Three Days in the Smokies with Six Kids

We rented a cabin just outside Gatlinburg with a wraparound porch and exactly enough beds if two of the kids didn't mind bunking. Spoiler: they minded, loudly, for about four minutes — then claimed the loft as their fort for the whole trip.

Day one was all settling in: a grocery run for a week's worth of pancake mix, a card game that got competitive fast, and a first walk down to the creek where Kate and Libby discovered that cold mountain water is, in fact, cold.

Day two was the hike. We picked an easy loop, packed more snacks than any family reasonably needs, and let the older four set the pace while the twins rode shoulders when their legs gave out. Nobody remembers the trail name. Everybody remembers Dominic finding the salamander.

That's the thing we keep learning: the memory is never the itinerary. It's the salamander. It's the porch at night. It's eight people too tired to argue, watching the fog roll in.