Introduction
Greetings, fellow hiking enthusiasts, and welcome to the 88th entry in the Hiking Topic Section! Today, I am finally getting around to writing about my 210th hike on House Mountain on Sunday afternoon, 5/3/2026.
It was a relatively quick hike, since I wanted to call Jay, a good friend, on his birthday. A highlight was how I surprised a group of young people near the west bluff. Let me tell you about it!
Hiking Up the West Trail
The afternoon weather was sunny, mild, and in the 60s Fahrenheit. The mileage on my vintage 2006 Nissan Frontier was 200,241.4 when I parked. Unlike my last hike on Tuesday, 4/21/2026 (the 4/27/2026 article), the parking lots were open. The upper lot, however, was not as full as it usually is on a weekend.
At 2:28 PM, I started hiking the connector trail. At the junction, I turned left (west) to hike up the west trail. I didn't meet anyone while hiking up. The solitude of the woods was mine alone, accompanied only by squirrels and small birds. Well, God was with me.
By 2:45 PM, I had already navigated the low areas and trekked up the four lower switchbacks. I ascended the steep six upper switchbacks in seven minutes. I felt like I was making better time. Only nine minutes passed, during which I hiked westward along the steep and rocky trail below the ridge from the highest switchback to the west bluff. Touching a rock outcropping at the bluff, it was 3:01 PM. Shaving off a couple of minutes, I hiked up to the west bluff in 33 minutes this time! Yes, I still challenge myself.
West Bluff
Thirsty and sweaty from the hike up, I relaxed alone at the west bluff for a few minutes and enjoyed the view. At 3:07 PM, I took the following photograph:
The view looks east, with the west bluff behind me. The ridge trail, as I call it, or Crest Trail, as on the sign, continues to the left, or north. Hanging on the sign are Mike's ball cap, my canteen, and the short-sleeve shirt, which I had mistakenly worn.
Why did I wear a tee-shirt and a short-sleeve shirt? Standing there in my sweaty tee-shirt, I wondered. Hiking up, I had taken off the other shirt and carried it. Likewise, I carried it while hiking back down and out.
Hiking Down the West Trail
Having cooled off, I started hiking back down the same west trail at 3:18 PM. Not too far below the west bluff, I paused near a large rock outcropping to relieve myself of the canteen water sipped while hiking up the trail.
As I prepared to continue eastward along the trail below the ridge, a group of about four young hikers, probably in their late teens or early 20s, were hiking up. Silently, I waited for them to pass by. A young lady in the lead was mooing, mocking a cow mooing in the valley far below us. No one in the group had noticed me standing above them.
Surprised, the young lady said, “I'm sorry. I didn't see you standing there!” I replied, “It's okay. You were too busy mooing at the cow!” We enjoyed a brief laugh together. I even mooed like a cow!
At 3:27 PM, I took the following photograph, still on the trail below the ridge, heading east and down:
Can you see the trail? It goes down steeply to the left of the large tree in the center of the image. Unseen in the photograph is what I call the “defiant tree.” Dead now, the trunk still extends from a gap in the large rock outcropping below the previously mentioned large tree.
I continued—not in a hurry, enjoying the views, and conversing briefly with other hikers on their way up—down the six upper switchbacks, down the four lower switchbacks, and through the low area. At 4:16 PM, I touched the marker near the covered picnic area to end my hike. An hour and 48 minutes in the woods was better than not having been there!
Conclusion
Springtime foliage and poison oak are now obvious along the lower areas of the west trail. Be aware of, but don't touch, the poison oak! I didn't come across any snakes. Once back home, I checked myself for ticks but didn't find any.
Sometime around 5 PM, I called my good friend Jay. A “subtle” guy, he and I met at Walters State Community College in Morristown, Tennessee, in the fall of 1998. I was honored to be his best man when his wife and he were married in June 1983. I wished Jay a happy birthday, and we caught up with each other on recent life events. Lord willing, we hope to get “the gang” together early next month.
Remember, dear reader, to “shift logical right” in life. What do I mean? Lord willing, a forthcoming article will explain. Please wait for it.
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