unforgettable experience!


This trip with my family created a treasure trove of memories. It was an incredible bonding experience filled with laughter, love, and quality time together. I cherish every moment and truly hope we can repeat this adventure someday. It was undoubtedly a fun trip this summer!


I would really love to hear your feedback and comments. Please reach out to me@hanikachhajer.com.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

I got to be Mayor of J.A Biztown

Image
  In my school, 5th graders get to go to an awesome place called J.A biz town. This is a place where we get to learn about jobs in the real world and get to experience them. These are some companies that provide job experiences at J.A biz town: Swaco, Donatos, Meta and Huntington Bank. As part of this experience, the 5th graders have to choose a mayor of the town. When I heard about this opportunity, I was extremely excited and wanted to run for mayor. There were 2 elections, class election and grade election. I had a few days to prepare a speech. I was voted as the candidate to represent my class in the grade election. There were 4 other 5th graders who were candidates from other classes. We all had to present a speech to the entire grade of 125 students. All the candidates did a great job. I was really happy when I received the most votes and the principal announced my name to the entire school to be the Mayor of J.A Biztown. I was the first girl in 3 years to be a Mayor.  ...
Read more

Life lessons in the pool: Swimming my way to success!

Image
    Every lap is a lesson overcoming challenges. Every race, a chapter in the ongoing narrative of self-discovery. Hello readers, today I am going to be sharing my 5 lessons that I learnt through my 2024 long course swimming season. 1. Mental preparation I struggled to grasp the concept of mental preparation. To me, it meant strategizing about my upcoming swim meet, focusing on potential time drops, and developing race plans. Previously, I only started preparing 2 days before a competition, relying on my dad's reminders about stretching and tracking my times. Unfortunately, my last swim meet resulted in slower times across four events, mainly due to lack of mental preparation. This taught me that you have to think, revise, change your strategies. 2. Reflection By conducting a thorough self-evaluation of your race performance and seeking feedback from your coaches, you've taken a first step in the reflection process. After my swim meet I really didn’t think much about my race. ...
Read more