If I thought I was tired yesterday, this morning took it to a whole new level! After back-to-back challenging hikes, I was more than ready for a ‘rest day’—and by that, I mean we’d still go hiking, but it would be an easier one (we’ll get to that later). We woke up late to some pretty dreary weather, so we spent a lazy morning in bed watching the rain fall, with the cozy crackle of the fireplace in the background. It was honestly so peaceful.

Once the rain let up a bit, we made our way to the Pancake Pantry in downtown Gatlinburg. There was a line wrapped around the building, but after getting lattes from our coffee shop and a 20-minute wait, we were seated. I’m a huge fan of pancakes, so I was beyond excited to see all the specialty options on the menu. We ended up ordering wildberry crepes and orange walnut pancakes—so good!

After breakfast, we strolled around downtown for a bit, but the weather started getting rough again, so we headed back to the hotel for some more lounging. Eventually, there was a break in the rain, and we decided to stretch our legs with a short hike to Laurel Falls. Even though I was still tired, I’m glad we went. Thanks to all the rain, the waterfall was gushing, and the whole area looked lush and vibrant. The trail was just 2.6 miles with only 350 feet of elevation gain, so it was a perfect “rest day” hike. Jordan, of course, was ready to keep going, but I had to put a stop to that!

Since we hadn’t exerted ourselves too much, I was able to stay up later than usual, and we decided to enjoy a fun night out in Gatlinburg. Even though it was a little cold and rainy, we got all dressed up and headed to Jason Aldean’s Restaurant before going putt-putting afterward. We also stopped by the Tennessee Cider Brewing Company for a cider tasting, which was a highlight of the night! Everything we tried was delicious, but my favorite was the watermelon cider—it was so sweet and refreshing.

After bouncing around town for a bit, we finally called it a night and headed back to the hotel to rest up. We had a big hike planned for the next day—Charlies Bunion, here we come!