Chimney Tops

In the book Day Hikes of the Smokies, the Chimney Tops trail is listed in the "Strenuous Day Hikes" section. We had hiked it years ago when our children were small, but I didn't remember it at all. More recently, we had started the hike only to have to turn around about half way through so we could make it to a prior obligation on time.

We started out from a crowded parking lot. The six of us:

Nathan & Rebeccan in the red shirts, Rod & Pam to the right of the photo, and Heidi in the front and hubby Chuck in the middle.

We headed out on August 29, 2015 in upper 70 degree weather, hoping it would stay cool so we could hike in relative comfort. We weren't all that prepared. I didn't have hiking shoes or a backpack, although I could stuff everything in hubby's backpack. Hubby forgot his handkerchief that he wears religiously when he exercises. I can't speak for the others, but there was a shopping bag that someone carried to the top ...

At the top, instead of hiking across the peak of Chimney #1, we elected to go around the side, totally missing the sign that said "Do Not Hike Over Here" or some such wording. To get to the top involved a bit of rock climbing, although dear son Chase, not on this trip, would have probably called it bouldering. Rock climbing sounds more intense ...

We made it to the top, not sure what's so funny. Here is Chuck with his borrowed handkerchief, thanks to Rod ...

All of us at the top:

Nathan, being more adventurous than the rest of us, hiked over to the second chimney. Here you can see him at the peak:

I chose to descend the same way I ascended, although I think I chose a slightly different route, as it sure did look a lot steeper on the way down than it did on the way up. The rest of the group went across the top of the first chimney. Since I don't have pictures of that route, I would love for another in the group to write a post with their own pictures.

Our legs were feeling it on the way down ...

Looking at this picture you can see the route five of us took to get back down. The route I took was the right side of the chimney below.  The second chimney is obscured behind the first chimney shown here.

We made it down with plenty of time to get back to the cabin before dark. I can't say I didn't notice for the next several days that I'd hiked that trail.

So ... 2 miles down ... 900 some to go. Whew! Gotta start somewhere.

Shout-out to the other rest of our group ... post your pictures, I'm missing the ones we took when we arrived back in the parking lot and those taken on the way back from the top of the Chimneys.

STATS:

Chimney Tops - 2 miles (I swear it was longer than that)
Total Mileage - 2 miles
Remaining Mileage - 900 + miles

How It Began

Where do ideas come from? I have found them while driving to work, standing in the kitchen, reading a flyer, copying a recipe, working a puzzle, walking the dog. Really, they're everywhere, ideas are, and they aren't hard to find. Good ideas can be trickier; sometimes they aren't seen for what they are until they've been hashed around a bit and discussed and dismissed and then picked up again.

This idea happened when we were invited to spend a weekend in the Smokies with some friends, Rod and Pam. We are recent empty nesters and our dear friends, also empty nesters, but more experienced at it, were the inspiration for the trip. They had also invited their son and daughter-in-law, Nate and Rebecca. So the six of us converged upon a cabin with a steep driveway (that's a requirement for all cabins in the Smokies) on a Friday night in September, 2015.

As we were sitting in the living room of the cabin that night, Rod picked up a magazine about the Smokies that way lying on the coffee table and read aloud a few things that caught his attention. He mentioned the 900 Miler Club in conversation and piqued my interest. I'd not heard of that club and wasn't sure if I wanted to guess what it was. He continued to read about it and it remained a topic of idle conversation throughout the weekend.

We had already decided that the Saturday hike would be the Chimney Top Trail. And that is what we hiked. Rod, Pam, Nathan and Rebecca had hiked Clingman's Dome and Laurel Falls on Friday, before we had arrived, and had bought a book called Day Hikes of the Smokies and marked off their hikes.

I am a list person, so this idea intrigued me, and before the weekend was over, I had bought myself a copy of the book. It was on the way home that I looked up the website for the 900 Miler Club, and became inspired with the GOOD IDEA.

Why Not? All we have is time, bits of it here and there anyway. And we aren't too far from the Smokies. I hoped to get my husband on board with the idea, never dreaming that we would all six fall for the IDEA and be in it together (in theory at this point anyway).

So there you have it, another IDEA for your idea pile. Why not?