Not Quite A Humdinger

Ashley and I were hoping we could both participate in today's St. Thomas youth outing to the Smokies even though it was a repeat of a past Humdinger Hike. She wasn't able to join us, but we did run into some familiar faces along the way. You can read about the hike here.

Wet Rocks Are Slippery

Of course it is obvious that wet rocks are slippery, but I like to emphasize and reiterate important information.

This hike was a lot of fun, in spite of the ominous clouds and humidity. It rained on the way up, but it only rained for a short while when we were actually on the trail. I might make this hike again with friends as part of our summer hanging out. There were also an awful lot of tempting swimming holes along the way...

Jakes Creek, Cucumber Gap, and Little River trails were relatively flat. The only noticeable incline was the first 0.3 mile jaunt. Even so, with a bum leg I was hurting at the end of the hike. Hopefully, this funky ligament isn't a permanent nuisance.

If you're hoping to keep your feet dry, whether professional or beginner hiker, then this little loop may not be for you. There are several stream crossings, and if you are anything like me, well, you could get a little wet.

Luckily, I never fell in. At one point though, I almost lost it. As Fr. Christian was climbing up the bank, I literally danced/skated across the hardest crossing. Wet rocks are slippery, I knew that. Having that knowledge doesn't prepare you for flying across a stream, but that's basically what I did. When I landed on the other side, my bum leg/ligament wasn't very happy, but the rest of me was because I didn't fall in! I don't know how it happened.

Stay dry folks!

Here Comes The Sun

This morning I awoke to the sound of rain outside my window. Usually this would be a soothing sound, especially on a holiday when I could sleep in. Today it was the last thing I wanted to hear as I prepared for the second hike of the Humdinger Project. Not to be discouraged, I decided to wear a hat from Sundog Outfitters in Damascus, Virginia. It seemed like a good way to inspire the sun to come out to play. As Ashley and I drove toward the Smokies the rain continued to fall. The closer we got to our destination, the harder it seemed to rain.

One lesson I have learned from both the Smokies and the Appalachian Trail is that you can't control the weather, you just have to accept it. The other thing that I always try to keep in mind about the Smokies, even on days when the sun is shining at home, is that it is a rainforest. There is always the possibility of rain.

Oddly enough today, the vast majority of rain was what we experienced on the drive to the park. All the trails were damp from earlier rain, but there was really only about five minutes of actual rain on the hike today. Almost as soon as the rain had begun, it stopped and out came the sun and blue skies. The power of the Sundog showed forth clearly today.


We began the hike with a short section of Jakes Creek Trail and continued on to Cucumber Gap Trail. Cucumber Gap is a fairly easy trail with gentle ups and downs with one moderately difficult stream crossing. The majority of our hike today was on the Little River Trail. The Little River is actually pretty big when compared to many other rivers and streams in the Smokies. This trail too is a relatively easy hike that follows the river closely. The only difficulties we encountered on our hike of the Little River Trail were the several stream crossings, which were especially difficult near Campsite 30.


Rain did not discourage us today and as a result we had a sunny hike on soggy ground.