Introduction
Welcome, dear reader, to a somber article about hiking, the 87th in the Hiking topic section. The article from 4/17/2026 was about the House Mountain fire, which started in predawn darkness three days before, and my preliminary investigation later that week. On Tuesday, 4/21/2026, a week after the fire started, I hiked House Mountain for the 209th time.
This entry includes ten photographs of the fire's shocking devastation along the ridge. Further, it embeds an almost five-minute audiovisual clip, which I recorded near the east bluff.
Last Tuesday, the main parking lot was still barricaded closed, but the connector trail near the park entrance was not blocked. No signage indicated trail closure. Another vehicle was parked in the narrow parking area between the parking lot and Hogskin Road, where I parked my vintage 2006 Frontier. Later, I will mention meeting in the woods the two young men who had arrived in that vehicle.
Up the West Trail
At 1:14 PM, I started heading west on the short connector trail, stepped across the rocks to cross the muddy area, and crossed the wooden bridge. The overnight rain from Saturday, the 18th, to the next morning ensured that the fire was extinguished.
Initially, I thought about hiking up the east trail to access more quickly the fire-damaged areas. Instead, I chose the more challenging west trail. It took 17 minutes to hike through the lowland, up the four lower switchbacks, over the fallen tree, and to start up the six upper switchbacks. Seven minutes later, I reached the final, sixth, upper switchback.
After 12 minutes hiking southwest along the narrow and rugged trail below the ridge, I reached the west bluff at 1:50 PM. The hike up had taken 36 minutes, a minute slower than my “new normal” time.
I did not see signs of fire damage along the west trail. As usual, I enjoyed the challenge, the scenery, and touching the “defiant tree.” (A search on this website for “defiant tree” will bring up several articles.) I didn't photograph any scenes while hiking up. A mostly sunny day, the temperature was in the 60s Fahrenheit. Sweat accumulated in my ball cap and around my tee shirt. I sipped sufficient water from my canteen.
Eastward Across the Ridge
After four minutes of solitude at the west bluff, where I also took a leak, I started trekking northeastward to the east bluff. After a few minutes along the ridge trail, I was between the location where the fire tower once stood and the “picnic rock.” I photographed the following at 2:13 PM:
The image looks northward. The trail to where the fire tower once stood is to my left (west). The ridge trail continues down and to the right (north). The “picnic rock” is not visible to the right (east) of the image. The bulldozed trail in the center was new. To the left of it, I saw and smelled fire damage. The ground was charred, and the smell of burnt wood lingered in the air. I assume that firefighters bulldozed a firebreak to prevent the fire from jumping across the trail and setting afire the east slope.
Four minutes farther northward and down the ridge trail, I took the following photograph:
The private property owners use four-wheelers and four-wheel-drive trucks to access the cell phone tower, which is farther northeastward on the ridge trail. At the location in the above image, bulldozer tracks were evident. Dirt had been moved, and trees had been knocked down to prevent the fire from jumping across the ridge. The charred ground was more noticeable in person than in the above image.
After another four minutes farther northeastward, I took the following photograph at 2:21 PM:
I had reached the connection to the east trail, going down. The view looks northeastward. The bench and trail sign are noticeable to the left. I was glad to see on the right the information board still standing. The trail behind it was bulldozed and new. You may be able to see the charred ground on both sides of the trail. The fire had jumped from the northeast to the southeast slope of the mountain.
Not long after taking the above photograph, two young men, who were hiking out from the east bluff, arrived at the location. The red car, near where I had parked my truck, was theirs. We enjoyed a brief conversation. One young man said that he had used his gallon canteen, filled with water, to extinguish a small fire, which was still burning. I thanked him.
Nine minutes farther eastward, I photographed the following image at 2:30 PM:
The charred ground, burnt and fallen trees, and scorch marks on still-standing trees are more noticeable in the image. The offshoot trail to the left leads to the lower-middle bluff. I took that trail.
Once at the lower-middle bluff, I took the following two photographs at 2:45 PM:
The above image from behind the bluff faces west. An American flag is visible. I know the name and phone number of the man who owns the property below and up to the bluff. The seared ground and trunks of still-standing trees were obvious. A strong smell of charcoal was still present.
A few seconds later, I took a few steps southeastward for the next photograph.
Again, the fire damage and bulldozer tracks were visible. The eastward (left) trail leads up to the upper-middle bluff. I took it.
After arriving at the upper-middle bluff, I photographed the next image at 2:51 PM.
I was standing on the largest rock outcropping and looking southwestward. The far-away west bluff can be seen distantly. Below the outcroppings, signs of fire damage were obvious.
Four minutes later, now heading toward the east bluff, I took the next photograph.
The charred ground was obvious. The fire had crossed the ridge and burned down the southeast side of the mountain. The tree, centered in the image with the fallen tree leaning into it, still had green leaves growing from the higher branches. It looked like it would live.
At 2:57 PM, two minutes later, I photographed the next image. The east bluff wasn't very far away.
I had to step carefully over the burned tree, which had fallen across the trail. It fell into the rock outcropping. The scorched earth and smell of charcoal were evident.
After observing the fire damage at the east bluff for a few minutes, I took the tenth and final photograph, which follows, at 3:11 PM.
I was standing on a flat rock outcropping with the east bluff a few feet behind me and looking southwest. I was amazed that the trail sign had not burned. Absolute devastation is the only way to describe what I saw and smelled. Thankfully, wildlife, birds and squirrels, had returned to the area. I believe that the fire, which started in the predawn darkness on Tuesday, April 14, originated farther down on the northeast face of the mountain, far below and to the right of where I was standing.
Audiovisual Record Near the East Bluff
Three minutes after the final photograph above, I was a few yards farther southwest, still on the ridge, and hiking out. The devastation was so shocking that I had to record an episode for my YouTube channel, Appalachian Irishman – Podcasts.
Please check out House Mountain Hike 209, 4-21-2026: Shocking Devastation from Recent Fire (pub. 4-27-2026; ep. 43). As I wrote in the description, “Trees and undergrowth will rejuvenate. In a few years, even observant hikers may not notice signs of the fire. Words cannot fully describe my righteous anger toward whomever started the fire. Everyone, especially hikers, must respect the woods and not start a forest fire, accidentally or intentionally.”
The episode actually includes two segments. The first, almost four minutes long, was from near the east bluff. After it, I continued southwestward on the ridge to head out. At 3:27 PM, I had to pause and add a brief segment, just over a minute, to capture the startling destruction that I saw.
Carefully, I made my way across the ridge to the connection to the east trail. Along the way, I crossed paths with a lady who was hiking in the direction from which I had come. We talked briefly about the fire.
Down and Out the East Trail
I started down the east trail at 3:52 PM. Being a “lame mountain goat,” I am still overly cautious as I descend the six upper switchbacks, especially the first one.
The lady, whom I had met earlier on the ridge, caught up with me along the long and winding trail at the base of the mountain! “Hello, again,” I said. I let her pass me, but I easily kept up with her pace. We conversed off and on until we reached the parking lot. An avid hiker, I hope to meet her again on the trail.
I concluded my hike at 4:52 PM, when I touched the marker near the covered picnic table, which is near the parking lot and the fancy outhouse. Three hours and 38 minutes in the woods, despite the fire damage, was better than not having been there.
Conclusion
Yes, my 209th hike on House Mountain was memorable for the wrong reasons. I pray for the soul of the person who started the fire, either accidentally or on purpose. As far as I know, the culprit has not been found. Certainly, however, God will hold the person accountable for his or her actions.
As mentioned in the conclusion to the article from 4/17/2026, I have offered to volunteer with the Knox County Department of Parks and Recreation to help in the recovery efforts for House Mountain. No one has called me yet. I may contact them again.
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