When faced with the unfortunate reality that we would have to cancel our trip to the Azores Islands, we knew we would still need an excuse to get out of our tiny quarantine apartment for a summer trip together. We resorted to taking a trip within driving distance of Tampa, due to COVID, and ended up booking a beautiful log cabin on Airbnb in Murphy, North Carolina for four nights.
The location was incredibly remote with not a whole lot to do nearby, making it the perfect place for the intention of our getaway: relaxing and disconnecting. Our main draw to the cabin was the mountain views from the back porch and they were even better in person than the Airbnb pictures did them justice. We loved seeing deer in the yard every day and relaxing by the fire pit on the porch every night under the tea lights.
Hiwassee Lake
The main lake near Murphy is the Hiwassee Lake. The lake is extremely secluded and looks blueish-green because of the red clay. The banks are rimmed with tall pine trees and very few houses. Since the Hiwassee Lake system is so vast, most of our adventures led us to different parts of the lake.
We rented a kayak from the Mountain View Marina one afternoon and it was extremely cheap! Only $25 for 4 hours in a double-kayak. The marina also rents pontoon boats and has covered boat slips. We packed a small cooler of brews and swam and paddled around the shore for a few hours. Although it was the weekend and the weather was gorgeous, I was surprised to see how few boats were on the lake with us. We enjoyed how quiet it was!
Since the part of the lake we were on is right next to the Hiwassee Dam, we walked across the top of the dam and took some pictures. It was actually pretty cool to realize just about how high 300+ feet really is.
Hikes
Murphy is about 40 minutes north of the Blue Ridge Mountains and 1-2 hours south of trailheads for the Great Smoky Mountains. Since we had already spent 8+ hours driving to Murphy, we opted for some smaller local hikes nearby our Airbnb. Our favorite was Panther Top Trail, a short but steep out and back trail that's almost 3 miles round trip. There is an old fire ranger lookout at the top, along with an incredible 360 view of the surrounding mountains. We did this hike on our first night and again two days later with some brews and a small backpack picnic.
We tried to make it to the nearby Piney Knob trail system but unfortunately, a 4-wheel drive vehicle is necessary to make it up the steep gravel road that leads to the trail head. Of course we couldn't resist and tried it anyways. We failed. I wasn't willing to risk damaging my new car!
Our least exciting adventure of the trip was our hike at Ramsey's Bluff inside the Hanging Dog Recreation Area of the Nantahala National Forest, where we ended up after we weren't able to access Piney Knob. There is a good view of Hiwassee Lake from a dock near the boat ramp and also from the top of the small bluff, but the hike is pretty uneventful itself. We almost walked past a guy pooping on the side of the trail though, so that gave us a good laugh. We stopped walking and turned our backs to give him some privacy once we realized what was going on!
We only ventured into downtown Murphy once. Due to COVID and wanting to hideout at our cabin, once seemed like enough. We decided to walk the Murphy Riverwalk that wraps around the small city center. The walk is along a narrow gravel path with a few board walks over areas where the ground is too marshy. It was perfect for a quick and easy stroll before dinner but there wasn't a whole lot to see along the path.
Running
Jeremy conducted extensive research and we scoped out a remote gravel road nearby where we could get some runs in during our stay. The route was a 5-mile, no named loop that is partially closed off to cars, but open to pedestrians, near Beech Creek. It's the kind of spot you can really only find if you're looking for it. Both mornings that we ran there were foggy and peaceful; we didn't see anyone but deer and it was wonderful. Being that we're used to running at sea level in Florida, the hills weren't something our bodies weren't used to but we ended up pulling off pretty decent times due to the cooler mountain weather.
After our long run, we went for a dip in what is considered either Persimmon Lake or Beech Creek. It's sort of hard to tell where one part stops and another starts, but it's all part of the larger Hiwassee Lake system. The temperature felt amazing and the stillness of the water was enhanced by the steam rising into the air.
Food
We stopped for some authentic Mexican tacos at La Pastorcita in Atlanta before making a quick grocery run so we could cook most of our meals once we made it to the cabin. Some of our favorite meals of the trip were steaks and salmon on the grill, breakfast quiches and yogurt with fruit and granola, and of course, the classic grilled cheese with tomato soup combo. Our last afternoon we threw together sandwiches with some leftover steak and packed a backpack picnic for one of our hikes.
We only ate two meals out once we made it to Murphy. We made the mistake of trying to grab breakfast from a local spot on Sunday after we finished our long run, but everything local is closed in Murphy on Sunday's, so we ended up at Waffle House. Meaning, I got to pop Jeremy's Waffle House cherry! It's definitely a rite of passage for anyone road tripping. It was a fun diner experience with a whopping $14 tab despite practically ordering one of everything on the menu, and I think we were in and out the door in all of 30-minutes.
On our last night, we got dinner at one of the "fancier" restaurants in downtown Murphy, Murphy's Chophouse. It was sort of a hilarious experience overall, starting with the fact that it's listed on Google as a bilingual school. The service had a small town feel and the waiter was super over the top. He couldn't leave the table without cracking a joke and was what some might call a lingerer. I'm not picky but for the price, our meals definitely left something to be desired. In hindsight, we should have just opted for another diner experience, but at least we got some good laughs out of it. Their patio seating was perfect for a summer night meal though.
Well, that's a wrap for this trip. Until next time!
Commentaires