Chimney Tops: The "Off Trail" Path

 Apparently the well known Chimney Tops trail and stunning peak in The Smokey Mountains National Park caught fire on November 23, 2016, burning over 11,000 acres.   Due to this fire the last leg of the trail, including its peak is blocked off to hikers such as ourselves.  However, as we reached a lookout point where we could view the peak and another mountain height view, we noticed several others climbing hiking past the gate blocking the trail and hiking up the sheer rock peak that used to be open to the public.  Our family had visited that peak years ago before the fire.  

The hike up the mountain was again, beautiful!  This time there was less cliffs and sights of nearby mountain heights before reaching the top, but rather the beauties of rushing waters, bridges and paths, bushes and tress, and many, many steep steps to climb.  

Once we reached the lookout, shortly before a gate blocked the path, we waited for everyone to catch up as we enjoyed the view, conversations and some snacks we brought along.  This first picture is of the trail, had we continued on it toward the peak, as well as the peak in the distance.  

This is that same peak zoomed up close.  Notice the speck up on top of the peak... that is another hiker that we noticed up on top.  There are several more on the path leading up to that point too.  

While enjoying the view up here, we took a few family photos.

After a good long break, we turned around and headed back down the mountain.

Well....  at least dad, Alex, and I did - and we encountered bear number four!  The more adventuresome in the group (David, Jonathan, and Abi) decided to forgo the warning about the trail being closed, as other hikers had done, and enjoyed the more challenging trek of climbing to the peak of Chimney Tops (of which included climbing over some trees that had fallen on the path).  

But the sights were stunning...

Now... just to give a better perspective of the sheerness of Chimney Tops (pictured above), this is some of our daring crew climbing the steep stone "chimney" jutting up from the earth.

And here is some of the views they encountered from those great heights and precarious edges.

 

As well as one of the burnt trees in the way...

From the top of the higher of the two peaks at Chimney Tops. . . 

WOW .  .  .