We bailed on our first Smoky Mountain trail of 2018 because we were underprepared. And a little dizzy. The elevation was 4,200 feet over the course of a rocky 2 miles. Our house in Florida has an elevation of only 60 feet above sea level (may as well be swimming in the ocean). But we got back up the next day and hiked 6 miles of the Appalachian Trail to the Jump Off Point, an elevation of 6,200. This is where we stopped and turned around on the first hike, followed by the cliffs we reached at the end of the second hike, followed by one of the more beautiful painting-esque photos from the trail and the waters we passed near the base of the mountains. So yes, sometimes you just have to get back up and go again.
