Talk about a spur of the moment hike. I woke up at 3 am and decided to go hiking at that time. Fortunately everything was easily accessible to get together. I had to run in the Pilot Truck Center at exit 4 on I-81 to get some gas. They also had a McDonalds for some breakfast too! It must have been the time of day, there was no traffic at all in Gatlinburg. I got to the trailhead at 530am.

There were several vehicles in the lower parking lot and three in the upper. I did not anticipate it still being dark at the trailhead. I did not bring a headlamp or flashlight. However there was a full moon but it was no help under the thick tree cover. I had to turn to my right hand companion, my cell phone. Yes my cell phone lit the path for me all the way to Arch Rock. Once I topped out above the rock it was light enough for me to see. It was amazing to me how the mountain has recovered from the damage created during the 1993 washout. It would be unnoticed if you did not know about it. It was like yesterday to me. I had the good fortune of hiking up two days after the flood in 1993.

This was the first time I had hiked this far on Alum Cave Trail without meeting other hikers. In fact I did not see anyone else until the narrow walkway around the mountain near Paul¢s Face. The crowd was waiting for me at the lodge when I arrived at 830am. As I came down the steps toward the lodge it looked like a school group had converged on the mountain. Kids everywhere! I went in to sign the register and took a break on the porch. I did get to watch the guest come by the spigot to brush their teeth. See it wasn't a boring hike. Hehehehehe!

I called Joe Fleming to see if I had cell service, and I did. I left him a message and told him where I was at. Then I took a picture of myself and sent it to him through text messaging. I can always count on Alltel. Since my cellphone doubled as flashlight it killed my battery, so I could not take any more pictures. Just as I was leaving I noticed people scurrying around looking for someone and yelling the name Collin. A man told me his 6 year old son was missing and I got clothes description and told him I would help look. With that information, I thought of another 6 year old boy missing in the park. Dennis Martin in 1969 was celebrating Fathers day with his family on Spence Field. While playing Hide and Seek he ran behind a clump of bushes and was never seen again. It still remains an unsolved disappearance 39 years later. Oh sorry to get side tracked. After searching the Big Spring and the side trails leading away from the lodge, a friend found him walking on the main trail leading toward Alum Cave. Everything was okay, so I headed back down the mountain at 915am.

I took a break from hiking due to a knee injury, so this would be the test, going down the trail. My normal time in the past has been to hike down twice as fast as I came up. Unfortunately that was not the case this time. I hobbled down the trail. The steps were the worst, having said that, I still made it to the trailhead by 1130am.

This self portrait is the only picture that came out so enjoy!