December 3-5, 2010
Drove up to Gatlinberg, TN on Friday, December 3rd. The trip took 2 hours more than anticipated due to icy conditions and the Christmas/Holiday parade in downtown Gatlinberg. If you're going in winter, check out what's going on in Gatlinberg before you plan your arrival so you have a more accurate guess on arrival times.
We took this trip with three friends - Carolyn from FL, April originally from FL now from Atlanta, and Ian, from Michigan.
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| Our weekend adventure group! |
We stayed at "BETWEEN HERE AND THERE," a super cute 3 bedroom/2 bath cabin with hot tub and fireplace. Jackson Mountain Homes was a great place to rent from. Their selection of cabins is pretty wide-ranging and the people there are very nice and accommodating.
Saturday morning was wet, cold and overcast but we decided to go on with the hike anyway. We took a look at the topo and were ready for our 4 mile round-trip adventure.
The Visitors Center right inside the park was incredibly helpful. They had ponchos for purchase (which ended up being insanely useful) and suggested that we not try to summit Chimney Tops if the rocks at the top were wet.
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| Carolyn, Amanda and Victor checking out the topo |
We got to the trailhead ready to go and it started sleeting. Despite the 33 degree weather and now the rain, we decided to press onward.
The trail was beautiful. A wide trail, it was large enough for us to walk two across in most spots. With icicles dangling off of the trees and rocks and a light dusting of snow and ice over the trees, it really was a winter wonderland. Keeping the riverbed to our right for most of the hike, we used the rocks on the left side of the trail for support as we slid over icy patches. If you're going to Chimney Tops after Thanksgiving, I recommend bringing hiking poles. Those would have helped immensely with ice-related balance issues. I think everyone in the group took one good fall on ice.
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| Icy trails |
When we got towards the top, the trail became even more slick. Dirt and leaves gave way to rock and stone. Luckily, a set of cables had been installed and made crossing this spot much easier.
We stopped to admire the icicles and take a short breather, as hiking uphill with dropping temperatures and fighting against ice patches seemed much harder than regular uphill hiking.
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| Amanda posing with a fallen icicle |
Once past the cables and a few more switchbacks, we had made it to (almost) the summit. Remembering the tip from the Visitors Center, we decided to stop hiking and eat lunch here before heading down. The views from Chimney Tops are said to be remarkable. Gusting winds and storm clouds rolling in not only blocked any view we may have had, the sleet and ice stopped us from scrambling the boulders and making it to the actual summit. But look at these rocks. Would you want to climb over these while they're wet and covered in ice and you're wearing a pack? Didn't think so.
So we headed back down the trail after a short break for water and delicious turkey sandwiches. Our timing couldn't have been better. The wind started picking up and snow began to fall intermittently.
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| We stopped for a quick shot on our way back. |
When we were almost back to the car, dropping down into the rocks by the riverbed proved to be a great windbreaker. Victor pulled out his small propane stove and boiled some water for hot chocolate. It was an amazing treat after the cold, wet hike and everyone enjoyed their mug of warmth while taking in the beauty of the river.
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| Victor making backcountry hot chocolate |
The drive back to the rental cabin was only about 20 minutes and we took advantage of the washer-dryer to get all of our wet, dirty hiking clothes clean. Putting on warm, dry pajamas to enjoy the fire and a night of movies was a great end to an even better trip.
Despite the weather, we all had an awesome time. The scenery was beautiful and the hike was just strenuous enough to leave us feeling like we did some kind of exercise.
We want to go back sometime in the future when it's not raining so we can actually get to the top and see the beautiful views that we missed out on this time!
We are always looking for great trips.
Please comment below if you have any awesome trip suggestions!
