Not 5 miles west of Sugerland Visitor's center is a great (easy) trail to Laural falls. Its 1.3m to the falls and back. Kobes and I hiked there this weekend on Friday morning to visit this great falls. We then proceed to hike down the creek (one of my favorite pastimes).
I have decided after this weekend that my old hiking boots from about 5 years ago are not quite as waterproof as they once were. :( Getting out this last weekend was a blast, I found out how much I missed the mountains, and the smokeys are right up there as one of the most beautiful areas close to Lexington.
The Smokeys has absolutely brilliant creeks, rivers, and of course, waterfalls. We went waterfall hunting Friday, and this was the first of three that we hiked to.
Waterfall hunting, like any kind of hunting, begins with a good scouting report. That being the case, I knew the rangers at Sugerland would be more than happy to oblige. I walked into the ranger stating with my maps printed from the Smokeys website, marked with blue X's indicating waterfalls that I had in my sights. I made right for the closest ranger at the desk, but being the strange fellow that I am, I changed rangers and decided I was only going to talk to the old man in corner with a sparkle in his eye and a grin ear to ear. This was the type of fellow that I could relate to. Someone who would tell you the secrets to the park for a wink and a smile.
I laid out my iny-weeny, tiny, miniscule map I had printed the previous day (on a brilliant color Lexmark laser printer, of course). He looked over my map a second with his glasses down and his brows furrowed. I told him I was waterfall hunting and pointed to the blue X's like marked treasure in an Island. Immediately, he pointed out that one of the falls I wanted to see, was a much longer hike because the closest trailhead was closed. Then he went on talking about a waterfall not on the map that was easily accessible. I quickly took his pen that was sitting on the desk, and marked a now black X. He is the type of person who does not mind one being presumptuous as long as your map is wrinkled and marked like a Keeneland track guide. We talked about Clingman's dome for a few minutes, and exchanged some old stories. We talked of an attack route for Ramey's falls, which is an 8 mile hike, and needs some additional scouting
We settled our talk in a matter of minutes with a lifetime of conveyances. I left with two new waterfalls, one of mine scratched off the list, recommendations on where to catch up with sunset, a firm handshake, and an exchange of names. I ended up almost lifting that little, cheap black pen, but as I turned he reminded me about the pen. I smiled, and gave it back, almost as if he had just told me a funny joke. You see, the joke is this; pens don't matter, waterfalls, in and of themselves, don't matter. It's the in-between that matters; the living part of life is what matters. Its the in-between that contains the context. Don't miss the context, and only go for the climax.
The picture was taken following the creek down past Laurel falls; the next time you are in the smokey's go find a ranger with a twinkle in his eye. He might be sitting in a corner with feeble feet, quiet, and sucking on an old pipe. What he most likely will do is try to understand you in little more than 5 minutes, then tell you what you need to hear. Trust me, if he says skip the waterfalls on the map, skip em. If you don't follow his advice, you probably don't deserve the journey or the reward.
Hope that provides some context for you.......
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