Baby’s First National Park

TravelPersonalPhotographyFatherhoodNational Parks
A panorama of green covered mountains from the Smoky Mountains National Park

We got into the Airbnb pretty late Wednesday night, so we couldn’t quite appreciate the view. But there was a lot of driving uphill so I knew we were in for something good.

A POV from the deck of a house. Man in rocking chair holding baby looking over small mountains.
This was my view for the morning feed. Not too shabby at all.

It was supposed to be a hot Fourth of July, so we started off relatively early (at least for this crew.) We got to the park and of course the first thing we did was buy Suveera her very own National Parks Passport and get her her first stamp. I'm excited to see how quickly we can fill it up. Shaila and I have always enjoyed checking new parks off our list but it feels like we have an even bigger reason to visit them all now.

After getting our stamps (and our customary magnet) we did a small hike from the visitors center to a small waterfall. It was very easy, but Suveera sleft strapped to my chest for most of it. Unfortunately she's still not big enough to carry front facing. But we did get her out for a bit to see some of the beauty.

A POV of a stream with a baby’s head in the foreground
My view from the hike.
A stream, full of green
A waterfall
Cataract Falls, the destination of our first hike
A selfie of a man with a baby strapped to his chest in front of a stream
Strapped in.

Then it was off for a longer drive to the Newfound Gap at the border of Tennessee and North Carolina. That little bit in North Carolina makes the 6th new state for Suveera on this trip. She's really checking them off.

A photo of a forest
A panorama of a section of the Smoky Mountains
A beautiful view, even with the heat.
A woman holding a baby, a view from over her shoulder
It was hot, but Suveera persevered
A man, woman, and baby in front of a scenic view of mountains
A family sitting in front of mountains
Shaila and her family with Suveera, at the gap

After the Gap it was back to the Airbnb to meet up with Shaila's cousin so Suveera could meet even *more* family. It really is the Suvi Tour. After a short evening at Anakeesta and some pretty lame fireworks in Gatlinburg, it was the nice drive home with a very tired baby. Today already is proving to be less eventful, but we'll see what trouble we can get into.