Skinny Dippin in the Great Smoky Mountains

Skinny Dippin' and Rock Hoppin'
( Dipping and Hopping :)

If you are like most of the folks around here, you love to take off your clothing and jump in the cool water. Folks in the Smokies call this skinny dippin'. The freedom you experience is exhilarating. There are only a few minor problems with this type situation, one, it's against the law (phooey on that!, but what can you do?), and two, where do you go so that you will not bring the wrath of thumper and ethyl into your life. Although there are no jails in the GSMNP, Rangers surely frown, at least that's what they are supposed to do, when they encounter a skinny hiney protruding from the forest or stream. You will be cited and have to appear in court, and that particularly defeats the whole idea of skinny dippin'.

Rock Hoppin' however can be a day's treat, particularly if you plan a bit on what you need. Think about a bag of food wrapped in a plastic bag, perhaps a small radio to keep informed about weather conditions and if you like music as much as I do, a few tunes might make your day. Remember that the louder the music, the easier it is for someone to slip up and say HI!

Perhaps we can ease the pain of this skinny dippin' desire. Ironically, the place to skinny dip is up Buck Fork! Buck Fork is an upper prong of the Pigeon River in the Greenbriar area of the GSMNP. The mouth of Buck Fork is located at the turn around at the Ramsey Trail head, before ascending Greenbriar Pinnacle. Guessing, it would take the average hiker about an hour to get to the mouth of Buck Fork from the Ramsey parking area, and then after crossing both streams, and rock hopping for another hour, you can take off those rags and feel the freedom of the great Wilderness. There is one particular area of the river with a few deep holes called "Perfect Pool" by locals.

As you rock hop in the river, there are a few things you must know. First with emphasis, you must need to wear high top boots or shoes in the river. The reason is that the river bed is very slippery, making the feet slide almost every step. The injuries come from sliding into another rock as you step. Those ankle bones will become quite blue at the first encounter, and the second encounter with a rock will perhaps be most debilitating. After all we just want to get nekid', not injure ourselves, or particularly to cause anyone else some sensitivity to their being.

Another skinny dippin' possibility might be upstream from the Chimney's Picnic area. This would be possible, only during times like the middle of the week when there are no others around, or, an early morning adventure when there is little traffic. The picture to the left is one pool on that river that locals call 'running rock'. It is called running rock because there is a large boulder located near a deep pool where you can actually run off the rock into the pool which is about nine feet deep. You must check the bottom of the pool each time you visit the area because during heavy rain, this pool will gather a new boulder at the bottom, and you might, if not very careful, do a face plant into a new boulder at the bottom of the pool.

Nekid' rock hoppin' and skinny dippin' is great fun, and it can be accomplished with little hassle if you care to take precautions. One particular NO-NO is to take alcoholic beverages along. There is much wrath, it is dangerous, and against the laws in the GSMNP. Go to another type of waterin' hole if you want to drink and have a great time doing it. Call a cab to get back to your place as the Gestapo junta will surely arrest you if you are loaded.

Get nekid' in the wilderness and hug your honey for me :)

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