Wednesday April 7 2021
We arrive at Cosby Campground around lunchtime and find our campsite, a pretty nice spot!
Most all of the sites are occupied but at least this is an older campground and sites are larger and more spread out. We go for a walk around the campground and end up on the Storybook Trail before going to the office to "officially" check in (they were closed for lunch when we arrived).
Beautiful moss covered rocks and gurgling streams, lots of wild violets and other early Spring flowers. And surprisingly few people! We drink it in!
Some colorful fungus
Greg gets a nice campfire going, a perfect way to relax. We gather some fallen wood and had to drive out of the park to get some firewood. A new (to us) twist - the National Park requires that you bring in only heat-treated firewood available at certain vendors. This is an attempt to prevent introducing unwanted insects and/or bacteria to the forest. No cell coverage here. No electric, but there are flush toilets nearby and available water.
Thursday, April 8
We've decided to do an early hike this morning, the 4 1/2 mile trip to Henwallow Falls. It is a rough trail -lots of rocks and tree roots require some watching where you're going.
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But among the tall trees, 
it is quiet and beautiful.
Lots of Mountain Laurel, but it won't bloom for another month or so. We see only 2 other people on the trail, a couple of young girls who breeze by us.
The Falls are lovely and we perch on some large stumps and enjoy the sights, smells and sound while having a snack and some water.
Greg notices this tree which seems to have grown a hand to grasp onto the rocky hillside.
On the hike back to camp, we pass a lot more people - easily 30 or more - so are glad we opted for the early start! A few wear masks, but most are small family groups without.
After a brief rest and some lunch, we decide to explore a little further into the Park to find another even more remote campground named Big Creek. The road is crazy, winding and narrow and turns from pavement to gravel! (7 miles of non-stop up-and-down S-curves, per Greg.) Not exactly an enjoyable drive, but at least there is no traffic! This campground seems to be popular with tenters and horses and despite the remoteness, both the camping and the hiker parking areas are full. Probably won't opt for this one in the future. Low fog beginning to settle in some of the valleys.
We find an alternate (longer but better) road back and have to check in again since we switched campsites.
Some pretty flowers along the way and brave folks doing some rafting
Tonight Greg grills hamburgers for dinner and we make roasted potatoes and onions in foil packets in the coals of the fire - Yum!
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it is quiet and beautiful.
Lots of Mountain Laurel, but it won't bloom for another month or so. We see only 2 other people on the trail, a couple of young girls who breeze by us.
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