Chasing Adventure

One of the benefits of living in the mountains is we get to watch the beauty of the Fall colors as the leaves change from the top of the mountain down. With so much destruction in the area from the rains before and during Hurricane Helene, it was nice to get out and enjoy the pieces of nature that were left untouched.

We gathered up some friends, the dogs, and the Jeeps and literally took a road 1/2 mile from us up into the mountains. Green Mountain Rd is this wider than one lane, but not quite two-lane road winding around the mountains to Viking Mountain Rd that feels like it runs along the peaks. Pearl definitely would not have handled it well, but the Jeeps were built for these gravel roads. Our friend has a Jeep built for climbing mountains (like really climbing mountains), so this was a good road for our stock Jeep.

Near the intersection of Green Mountain Rd and Viking Mountain Rd, the gravel turned to pavement because once upon a time, there was a resort at the top. We stopped at an overlook about halfway up, that was pretty, but a bit hazy due to some low clouds.

At the top of the mountain, there were once contraptions where ski lifts made trips more than 30 years ago. Now all that is left are concrete slabs and beautiful views. The road ends at the top, but we found we could hike about a half mile out to a huge cliff. Putting that on the list for another day, for sure. Tigger and I ventured into some underbrush, down from where the ski lefts were, and discovered the most beautiful view down the mountain looking back toward Greeneville. The pictures don’t do the view justice, but to see the colors as they flowed down the mountain like water was an experience that felt God-touched. Incredible and awe-inspiring.

We found another side-road and ventured out to find a seemingly abandoned fire watch tower and cell tower. We probably shouldn’t have gone up that road, but the gate was open! Tigger loved exploring each time we stopped and fully marked the mountain as his. Well, until his buddy Rosco also marked the mountain as his.

It was a beautiful trip into the woods and found we took the trip at the peak of color for the middle part of the mountain and were able to capture some great photos. So grateful to live in such a beautiful place!

Come enjoy the drive with us! It was a little dusty, but you’ll be able to experience the winding roads like we did. Buckle up!

~Katie