On Sunday morning my father (Eddie Smith) and I traveled down to Berea for an early morning hike.  Dad had never been to the pinnacles before so I was eager to show him around and introduce him to Tillie.  Unfortunately there was no Tillie to be found this time, there was one car in the parking lot when we arrived so I assumed she was already on the trail.

So we started our trip making first for the east Pinnacle and since Dad have never been there before my one warning was that the first climb can be a bit rough.  As we made it to the first split in the trail we made use of the bench provided and then took off to the right for East Pinnacle.  One of the most interesting things about hiking here is seeing the natural succession that is taking place after the wildfires that burned most of the area in the late 1980’s.  The fire burned 657 acres of forest and still seeing burned tree stumps after so many years reminds us of our responsibilities whenever we enter a natural area to be safe because the  lasting effects of what we do will most likely continue on even after we are no longer here.

When we reached the East Pinnacle the early morning sun extremely bright which made the view down into the valley even more amazing.  Once there we took sometime for a few pictures (which you can find in the gallery below)  and continued our hike.  This time was a bit different than being here during the summer because I could see so much more with the falling of the leaves, it allowed for better pictures as well as giving clear lines of sight to your next destination.

Not often to discuss products to make trips easier but in this case I felt I needed to say something.   The North Face has a line of shoes called Hedgehogs, these shoes can range between $80-120 but I will say that they are one of the better hiking shoes around.  So if you are looking for a pair of extremely comfortable shoes to hike, check out what North Face has to offer.  Ok I don’t want this to sound like a commercial so let’s get back to our trip.

We decided then to head for the West Pinnacle which also provided some amazing views which with a clear morning the visibility of the surrounding areas helped out a lot.  On our way back through we stopped and climbed around on the rocks  whenever we found a chance and also took some great pics that will definitely keep the memories of this wonderful day fresh in our minds and hopefully inspire our reader’s to find a trail and hike.  So keep posting pics of your travels and if there is any place you think I should going, let me know and I will do my best to get there.  You can reach me at jsmith@hikey.com.  So remember to always take care of your environment and as always happy hiking.

On a personal note this day was special to me because  as I have gotten older and find myself busier and busier with careers and life in general, it was a breath of fresh air to be out hiking again with someone I have respected and admired my entire life and hope that we can find time to do this more often.  Thanks Dad.

• East Pinnacle
• Eagle’s Nest
• Buzzard’s Roost
• Devil’s Kitchen
• Indian Fort Lookout
• West Pinnacle

These features are what I would consider some of the best sights that you could hope to see on a hike.  The first one we came to was the East Pinnacle and we were blown away by the sight as we looked down into the country side.  As we were standing there in awe another hiker came down the trail and we began discussing the pinnacles with him.  He said he had been hiking this trail for a long time and tried to come out almost every week, then he let us know that this view was one of the worst (that’s in comparison to the others on this trail)  on the trail.   Excited by the promise of better views we took off back toward the main trail.

Not a long hike from there you come to a sign that says Eagle’s Nest .6 miles, Buzzard’s Roost .8 miles.  If there are any parts of this trail that you have to skip because of time or whatever I would skip these.  Good views but not in my opinion comparable to the other views you will find later.  The West Pinnacle and Indian Fort Outlook were amazing, I feel they are just as good as Natural Bridge, but that’s just me.  All along the trail are large rocks that make for some excellent photo ops, but could be dangerous for the more adventerous person leaping from one to the other so be careful when looking for that perfect picture.

This trail is great and I had a blast hiking it.  I give it 5 out of 5 but you will have to get out there and see for yourself:)  Always hike with a friend, it can be dangerous hiking alone because you never know what could happen.  Remember to be safe and as always, Happy Hiking.