At last we get to "Walter's Wiggles", the series of steep switchbacks ("dangerously steep"... inside joke) just before Scouts Landing, which is just before the death-grip chain section.
After lunch it is time to make the decision of whether to press on. Gina and Kyle had already decided to wait, Ryan and I figured we would check things out and start upwards. *** The first part is not too bad, there are chains and the footing is fairly good. Trying to coordinate passes with people going the other way is not much fun though- neither group wants to let go of the chains. We then get to a section where there are no chains. We pause and I ask a guy coming the other way how it is further on up and he says "it gets a lot worse". *** I guess that comment plus the chain-free section we were facing got to me. I'm not that keen on heights but I've never been bothered by the end of Chimney Tops in the Smokies so I don't know why this got to me. I started thinking about just how far down it was and just lost my nerve to go on. In hindsight I really wish I would have pushed through. *** We head back down to Gina and Kyle and then pack up to head back down the trail.
