The hike was a bit steeper than we anticipated, but Saturday's hour-long trek (one way) on an abandoned dirt road was worth Sunday's sore muscles.

One of the best things about living in northeast Tennessee is the abundance of scenic and interesting places to visit, all within an hour's drive of our house. Martin Creek Falls is about 30-minutes away, on the outskirts of Erwin, Tennessee, just a few miles from the North Carolina State line and the Smoky Mountains.

The falls seemed a perfect place to leave our COVID-19 confinement for a few hours on the most beautiful spring day we've seen this year.

We took our time walking up the trail, stopping occasionally to catch our breaths and enjoy the wildflowers, the babbling brooks and trying to name the trees along the trail. We met a few fellow hikers on their way back down.  

About a mile in, a red flag on a rhododendron bush alerted us to detour and walk down a slightly more rugged path to the top of the falls. The gurgling water rushing over the rocky creek bed was loud but soothing.

The path to the bottom of the falls was a bit more treacherous, steeper, muddy, with questionable footing. I went down anyway and was rewarded with a magnificent view of water cascading down a rocky cliff into a crystal clear pool. Pat and I shot a few photos that don't quite do the scenery justice, but here are a few to illustrate what was an ideal early May walk in the woods.

Related:We need a bit of spring awakening