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.
