For my first real "hike" in Great Smokey Mountains National Park, I chose to make my way up to the Chimney Tops geologic feature. From the description, the trail seemed fairly challenging and the idea of climbing out onto the high stone pyramid for the magnificent view seemed amazing. As I parked my jeep along the roadside near the trailhead and made my way to the beginning of the hike, a sign caught my attention and indicated that the final section of the trail, which actually allows one to climb out onto the pyramid, is closed due to wildfire damage from some point in the recent past. Well, that's unfortunate, but I'm here, might as well make my way to the overlook.
The trail starts easy enough with a couple of quick creek crossings. Within the park, it seems that most creek crossings have had sturdy wooden bridges constructed across them to allow for easier access. Even from the beginning though, I can see that this trail is going to be straight uphill the entire way. That wouldn't bother me too much normally, but in this place and since moving to Georgia, I've noticed how much the heat and humidity takes out of me. I find myself having to drink far more water than I ever did while hiking out west.
The trail is busy, but not overly crowded. Along the route, I encounter a number of families heading to the overlook. Everyone is friendly and most are wearing masks (or at least putting them on as we approach each other) in line with the current recommendations for dealing with the pandemic.
As I continue to up the mountain, I come across several sections laden with wooden and stone steps. In some cases, these are pretty striking visually, as they twist and turn up the green hillside. I'm really sweating terribly and going through water much as I expected I would. The constant climb is a bit taxing, but it's good to get my heart pumping a little bit.
Finally reaching an area with several large platform steps built into the hill, I stop for a rest and ask a few people that are taking in the view from here how much further we are able to go. Apparently, none of them has actually checked yet and have stopped here before continuing on. I can see Chimney Tops from here, but decide to make my way around the corner to see how much further I can get. Quickly though, I run into a locked gate obstructing the cliffside trail and indicating that it is not safe to continue further due to the fire damage. Presumably, the fire took out root systems, or more specifically the trees those root systems belong to, that support the trail.
As I turn to head back, an older couple that was resting at the steps comes up behind me and we briefly discuss the closure. We note that a couple people have ignore the warning and are making their way up the pyramid. I tell the folks that I'm not willing to risk injury or damaging the trail even further. They agree and we all head back towards the trailhead.
The return is pretty easy, as expected since it is all downhill. Finally returning to my jeep, I see that I got in about 3.9 miles on this hike. With the 1,200' feet or so of elevation gain, it has made for a pretty good first hike.
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