Seems More Like A Road

It has been too long since our last Humdinger Hike, but we are still committed to finishing the project. The theme for our most current hike is "Seems More Like A Road". We decided on a loop hike that would begin with the short Gatlinburg Trail and later include the Twin Creeks and Old Sugarlands Trails.

Hiking Trails of the Smokies lists as highlights on the Gatlinburg Trail: lack of hills, homesites. To this I would agree and add that it is really not so much of trail as it is part of a road and what amounts to a city park walk. The "trail" begins with views of the park maintenance center on the left and the Little Pigeon River on the right.



In order to get to the Twin Creeks trailhead, we had to walk through Gatlinburg. As has been mentioned on this blog in the past, I am not the biggest fan of Gatlinburg, but at least we saw some wildlife on our way through the town.


The Twin Creeks Trail is much more of the typical trail one would find in the park. It is relatively flat and would probably make a good short hike to do with kids, especially if taken in the opposite direction that we hiked it. There are a couple of stream crossings that could present a challenge after it has rained, but overall it is an easy hike.


Hiking Trails of the Smokies states that the hardest part of hiking this trail is finding it.


If you are starting from Ogle Cabin, I would agree. There are no clear signs that mark where the trail begins. There is a path marked as a nature trail which if followed straight to the creek leads to an old mill. This short walk would be great for those who are not looking for a hike, but simply a short stroll through the woods.


We happened upon the mill by accident when we turned right instead of left upon arriving at the end of the Twin Creeks Trail. If you want to start this trail from Ogle Cabin, simply follow the nature trail until you come to the first trail to the right. The trail is just under two miles of mostly downhill travel from this direction.


Since we were traveling the other direction, our path was to lead us 3/4 of a mile up Cherokee Orchard Road to Ashley's least favorite trail in the park so far, Rainbow Falls. We easily found Old Sugarlands trailhead at the top of the hill and began the descent to Sugarlands Visitor Center. Old Sugarlands Trail is one of my favorites in this part of the park as it winds through an old settlement. You can still see signs of the days when people lived and worked in this area.


A good part of the trail follows the Little Pigeon River, but unlike the Gatlinburg Trail there are no signs of modern civilization. A friend and I once happened upon a mother bear with several cubs while walking this trail.

I am glad that we found a day to pick back up on the Humdinger Project. Our hope is to get back to more frequent hikes. If any of our readers are interested in joining us, you are always welcome!

Climbing Mt. Leconte

It has been a couple of weeks since our latest Humdinger Hike, but I wanted to weigh in with thoughts on Mt. Leconte. Our most recent hike was to the top of this well known mountain in the Smokies by way of the Alum Cave trail, which is by the way one of my favorite hikes in the park. Alum Cave trail has some of the most spectacular rock formations and views in the park, but it is also steep and I would even consider certain sections of the trail to be dangerous. The first time I hiked this trail was in the winter and patches of ice made me cling close to the cliff walls for fear of plummeting to my death off the side of the mountain.

There are four other trails that lead to the top of the mountain, two of which we have already hiked as a part of the Humdinger Project. The other four trails are Rainbow Falls, Bull Head, The Boulevard and Trillium Gap. I have never been on the Boulevard Trail, but Trillium Gap is one that I am looking forward to hiking again. Trillium Gap is the only trail in the park where one can walk behind a waterfall at Grotto Falls and it is not unusual to encounter llamas coming up or down the trail carrying supplies to Leconte Lodge.

As you can see from our pictures, the views are great and there is ample opportunity to take in some relaxation between the work of hiking up some steep inclines.




Leconte Lodge is an interesting place. It sits atop the third highest mountain in the Smokies at 6593 feet. It is one of the highest places to stay overnight in the Eastern US. I have stayed at the Lodge twice and for those who can get a reservation, I highly recommend it. The benefits of staying at the lodge are that one gets two days of hiking in beautiful country, a nice beef stroganoff dinner and breakfast the next morning, a bed to sleep in and a great place to be with friends and make new ones.



We are always looking for new friends who like to hike. If you would like to join us for a visit to the Smokies, please let us know. We would be happy to have you join us for a walk in the woods!

Video Clips from the First Hike of the Humdinger Project

Quite the Outing

As Fr. Christian mentioned, this hike was our first of many in our journey to complete all the trails in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I wish I could say that the idea was mine, because it is so awesome, but he gets all the credit.

However, our first hike was picked by our honored guest, Ken Naumann. We hiked up Rainbow Falls and down Bull Head with a short trip on Old Sugarlands. The trails offered wonderful views of the park but were rather rocky. If you're tender footed or incredibly clumsy, like myself, I wouldn't start here. The jaunt to Rainbow Falls is slightly rocky, but the view is well worth it. Also, it would be a great spot to have lunch.

The wildlife consisted of the occasional bird, a lot of flies/flying insects, a beetle or two, a chipmunk, and this little guy!

FC's motto for the hike was "There's No Adequate Substitute for an Early Start." My motto unfortunately became "Mind Over Matter." At some point, I did something to my right leg, and after Rainbow Falls, it felt like someone was stabbing me every time I took a step. Although Rainbow Falls trail is not the steepest way to get to Mt. Leconte, the incline took a toll on my bum leg.

However, with my cheerleaders cheering me on, lots of water, a painkiller, and the always present and very annoying phrase "it's mind over matter", I was able to finish the hike. I'm glad that I did, because it would have been an epic fail to not finish the first hike!

You know, my favorite part of this entire hike was when we reached the sign and place where the Rainbow Falls and Bull Head trails meet. I remember sort of shouting with joy to take a picture. That sign was the most beautiful thing I had seen all day...because it meant everything after that would be downhill!

Downhill was easier to walk, but Grace is my middle name. If there is a rock or a tree root or a fallen branch, my feet will find them. And I will trip. It is inevitable. Unbeknownst to my companions, there were times when, because I tripped, I almost fell off the side of the mountain.

Cross your fingers that I will be less clumsy. Hopefully as time progresses and more hikes are completed, I will be in better shape. I didn't gain the "freshman 15" but I sure as heck didn't get in shape walking across campus the past year.

In the end, it's good to know that you're friends will be there cheering you along when you think you can't go any further. It is also nice to spend a great day outside away from civilization. We don't often get the chance to admire nature for the sake of admiring it, so if you ever get the chance, go hiking!

Rainbow Falls, Mind Over Matter & Traveling String Bands

This morning we set out on the first of what I hope will be many hikes on the way to our goal of hiking every trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Today's trails were chosen by Ken Naumann, a parishioner of St. Thomas who has been wanting me to head into the woods with him for many months. He chose a loop that took us near the summit of Mt. Leconte via the Rainbow Falls Trail, then down the mountain via the Bull Head Trail, ending with a very short section of the Old Sugarlands Trail to arrive once again at our car. As expected, we did not get the early start that we would have liked, but there was more than enough daylight to get us from beginning to end.

It has been a few years since I have hiked on Mt. Leconte and I had forgotten how high one climbs to get to the top. At 6593 feet, Mt. Leconte is the third highest peak in the park. There are five trails that will take you to the top of the mountain and prior to today's adventure I had only hiked three of them. Tonight as I write this I can add Rainbow Falls to the list. On a beautiful spring day like today, Rainbow Falls Trail is spectacular. It could be a tough trail for beginners though as it climbs 4,000 feet in under seven miles. Early in the day, I found myself breathing hard as we continued climbing, climbing, climbing.

As continued our trek up the mountain, we began looking for signs of Rainbow Falls. I didn't know whether to expect a large or small waterfall, but thankfully a couple who had been on this trail many times gave us a description that would make it hard to miss. They also were traveling with a beautiful Siberian Husky whom I felt sorry for due to the heat. When we reached the the falls and creek below, however, the dog knew where to find comfort and was soon resting in the cold mountain waters.

As we continued up the trail, we soon discovered some bad news. Ashley was beginning to feel some pain in her leg that was not to soon subside. Pain is part of hiking, but it is never fun to endure. One thing I have learned in many years of hiking and backpacking, however, is that much of this kind of pain can be overcome with what I would refer to today as "mind over matter". When things are tough on the trail, your thoughts can be your best friend or your worst enemy. Ken and I did our best to encourage Ashley as she made her way to the downward section of the trail, while also making sure to take plenty of rest breaks and pain killers. It isn't all mental after all!

On our downward journey we encountered an unexpected group that included another St. Thomas parishioner and an excellent musician, Bo Carey. Bo and his fellow musician friends were heading up to Leconte Lodge, instruments in tow, to spend the night and no doubt to entertain the other lodgers with their excellent skills on the strings. I hope they had an enjoyable time. Leconte Lodge is a wonderful hiking destination. Here's how it works. You reserve a spot in advance, hike up Mt. Leconte, sit down to dinner (which always seems to be beef stroganoff and noodles), sleep overnight in a bed, sit down for breakfast, and hike back down. Not a bad deal, is it?

So down we went on the Bull Head Trail, with beautiful views and several stream crossings. At around the half way point of this trail is a stone platform known as the Pulpit. Here I took a few moments to preach upon the one of the fundamental tenants of hiking, that being,

THERE IS NO ADEQUATE SUBSTITUTE FOR AN EARLY START!

There are certainly substitutes, like starting late with friends and making sure to care for one another with concern for injuries, good conversation and cold bottles of Snapple prepared in advance for the end of the day. But is this type of substitute adequate? I'll let you decide.