Note. Photo's for this hike can be found at the following link. You will have to figure out how to view them. (eaw)

http://public.fotki.com/fbama73/family_pictures/tennesseenorth-caro/thursday-october-18/rainbow-falls-trail/  

 

On Thursday, October 18^th, I made my first trip to Mt LeConte. I had been planning and dreaming of this for the previous year. In fact, I had tried doing the hike via the Alum Cave Bluffs trail the day before with my wife Lori and seven year old daughter Leigha. It had been a beautiful hike, but Lori got very tired, and about halfway between the caves and the lodge, she had slowed down to a point where I knew we wouldn't have made it to the lodge and back down before dark, so I pulled the plug, and we turned back.

 

  She hadn't wanted to stop, and had even suggested that I push on, while they started back down. Of course, I couldn't separate from them on these trails, especially when Lori was so tired, and to be honest, Leigha, who is half mountain goat, was showing some wear, too.

 

  That night at the cabin, Lori felt bad about the hike failing. Though I kept reminding her that we’d only failed to get to the top- we'd had a breathtakingly beautiful walk in the woods, and that the mountain would still be there the next time we visited the area. She came up with alternate plans for the next day: She and Leigha would drop me at the trailhead, and go do some shorter hikes, and maybe some horseback riding, then return to the trailhead to pick me up. I was a bit reluctant, but I really wanted to make the hike, so I agreed, weather permitting.

 

  The morning of the 18^th dawned perfect for hiking. We headed for the Roaring Fork Motor Nature trail and the Rainbow Falls trailhead. Having seen most of the ACB trail the day before, I wanted to try a different route, just to see more of the park. We agreed that she would pick me up at the trailhead between six and seven pm, and that if I wasn't down by eight, she would be on the phone with the Rangers. After the obligatory trailhead sign pictures with Leigha, I hit the trail at 10 am .

 

  Despite the great weather, there was little traffic on the trail. I met up and passed a family in the first mile, and saw no other hikers until I got to the falls. I knew that the whole area was severely short on rainfall, so I expected the falls to be fairly dry. As expected, the falls weren't moving a lot of water, and when I went back later and looked at pictures of the falls during a normal year, I realized just how dry they were.

 

  I stopped at the falls for a rest, and met up with a great couple from Nashville. They were the only people I would see until I reached the lodge, and we took turns passing each other at rest stops all the way up. Before leaving the falls, I set up my tripod and took the obligatory self portrait with the falls in the background. Sure the water was less than impressive, but the rock formations were still beautiful.

 

  The next few miles were just a beautiful walk in the woods, with the occasional peek through the trees. My Smokies Hiking guide mentioned that along the trail at mile 4.2, you could see the Gatlinburg Space Needle and one of the hotels. I'm very pleased to say that I missed that view.

 

  Despite a few rest stops and many photo stops, I figured I was making about two miles per hour, and my GPS confirmed that. Everything was looking great for making the lodge, and having an hour to kill up on top with the view before heading back down.

 

  Other than trading the lead several times with the couple from Nashville, I was totally alone for the hike up. The solitude was a double edged sword. I would have loved nothing more than to have my girls along with me, yet being alone with the mountain was very spiritual for me. Looking up, I'm noticing that the sky is getting closer and closer. My yearlong goal of hiking Mt LeConte is really happening this time!

 

  At about five miles in, the weather changed. The sunny sky left, and clouds moved in. I was sure that it would start raining at any moment, but I only saw a few periods of sprinkles, and none of those were longer than a few minutes. Nothing to stop and get out the raingear for.

 

  I passed the side trail without taking it. The guide mentioned that it was worth it, but I was so close to seeing the top for the first time, I passed the side trail with a promise to do it on the way down. I was still making good time by the intersection with the Bullhead, though I was noticing myself slowing down.

 

  When I saw the first of the lodge buildings on my left, a huge smile crept over my face. I had made the lodge! I'd dreamed of it all year long, and now I was there!

 

  The day before, at Alum cave, we'd met up with a very friendly couple from North Carolina. They were impressed with Leigha making the hike as far as she had. The husband had told me about the well at the lodge. He'd told me that the well had water "so cold it makes your teeth hurt." I'm not sure why, but I'd been really looking forward to tasting that water. I was carrying two water bottles with me that I'd filled with bottled water before starting. I'd consumed one on the way up, so used it to take my first drink from the well. The water didn't make my teeth hurt, but it was plenty cold enough. I drink more than a gallon of water every day, and can tell you wit no doubts, that no water I've ever had tasted as good as the water from the lodge well.

 

  I was just sort of milling around the lodge buildings when I heard a voice say "Y'all made it." I turned to look and saw my new friends from Nashville resting on a cabin porch, so I went to sit and talk for a few minutes. I checked the time on my cell phone, and it was 1:45 . I'd made the trip in just under four hours. All those hours at the gym really do pay off!

 

  The wind had picked up quite a bit, and added to the temperature drop and the heavy mist from the cloud made it quite chilly. For most of the trip up, I'd been laughing at myself for throwing a hoodie in my pack, figuring as I packed it that it would be nothing more than dead weight. As I sat there with my new friends, I was glad I had it.

 

  After a few minutes rest, I walked over to the lodge office and purchased a few trail badges for my memory pole, and the obligatory "I hiked it" shirt. The thermometer on the lodge read 50 degrees, and with the wind and mist, most of the people were inside. I went and got the picture with the date on the dining hall, and decided to head for the Cliff Tops.

 

  Reaching the Cliff Tops easily rated in the top three spiritual events of my life. It was probably the weather, but I had it all to myself, and I just stood there in the wind for a while, taking it in. The clouds were too heavy to see far, but it honestly didn't matter.

 

  At 3:00 pm , wanting to make my rendezvous with my wife and daughter on time, I started back down. For the first two miles, I was still in the mist. I took the little side trail mentioned in the guide, and as promised, it was indeed well worth it. The sand myrtle looked almost landscaped. The trail shrunk down to only a few inches wide at points.

 

  I know my wife, and I knew that if she reached the trailhead before I got there, she'd be concerned- even if I wasn't late. I decided I really wanted to make good time and get there before they did. I didn't take a rest stop until I reached the falls.

 

  At the falls, I stopped for a few minutes to eat my other package of trail mix, take a few more pictures, and put some moleskin on a hot spot. I also indulged myself by dipping my feet into the cool water.

 

  At about a mile from the trailhead, I passed a group of four people headed the other way. These were the first people I'd seen since the lodge, and I have to admit that feeling as though I'd had the whole mountain to myself on the way down had been wonderful.

 

  As the trailhead came into view, I saw my wife and daughter pulling into the parking lot. Just like the hike, the timing had been absolutely perfect. I took my shirt from the lodge from my pack and put it on for a new set of trailhead pictures with Leigha.

 

  I had dreamed of the hike for over a year. I had built it up in my mind so much that I was completely ripe for a letdown. I was wrong. I had totally underestimated it. It had been a walk in the woods more wonderful than even I had imagined.

 

  Now I sit in my home, surrounded by the dreadfully flat landscape, facing another Indiana Winter. When it starts eating away at my sanity, I'll get out the trail maps, and the hiking guide, and start planning. I have four more trails to LeConte that I have to try. I also have two promises that next time, I don't hike alone!

Brian Fishburn Indianapolis , Indiana