This was the coldest hike of my Wilderness Wildlife Week. Starting out with the temperature hovering around zero, I was cold. It took a good mile before I started to feel ok. We began at the start of the Cades Cove loop road and walked left up Rich Mountain. I didn't want to stop, just keep going and stay warm. We did stop at the site of an old fire tower and quickly ate lunch. My water bottle froze while stopped and apparently the groves the top screws into got ice all over them and the top didn't close all the way. Once I started walking, water sloshed around and out the top. I felt a little wetness on my butt and when it continued to grow wetter, I discovered the problem but now had to hike in freezing temps with wet pants.
We had nice views of Cades Cove at various points and could usually see cars moving on the roads below. Getting closer to the cove, we saw many deer grazing the fields. The bus was a welcome site and I was glad to finally get warm.
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