FLY A KITE LIKE A PRO
3 Expert Tips and Tricks
Flying a kite is a quintessential spring activity, especially for children. But if you struggled to keep your kite in the air as a kid, you’re not alone. Fortunately, you can use a few simple tricks to significantly improve your skills — and help your child become the best kite-flier on the block. Find the right spot. Hopefully, it goes without saying that you shouldn’t fly kites near power lines. Flying it near trees and cars is also a bad idea. It’s best to have at least a quarter-mile open space around you for safety and the best wind conditions. Beaches, empty sports fields, and parks with wide open areas are the perfect places to get your kite airborne. Have the wind at your back. Literally! This position will allow you to watch your kite as it ascends into the air. On a sufficiently windy day, simply holding the kite up by its lowest point and letting go as you unspool your string will be enough to launch it into the sky. When it’s not windy enough for your kite to take flight, try a long-line launch by unspooling about 50 feet of string in a straight line and then taking off running. Remember that kite-flying simply won’t work on some days. If your kite keeps crashing tail first, it may indicate too little wind, while a head-first kite fall may mean too strong a breeze.
Keep it tight. Launching your kite is usually the trickiest part of the process, but keeping it aloft isn’t always straightforward. To ensure your kite stays in the air, you must retain tension on the string — but not too much. It’s time to reel out some of the line when the kite begins to tug. But too much string can weigh down your kite and bring it back to earth. When your line starts to slack, slowly spool it in until it feels taut. Keep your eyes on your kite and your mind on the reel, and you’ll be flying like a pro in no time.
Gwen and Scott are clients here at Wolf Retirement who recently left the Sunshine State to relocate to a home right outside the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to embrace one of their favorite hobbies: hiking! “Here, you get all four seasons, and even winter hiking is a blast,” Gwen tells us. For all of us who would like to visit this gorgeous national park and hike some incredibly beautiful trails, this adventurous couple has prepared a list of their favorite lodges in the Great Smoky Mountains. LeConte Lodge, Tennessee This hike-in, hike-out lodge is only accessible on foot! There are seven or eight trails leading to the lodge, but the shortest hike, Alum Cave Trail, is roughly 10.5 miles round trip with some breathtaking views along the way. LeConte Lodge operates off a lottery system to book reservations (the first time Gwen and Scott tried to book a stay, it took them five years). The cabins are lit by candlelight and are super cozy. Charit Creek Lodge Charit Creek Lodge in Jamestown, TN, is also only accessible via hiking, but this trail is only about 1 1/2 miles long. Unlike some of the other lodges, they have a community shower room! The lodge serves gourmet breakfast and dinner and has gorgeous views as the cabins and bunkhouses back up to a stream. If you opt to stay in a cabin, you’ll have your very own wood-burning fireplace. Hike Inn Located in Georgia close to the beginning of the Appalachian Trail, the Hike Inn is a “green lodge,” which means that whatever you bring into the park, you must take back out with you — no trash gets left behind! Gwen and Scott visited on many Thanksgivings when their family lived in Florida. They’d hike all day long and take in some magnificent scenery. A Hiker’s Guide to the Smoky Mountains IN THE SPOTLIGHT
The Hike Inn serves up a family-style dinner, then breakfast the next day. The Swag Nestled in North Carolina, The Swag recently jumped to the top of Gwen and Scott’s list of favorites. Last year, they stayed there for their 40th wedding anniversary. Every guest is greeted with a glass of wine and pampered throughout their entire stay. For a once-in-a-lifetime experience in the most beautiful and nurturing of environments, The Swag is the place to go! Thank you so much, Gwen and Scott, for sharing these special places with all of us. Your actual experiences definitely “heighten” the recommendations for terrific places to stay while visiting and exploring the wonders of the Great Smoky Mountains!
Check Out Gwen and Scott’s Top 4 Recommendations Online! Hike Inn Hike-Inn.com LeConte Lodge LeConteLodge.com Charit Creek Lodge CCL-BSF.com The Swag TheSwag.com
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