On a rainy, warm Saturday January 1st, 2022, 7 Hardy hikers gathered to follow the leader, Chris Drone,  at the Bell Smith Springs parking lot to see where they might be able to go, with the skies ‘letting loose”.  We did have 1 new hiker from Missouri. We headed down the stairs, got fairly close to Devils’ backbone, and then back out to the main, but Vastly ‘water-swollen’ crossing over to the Natural bridge/Arch. We had to turn back from the crossing, and headed out on 1 leg of the Blue Sentry Bluff Trail, to a small shelter bluff, where we took ‘cover’ and ate a snack. We took a look at the spot, that, on the ‘scouting trip’ of the previous Monday, had been crossable on foot. We also crossed “Chute Falls’ which we had to go ‘upstream’ to cross today, but, previously, dry as a bone. We could observe waterfalls across the valley almost every 100 ft. We covered about 3 miles. Luckily no one ‘drowned’, although a few were pretty soaked by the end of the hike.

Respectfully submitted,

Chris Drone