Short, Sweet, and Saucy: Chimney Tops Trail

For this year's annual Holy Thursday hike, we decided to do the Chimney Tops trail. Last year we cut it close, and with a little less than an hour to spare, we made it back in time for mass. To avoid that anxiety, we chose Chimneys because it's short. Going up, climbing to the top of the rock formations, eating lunch, and coming down took right around 3 hours for our crew. For the first time in awhile, we also had some friends join us! Curt and Kay Sheldon had their first Humdinger hike, and our longtime Humdinger hiker Ken Naumann joined us yet again.

We also chose this trail because of the payoff at the end - the Chimneys. Though I didn't climb all the way to the top to admire the view, I still had an incredible view from my perch halfway up the rock formation. Fr. Christian climbed all the way to the top, and I think he'll write about his experience and the view. I'm not a weenie by any means, but I do know my limits. What with my inability to walk in a straight line, my uncanny ability to trip over nothing on a flat surface, and my cumbersome boots, it wasn't advisable to clamber up the Chimneys. I wasn't the only one from our group to not climb all the way to the top: Curt, Kay, and Ken stayed at the bottom.

Chimney Tops trail is a short hike, only 2 miles up. However, I'd caution that statement with the fact that you climb 1700 feet in those 2 miles, and to state the obvious, you have to come back down those 2 miles! Depending on your preference and your physical limitations (for me, that would be my hip and for Fr. Christian, his knees), the steepness could be a challenge. Fortunately for me, my hip issue didn't rear it's painful head, so I was able to fully enjoy the climb up and down. My only regret is that I forgot to bring my hiking stick. If you haven't done this trail yet, I'd advise bringing yours because it will be immeasurably helpful.

Because the view is incredible (and that it's short), Chimneys is a very popular trail. Very popular. Our merry band of 5 ended up spreading out across the trail into 2 groups, and each group leapfrogged with other people/families/groups on the trail. There were very few moments when it was just us on the trail.

I also learned on this hike that I much rather prefer trails that are less popular and less crowded. Until Chimneys, I hadn't made the conscious decision of what I like and don't like. This is probably why I've been so loath to hike other incredibly well-known and well-visited trails in the park.

What comes with an increased human presence? Garbage. And lots of it! I couldn't believe it. At the end of the hike, I had picked up 2 handfuls worth of trash that other people left behind willy nilly. I actually watched someone hurl an apple core off the Chimneys. At one point I ended up sitting next to the apple thrower, and I looked off to the side of the rock formation and saw orange peels in the dirt. Letting my annoyance be heard by all around me, I picked up the orange peels and so began my trash collection. I found plastic bottle caps, plastic wrappers, and with less than half a mile to the trail head on the way down, I found another pile of orange peels. Except this pile was much worse and scattered all over the place.

Sometimes our posts have little rants in them, and I guess this is one of my rant posts. It's one thing to leave behind something that's biodegradable, but if you're gonna do that, at least throw it somewhere so that the rest of us can't see it. Actually, don't even do that. Bring a plastic bag (or something) and put your trash in it. Packs are convenient, temporary storage places for all sorts of things...water, lunch, a first-aid kit, and even trash. Would you throw trash in your front yard or in your neighbor's yard? No. So why would you do it on the trail? Makes no sense to me.

I also watched a kid whack the heck out of some branches and low-lying plants around a section of the trail that looks like it could be a shortcut, but it's not! It was clearly marked with a sign that says something along the lines of, "this is not a trail. Don't walk here. If you do, you damage..." This is a beautiful national park, and I just wish people would show it more respect. Don't mess with my mountains!

My annoyances with humanity aside, this trail is awesome. It's short with a pretty sweet view, and if you're like me, you might end up being a little saucy at the end of it.

A Cave Named Alum

On Labor Day, Fr. Christian and I were finally able to go on a hike! It was an excellent day for hiking, but at the very beginning of our day, we broke our first rule. There is no adequate substitute for an early start!

In spite of hitting the trail way later than usual, we made pretty good time to the cave that also shares the same name as the trail we were on, Alum Cave Trail. I think our hike took me a bit longer after the cave, closer to reaching Mt. LeConte. This trail is one of the trails that takes you all the way to up to Mt. LeConte. It is also the shortest, 5 miles. I believe it's something like 3,000 feet of elevation change. In 5 miles.

Which proved to be a problem for me. You see, at the time, I was recovering from the tail end of a cold. This made it difficult to breath when hiking up so high in such a short distance.

I'm slightly embarrassed at the number of times that I had to stop, just to catch my breath. Now, part of it was also being way out of shape, but I believe it was mostly due to the poor breathing issues. When we were 0.1 mile away from the Mt. LeConte lodge, FC asked me if I wanted to go down a short trail that connects to the Rainbow Falls trail. We missed that little section on our first Humdinger hike because I hurt my leg and vehemently opposed walking up to the lodge. Or crawling. I'm saying "NOOOOO" in the picture:

In spite of all my whining and being mean to Fr. Christian every time he said, "I think we're close", it was a rather enjoyable hike. There are countless breathtaking views. Walking up the stone steps through Bishop's Arch was cool, but it's a one way street so you don't get a lot of time to admire it as there are other people waiting to go through.

Speaking of other people, this trail is very popular. I'd say it's almost crowded compared to the last hike I went on. We didn't see anyone but ourselves, at least until we got to the Little River swimming hole. On this hike, there were a few groups/pairs that we kept leapfrogging with. A lot of people just go to Alum Cave and then turn around, so traffic essentially cuts down after the cave. Once at the lodge, we did run into our friends Vince Chiaro and Fr. Dan Whitman. It seems every Humdinger hike we either A) Go with a group of friends or B) Run into people we know on the trail. How cool is that?

Overall, I'd say this is a pretty fun and yet challenging hike for the beginner. I would know.

If you want to get to Mt. LeConte in the shortest distance, take Alum Cave Trail. And yes, in spite of the steepness of the trail, it really is a fun hike. But don't be fooled by the short distance to the top because it is killer if you can't breath and if you're out of shape. If wicked awesome geological formations tickle your fancy, this is also a good trail. As a former geology major (I am so indecisive), the rock faces, the cave, and Bishop's Arch are extremely fascinating. If nice views where you can count multiple ridge lines are your thing, there are many of those opportunities.

Fall is rapidly approaching, so go on a hike!

Easiest Hike Ever

Fr. Christian and I were fortunate enough to be able to travel down to the country of El Salvador from June 3-8 to visit Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (NPH). NPH is a home for orphaned and abandoned children, and they have 9 houses in Latin America. It is an organization that aims to provide children with the skills to break the cycle of poverty. It is an organization that truly works. Visit their website to learn more.

For safety reasons, the two of us didn't venture off the grounds of NPH El Salvador, but we did take a stroll around the grounds. It is a beautiful home full of wonderful children and staff.

We dubbed our walk the "Easiest Hike Ever" because it was all flat and concrete. Although, I think I was sweating more in the El Salvador heat and sun than I ever have on a hike here in the Smokies, but that's a personal problem. We guesstimated that the entire hike was around 0.5 mile. We ran into some of the kids, and FC played a quick game of soccer.

I hope you enjoy these brief snapshots that don't do the real thing justice.

A little bird told me that the next Humdinger project will be the kick off for our pancake house contest. Our goal is to visit every pancake house that surrounds the park, and then we will determine which one is the best!

How My Priest Made Me A Cripple

In my previous post, I mentioned my bum leg resulting from the Rainbow Falls/Bull Head/Old Sugarlands hike.

The motto of the hike, in my perspective, was "it's mind over matter." That is true to a point, yes. However I did not fully explain the driving force that kept me going. So here it goes...

When I unfortunately realized that something had gone awry with my right leg, I stopped. Excuse the inaccurate medical terminology, but I'm no doctor. Anyway, it felt like my femur or "hip" (yes, I know, your hip can't pop out) had popped out of the socket or something. Obviously, that was not the case as I could still walk on it, albeit gingerly.

I told Fr. Christian about the recent development. He said, "Try and put it back in place." Much to my amusement, and his, I tried to put whatever it was that had popped out of place back into place. Nothing worked. We walked for a few more minutes when I finally decided that I could not go on. "I don't think I can make it!" cried poor little Ashley.

Fr. Christian, my priest and dear friend, made me a cripple with the following statement, "Yes you can! It's mind over matter." Begrudgingly, I trudged along in the back of the group for the rest of the hike. I was never given the option of turning around. Thinking back, I would not have wanted to turn around and not finish the hike. If it were not for FC, I would not have found the motivation to keep going. He's a good friend to have the faith that I would finish and to believe in me. Still...

Walking uphill hurt like hell. Each step was painful, especially when I would hoist myself up a rather large rock with the wrong leg. Even better though, was my uncanny ability to trip over every damn rock and tree root on the trails.

We finished our hike around 6 that Friday night. On Sunday afternoon, I finally decided that I should have my leg checked out. I went to the emergency room. The x-ray was all good, said the doctor. He believed that the pain came from a ligament between my pelvis and femur that was all wonky. I'll believe that.

The discharge report said, "You have a sprained joint. This means there is a tear in the ligaments that hold the joint together. Severe sprains often need 3-6 weeks to heal completely."

For obvious reasons, Fr. Christian and I won't be having a hike for a few weeks. Once my bum leg gets better, we'll be back out on the trails.

My leg doesn't hurt that much anymore. I know that hiking comes with the added risks of injury. Fr. Christian and our friend Fr. David have told me about their numerous aches and pains during their Appalachian Trail hikes. After this incident and upon hearing stories of far worse injuries, I feel that I am better prepared to embrace any future injuries while hiking.

I just never figured that my priest would make me a cripple on our first hike. To that, all I can say is lol.

Stay tuned!

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!