|
[Home] [Trail History] [Trail Map] [Photos] [People] [Order the Book] [Links] |
| LeConte Lodge via Alum Cave Trail by Connie Houk, June 25 and 26 2005 |
| 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 ½ 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 ½ 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 |
Return to... Guest Hikes 2005. |
[Home] [Trail History] [Trail Map] [Photos] [People] [Order the Book] [Links] |
