Introduction
Welcome to the 86th entry in the Hiking Topic Section, dear reader! This article describes the Tuesday afternoon hike, my 208th, on House Mountain, the highest elevation in Knox County, Tennessee. It is located about 7.5 miles east from our house. Conveniently nearby, I often hike there. The trails are challenging, and the views are spectacular.
Having limited time, I only hiked up and back down the west trail. (The upper-middle bluff, however, with its spectacular view, was calling me.) The weather was sunny and pleasant with the temperature in the 60-degree Fahrenheit range. The focus in this article is on my impromptu conversation at the west bluff with a fellow hiker and the sound of the mountain stream while I hiked down and out. I had to record the tranquil sound!
Before sharing the story about my hike, however, I must rant for a moment about the psychobabble, which urged me to the woods. I needed outdoor alleviation!
Before Hiking: Bureaucratic Psychobabble!
Before heading for the mountain, I was on the phone with my dentist's office and my health insurance company. In January, my health insurance provider dropped my dental provider and several others from its network. My dental group had asked the insurance company to provide its fee schedule. Afterward, my dental provider would complete the requirements to return to the health insurance network. Three months have passed, and the fee schedule still has not been sent!
For about an hour and a half in total, I was on the phone with my dental provider and then my health insurance company. The female representative from the health insurance company even connected a staff member at my dentist's office and me in a three-way call with her. After a while, however, the representative dropped off and left the lady with my dental provider and me still on the line. We were amazed!
I, however, found out the reasonable cost for my upcoming six-month checkup and confirmed my appointment with the staff member. My health insurance provider is well known. The bureaucratic psychobabble from the representative, however, drove me to the woods! I had to get some relief!
Hiking Up the West Trail
Ah! Relief! The woods and the relative solace freed me from the earlier gobbledygook. Getting outside in the sunny and warm weather helped. Starting my hike at 2:21 PM, I challenged myself once again to see how long it would take to reach the bluff. The recent rain on Resurrection Sunday (Easter) had left muddy runoff, around which I gingerly found a way along the connector trail.
While hiking up the four lower switchbacks, a young lady complemented my canteen as she hiked past me. (The next section includes our conversation at the west bluff.) Embarrassed by being passed by a faster hiker but undaunted, I continued through the lower area of the trail, negotiated around the fallen tree, and started hiking up the six upper switchbacks at 2:38 PM. Seven sweaty minutes later, I reached the final switchback and started west along the trail below the ridge. I had only paused briefly to sip water from my canteen. Remember to stay hydrated!
At 2:56 PM, I reached the west bluff. Once again, it took 35 minutes to hike up to the bluff. Will I ever be able to return to my once-usual time of 24 to 28 minutes? Those hikes were before I acquired the 25 pieces of surgically implanted metal in my left shoulder, right knee, and right foot. I am still a “lame mountain goat.” I keep trying! My strength, lung capacity, and heart have not weakened with age.
Photograph and Conversation at the West Bluff
When I reached the west bluff, the young lady who had out-hiked me on the way up was reclining on the rock outcropping and listening to music on her cell phone. With earbuds in her ears, she didn't hear or see me at first.
Once she noticed me, I introduced myself. Her first name is Nova, a young orthopedist from Boston who has moved to Knoxville. It was her first hike on House Mountain. I encouraged her to hike to and enjoy the view from the upper-middle bluff. Nova and I shared our hiking adventures. As an avid hiker, her friends and she may explore other nearby locations such as Norris Dam State Park, Big Ridge State Park, Panther Creek State Park, and Cove Lake State Park. Our pleasant conversation continued for over 30 minutes.
After Nova headed east along the ridge trail, I took the following photograph at 3:37 PM:
The view looks south. The rock formation is where Nova had been relaxing. I wondered if the distant haze was due to the current abundance of tree pollen in the air.
Hiking Down the West Trail: Recording of the Mountain Stream
Seconds after taking the above image, I started hiking back down and out on the same west trail. I had not gone far and was still on the trail below the ridge when my sister-in-law, who lives nearby, texted me at 3:50 PM, asking if I had called the cemetery! (Later, I learned that the text was for my wife.) Two young men happened to be hiking up at about that time. Jokingly, I asked, “How should I reply to my sister-in-law, whose text asked if I had called the cemetery? I didn't know that I was supposed to call them.” Neither they nor I had a clue!
As an important point about my recovery, there are two rock formations, close together, on the trail below the ridge. Before I was almost killed on Tuesday, 3/29/2016, I could easily step down those formations. Once my recovery from near-death allowed me to hike again, I have had to crab-crawl down those formations, using my hands, feet, and backside. On this 208th hike, I stepped down along both formations, placing my left hand on the rock formations as I did so! That was a significant accomplishment for this “lame mountain goat.”
The trek down the upper switchbacks continued without further textual interruptions. I simply enjoyed the experience and the views. By the way, hiking down, my “bionic” right knee is able to “apply the breaking system” as well as my normal left knee. It has taken ten years to do so.
Before descending the four lower switchbacks, I paused at 4:13 PM to photograph the fallen tree, mentioned in the first and second articles from 3/31/2026.
The tree had fallen exactly across the trail. The easiest way to get around it is to step carefully up, over, and down that nearly 45-degree slope.
After hiking down the lower switchbacks, I paused at the mountain stream, which crosses the trail, to wash off dirt and dust from the soles of my warm-weather hiking shoes. Shortly afterward, I had to pause to enjoy seeing and hearing the gentle flow of the mountain stream.
Would you like to hear and see for yourself? Appalachian Irishman – Podcasts (YouTube) presents House Mountain Hike 208, Tue., 4-7-2026: Listen to the Mountain Stream! (pub. 4-12-2026; ep. 42). The brief clip, just over two minutes, enjoys the tranquil silence as the mountain stream trickles nearby. It relaxed my mind, soul, and body. I tried to keep my comments brief.
Touching the sign near the picnic area at 4:40 PM ended my hike. Before driving back home, I picked mud out of the soles of my warm-weather hiking shoes and let my tee shirt dry in the gentle breeze.
Conclusion
Nova was not your stereotypical Bostonian. Her accent was even southern. I wish her well on her hiking journey through life. The mountain stream helped me relax and overcome the health insurance psychobabble from earlier in the day.
Two hours and nineteen minutes in the woods last Tuesday was better than not having been there. My next goal is 225 hikes on House Mountain. By God's grace, I hope to reach it.
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