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LeConte
Lodge via Alum Cave Trail
by Connie Houk
The time has
finally arrived for our annual overnighter at LeConte Lodge. We so look
forward to this every year. We go with a great group of people, the Church of
the Good Samaritan from
Dennis takes me
to the Goodwill parking lot to meet Alden and Linda, her sister-in-law, (whom
we are glad to have with us this year) at 7:00. Then we go to pick Liz up at
her house. We are on our way!
We arrive at Alum
Cave parking lot to find several cars, probably belonging to the
overnighters at the lodge. We pack up, make a few adjustments and on the trail
about 8:15. Linda hasn’t hiked in along time so we will go her speed but she
has no problems and does fine. It is overcast this morning and the humidity is
not too bad yet. We reach Arch Rock before seeing any
other hikers. The first couple from the church passed us going up at the
Washout and we got our cabin number from them. We would be rooming with Sam
and Mary Ann Venable, their daughter, Megan and another gentleman whom I
can’t recall his name. This will be the first time we have stayed in one of
the larger cabins. This one has three bedrooms and a twin in the living room.
We
stop to admire the
We started
passing the overnighters coming down from the lodge after passing the bluffs.
Before Gracie’s Pulpit, the half waypoint, we wait a few minutes before
starting up the rocks with the cable to let several hikers pass by. We see no
sightings or sounds from the Pelerine Falcons at Duck Hawk Ridge. The
mountainside is full of blooming rhododendron.
And who do we see coming down the trail but none other than Ronnie
Valentine on his descent from his early morning hike. We stop and chat for
a while and I have Liz to take our picture. He is such a nice person and very
knowledgeable about the Park.
About 10:30, we
stop for a rest and snack. We decided to have lunch at the lodge. So far,
Linda is doing great. Alden had a rough time on the Lakeshore hike but is
doing fine today. We see some galax blooming and think of the old timers who
use to sell the red leaves in the wintertime for Christmas decorations.
We
get closer to the cliffs and I study Paul
Dinwiddie’s Face. We see a deer in the trail and he
stops to watch us as we take pictures of him. He has nowhere to go but up the
trail. We hear another hiker, which is coming down, trying to spook him off
the pathway. Finally, he climbs the bank, which is almost straight up. The
hiker said sometimes a deer would charge if they feel like they are being
penned in.
We arrive at the
Lodge at 12:45 and ready to seek our cabin out. We get settled in and have our
lunch on the front porch of the cabin in the rocking chairs. Very nice. It
didn’t take long before everyone was digging in packs for long pants and
jackets. When Sam and Mary Ann arrived, we offered to walk up to the shelter
to see if anyone would be interested in purchasing any of the six vacancies
they had. There was only one overnighter there and one arriving while we were
there but we didn’t have any takers. I think they did sell at least three of
the openings though. As we were taking a side trail to the cabin we spotted two
young bucks feeding on the foliage. We enjoyed the evening relaxing,
with me taking a nap and the others going to the office to look at books.
After waking, I found Alden and Linda in the office putting a puzzle together.
Liz was reading books about the history of the mountains.
Before we knew
it, it was time for the evening meal. It was very hot
in the dining room and I opened the windows next to our table: after Alden
finally explained to me how to open it! Liz was having a major hot flash, as
you can tell in one of the pictures. After the meal, Sam Venable spoke and
asked for stories. As usual, there were some pretty fair fetched stories told.
And as usual, the prize committee did an excellent job on selecting the gifts.
To me, this is one of the best and funniest times of this trip. They keep you
laughing continuously! Henry Neel, the manager of the lodge, just happened to
be on military leave from
With full
stomachs we waddled back to the cabin to get prepared for the trip to Cliff
Tops. We were hoping for a pretty sunset and we got
our wish. A ranger (can’t recall his name) gave a
very interesting presentation about the mountain and the important topic
concerns at 8:30. As we arrived he was just beginning. Afterwards Alden asks a
question that we wondered about when we had went to the shelter earlier. The
fireplace was filled in with rocks and cement, and he said the reason was that
people were abusing the no cooking inside the shelter policy which causes bear
problems. After several warnings and postings they finally had to close it
off. Everyone pays for just a few people’s carelessness doings. Now, the
hikers that stay in that shelter in the winter will not have the luxury of a
fire to warm by. After all questions were asked and answered we
sang gospel songs and enjoyed the brilliant sunset.
Lynda looks like she is really into the singing. The
group slowing started making their way back down to the lodge. We went back
the same way we came up, the trail closer to the shelter, which is not near as
steep.
Most of the
group went to the lobby but for us four we went on to the cabin and by 9:30 we
were in bed. Sometime in the early morning hours Liz woke me climbing down the
stepladder (she was on the top bunk) going to the bathroom. I went also, just
to keep from having to go by myself if needed later. I slept better than I had
ever slept at LeConte! Maybe I’m finally getting used to it or maybe it was
the sleeping pill I took. The same goes for Liz. I don’t know about Alden
and Linda; they were in a separate bedroom. Alden said she heard me snore, but
I’m not sure if it was me or the gentleman sleeping in the living room
because I heard him snoring and I have Liz as my witness. Everyone said it
rained hard a couple of times during the night but I didn’t hear it. We had
no visits from little creatures during the night and didn’t hear any sounds
from them either.
Before we know
it, the morning has arrived and we all get ready to go for breakfast. We all
gather at the dining room steps for group pictures. One of the employees takes
about 30 pictures of us with about 30 different cameras. Tonya Keener
(Alden’s boss’ wife) and three of her friends sit with us and we have the
traditional meal of pancakes, syrup, ham, eggs, and biscuits. I’m as stuffed
as the night before. After breakfast we visit for a few minutes and say our
goodbyes before packing up. Lynda wraps her knee,
which she is having problems with, but does fine on the hike back down.
We start on the
trail about 9:30, taking our time and taking more pictures. It is great hiking
weather today with cloudy skies and a breeze every now and then. We started
passing the overnighters coming up for the night before we reached Gracie’s
Pulpit. Still, we hear no sounds or sightings of the falcons.
When we reached Alum Cave Bluffs, we couldn’t believe that there were
no people there. Usually it is crowded, but not today. We came upon a couple
that had a dog with them. The ranger had told us if we saw anyone breaking the
rules, such as having a dog on the trail, to let them know about it, politely
of course. We told them and they said there was nothing posted at the
trailhead. We assured them that there is so maybe they will look harder the
next time.
I had just
walked under the tree that slopes over the trail, which means it is ˝ mile to
the parking lot when I came upon a family of four. The boy who looked to be
about 8 or 9 asked if they were almost there. I said, “Where are you
going?” He said, “To ConLodge”. “You
have about 4 and ˝ miles to go.” I told him. I asked the Lady if they were
spending the night and she said no, just going up for the day. They had no
backpacks, a couple bottles of water and it was about 1:30 in the afternoon.
As I continue down the trail I am wondering how far they will make it before
turning back.
We arrive at the
car about 1:45. We dig a snack out of our packs, pull our boots off and are on
our way home. It has been another great weekend at
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