Pictures from other LeConte hikes, click here.
Full photo album of June 17, 2008, overnight stay at LeConte Lodge, click here.
On June 17, 2008, Abby Metcalfe and her brother
Jackson Metcalfe made their 6th and 4th hikes and overnight stays at LeConte Lodge
(accompanied by their dad, Ron Metcalfe, of
course). When we hit the trail at 8:30 AM, it was a very pleasant 58°. The
forecast in the valley was for highs in the upper 70s and lows in the upper 50s and clear
skies. There was some cloud
cover over Mt. LeConte as we started
our hike, but most of our hike was in bright sunshine and brilliant blue skies,
especially for mid-June. Abby, age 10, and Jackson, age 7, both carried their own
backpacks with their clothes and some snacks. We made good time to the first footbridge at the one
mile mark, and stopped for a snack at Arch Rock around 9:15 AM.
After a few minutes, we continued on,
crossing the final footlog
bridge and the trees with exposed
roots near Inspiration Point. A few rhododendrons were blooming at the lower
elevation, along with some Mountain
Laurel. We arrived at Inspiration
Point, the two-mile mark, at 9:46 AM and paused to take in the views of Little Duckhawk Ridge.
While there, we were visited by a boomer who was looking for some
food. Between Inspiration Point and Alum Cave Bluff, we had a great view of the Eyes
of the Needle on Little Duck Hawk Ridge, and could hear a Peregrine Falcon. Abby
spotted something atop the ridge that looked out of place, and upon closer inspection we
were thrilled to see TWO falcons perched atop the jagged rock, one above the other. They were so big in size, we
thought at first that maybe they were just rocks we hadn't noticed before. But then
we saw one of them move, and we noted on our descent that they were no longer there.
Jackson's main concern was whether or not "Italian Falcons" eat people.
After I reassured him that they preferred a smaller menu, he felt a little better.
The low humidity and breezy conditions
made for very clear views, more like you would expect from late autumn rather than late
June. Just after 10:00 AM, we reached Alum Cave Bluff. Abby and
I took a rest on the rocks while Jackson kicked up some dust with some other boys his
age. Their father came over and asked if that was Alum Cave Bluff or Arch Rock.
They were out for a hike and didn't want to miss it. He said he thought that
it was Alum Cave Bluff, but wanted to make sure. We hit the trail again, passing Gracie's Pulpit, the
Saddleback, and reaching the Log
Steps just before 11:00 AM. We began to meet people coming down from their
overnight stay at the lodge. During the next section, between the Log Steps and
Upper Steps, we kept a steady, slow pace, and only stopped to rest for a couple of
minutes. We reached the Upper Steps at 11:25 AM and stopped again for another snack. Abby
and Jackson both wanted their stuffed animals to enjoy the hike also, so we fixed their backpacks to
accomodate.
Passing Lu's Pulpit, we began one of
the most scenic parts of the hike, with unbelievable views. Clouds obcured the top
of Clingman's Dome.
Despite some recent showers, there was virtually no water running down the upper parts of
Trout Branch, and very little water at the Mossy Drips, although Abby still cooled her head underneath the water. We reached the Grassy Slide, 1 mile from the
lodge, at 11:53 AM. The West
Point peak of Mt. LeConte came into view as we neared the parts of the trail which are carved out of rock. At
12:19 PM we made the turn to the level
part of the trail just prior to the Lodge, and at almost exactly 12:30 PM, we arrived at LeConte Lodge, signed the guestbook, bought our t-shirts, and went
to our cabin to relax. It was about 62°, breezy, and sunny, with just an occasional
small clouds.
After some hot chocolate and a stroll
around camp, we went back to the office and played some board games. After a
while, we went back to our cabin to lay down and take a short
nap. We left the door open to enjoy a nice cool breeze. I got my thirty winks
in about thirty minutes, and went back out to sit in the sunshine in a
rocking chair on the porch and take in the views of High Top, Douglas Lake, and the beautiful blue skies.
Abby and Jackson napped a
bit more, and I strolled up to Cliff Top. Ferns and the trunks of dead balsams lined the trail. The clouds had lifted from Clingman's Dome, and there were
fantastic views of High Top, Chimney Tops, Peregrine Peak (where the ACB
trail crosses the saddle) and the Newfound Gap parking lot.
I was able to find the section of the Alum Cave Bluff trail where it
turns and levels off, and saw people walking right below Cliff Top on the
trail. Gatlinburg was
barely visible around the sand myrtle covered cliffs, and it was clear enough that you
could even see the cables for the gondola that goes up to Ober Gatlinburg. Again,
most striking was how blue the sky was, and how it contrasted with the surrounding
mountains.
I went back down to the lodge, and the
kids and I passed the next four hours playing board games and cards. While I rocked on
the porch, Abby and Jackson explored
camp. We were amused to find a boomer perched on a limb taking
a nap. The temperature seemed to drop some, and the wind picked up a bit, so we put
on our pants and jackets and were comfortable as we waited for the dinner bell.
Precicely at 6:00 PM, it rang, and everyone made their way to the dining hall for supper.
None of us had gotten very hungry on the ascent, and we had snacked enough that we hadn't
thought to eat our peanut butter and jelly sandwiches that I had packed, but by
suppertime, we were starving. Abby had three helpings of beef
and gravy, and two helpings of apples. Jackson, a bit more finiky
eater, preferred the peaches and chocolate chip cookies, although he did have a second
helping of beef and ate all his mashed potatoes. The staff brought all the courses,
and we devoured them and loved every bite. We enjoyed chatting with our table-mates,
three of whom had made their first trip to the lodge.
One of the staff members came out to
welcome everyone and announce times for sunset (8:55 PM) and sunrise (6:15 AM). Abby
and Jackson, having finished eating, went out to the back porch. They and some
of the other kids were entertained by another staff member smashing tin cans with a sledge
hammer. Of particular delight was when he would pound one, but instead of crushing,
it would go flying across the grass. Around 8:00 PM, we began our short 2/10 mile
hike up to Cliff Top to watch the sunset. There
were already several people there, but by the time the sun set, it seemed that everyone in
camp (and some of those from the shelter) were sitting on the rocks of Cliff Top. Abby, Jackson, and I found our
spot and watched as the sun set, casting different shadows and glows on the valley below.
It seemed that every few minutes, you were looking at a whole different place.
The sun got lower and lower, and finally disappeared. And almost
in unison, everyone gave a slight gasp, and then applauded.
Though not pitch dark, it did start to
get fairly dark as we made
our way back to camp. The view of High Top was particularly
beautiful, and we began to see the lights of civilization and Douglas Lake down below.
We played a few more games by
lamplight, and they began to get ready for bed around 10:00 PM. I stopped at the
office to look at the full (or nearly-so) moon, and the lights of Pigeon Forge and across the valley (in this
picture, you can barely discern the black outline of English Mountain near the center).
We had the heat on in the cabin, but the inside temperature was still in
the low 60s, so we got under all four wool blankets and slept warmly through the night.
I did get up once, around 2:30 AM, and peeped outside to find that the skies were
still clear and a good breeze was blowing.
The next morning, I awoke and strolled
around camp while awaiting coffee. The thermometer read 37°, although
the official thermometer reported the overnight low was 35° - ON JUNE 17! After
sharing some coffee and conversation in the office with other hikers, I awoke the children
and we got ready for breakfast. As we came out of the cabin to head to eat, a deer was walking down the
Boulevard Trail. We feasted
on pancakes, eggs, Canadian bacon, grits, biscuits, apple butter, and hot chocolate,
then went back to the cabin to prepare for the hike down. By 9:00 AM, it
had warmed to around 47°, so we kept on our long pants, and put on a light jacket, as the
first part of the hike would be on the shady side of the mountain. We carefully
negotiated all the rocks and cables and made our way down
the Alum Cave Bluff trail. We did get some occasional sunlight on the
western side of the mountian, but not until we made the turn at Lu's Pulpit were we walking in
full sunlight.
Around the Upper Steps, we shed our
jackets, and while resting there we began to meet hikers making their ascent. (Actually, the first hiker we met
was Ron Valentine, who passed us just below Cliff Top.) We continued down to the Log Steps, crossed the saddle, spotted the Knot-A-Bear tree, and made
the short ascent up to Gracie's
Pulpit. We continued
on down to Alum Cave Bluff,
where we met a boomer that
seemed to pose for pictures, and I wondered if it were the same boomer that posed for me a couple of weeks earlier.
After a couple of minutes, we continued down, stopping to
find the Right Eye of the
Needle and the Left Eye of
the Needle. We also confirmed that we had seen to Peregrine Falcons the previous
day, as their perches were now
empty.
After making the turn at Inspiration Point, it got
noticibly warmer, and we stopped along the trail long enough for Abby to change from her jeans
into shorts. We stopped again at Arch Rock to relax a bit more.
Abby and I enjoyed
sitting on the log bridge while Jackson
fished with a stick he found. Abby donned her sunglasses and we
set off again. The previous day, as we began our ascent, we stopped to hide some
drinks under a rock in the
cool waters of Alum Cave Creek. So we knew that each step took us closer to a cold
Mountain Dew (for the kids) and a cold root beer (for dad). The only stop we made on
the hike down after Arch Rock was for Abby and Jackson to take a sit on the logs where we
had rested the very first time we hiked the trail up to the Bluff's. After that, we
made our way down, found the rocks, removed our cold drinks, and enjoyed them right on the
trail.
We posed at the trailhead sign,
each holding up fingers showing how many hikes we had made. It was Abby's 6th hike,
Jackson's 4th hike, and my 13th hike. We drove down to the Sugarlands Visitor
Center, walked through the museum, and then into Gatlinburg for some great pizza.
After eating, we took the bypass and stopped to get some great views of Mt. LeConte. Never, not
even in winter, had I seen it clear enough to make out the heath balds that line some of
the ridges of Mt. LeConte. And even over in Pigeon Forge, I was amazed to catch a glimpse of the cabins.
(There was no where I could pull off to take a better picture). We stopped by
Dollywood to enjoy a few of their water rides before driving back home.
Ron P. Metcalfe
Mosheim, Tennessee
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