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Ruth, Chet, and Katie Wright's May 31, 2005 Hike to the LeConte Lodge

On May 31, 2005, Ruth, Chet, and Katie Wright started an overnight backpacking trip to Mt. LeConte. This was Ruth's second trip to the summit. She had made her first trip back in the mid-70s with her father, Stuart Schoff. For Chet and Katie, this was the first trip to LeConte. We had overnight reservations at the Lodge, made back in October. We knew the trip would be a challenge for us. There are five routes to the top, and we chose one of medium length, the Rainbow Falls trail, because it was less traveled than the most popular, shortest, and steepest route to the top, the Alum Cave trail. Any good trip requires planning, and we had spent the last few days before the trip picking up a few needed items. The trip was also an excuse to try out some of our hiking gear received as Christmas and birthday presents. We planned our trip to follow the Memorial Day weekend, figuring that we'd have decent weather and would dodge the crowds by hiking the day after the holiday. So we drove up to Maryville on Sunday, May 29, and visited with my in-laws, Chris and Jean Wirz. After taking it easy for a little while, we packed up Monday night. The Wirzes were kind enough to follow us up to Newfound Gap, where we parked the van, and then they gave us a ride to the Rainbow Falls trailhead off the Motor Nature trail in Gatlinburg. We hit the trail at 10:27 a.m., three minutes ahead of schedule. That's Katie, Chet, and Ruth, left to right. The Rainbow Falls trail starts out along LeConte Creek, and follows it for around a mile. The creek is a friendly companion, and the mountain laurel was in bloom. The trail is nice and wide at the start. Even though we planned to take our supper and breakfast up at the Lodge, we had packed plenty of water and several varieties of snacks to keep up our energy. Katie was particularly fond of the pretzel-flavored goldfish. We came across the trunk of a fallen giant, probably the remains of an American chestnut. We also took the time to admire some of the wildflowers, such as the foamflower and some type of violet. We came to the first footlog over the creek, where Ruth snapped this view of the creek and we started gaining elevation. The trail became more rocky. The dog hobble was in bloom along this stretch of the trail. Before long we heard the rush of water again, and made another crossing, past this tiny waterfall. We arrived at Rainbow Falls at around 1 p.m. and indulged ourselves with a hot lunch, cooked up on Chet's backpacking stove. While we chowed down on beef stew and Santa Fe pasta, we swatted at the zillions of tiny bugs that were hanging around the bottom of the falls and chatted with a couple from Sussex, England who were doing a whirlwind tour of the area. They had visited Biltmore House and Grandfather Mountain, and had only a day to see the Smokies. The staff at Sugarlands Visitor Center suggested the Rainbow Falls hike. We also chatted with a young couple from New Orleans, and convinced a lone hiker that a trip to the summit of LeConte and a trip to the Chimneys might be a bit of a stretch given that it was already lunchtime. None of our hiking companions joined us above the falls, and indeed we didn't see another person on the trail until we reached the lodge. The morning had been a little overcast, with temperatures in the high 50s, and as the day passed the skies didn't clear up very much. Visibility allowed some ridge views from the trail, but no really good panoramic views back toward Gatlinburg. The trail grew more narrow and rocky, with little dirt to be found to cushion the weary foot. The vistas were overgrown, though we could see some mountain peaks through the trees. We were definitely beginning to tire at this point, around four miles into the trip. Katie had become our first casualty of the day, with a skinned knee as a souvenir of the first footlog down below Rainbow Falls. The trail wound around the ridge, where on a rest break Katie spotted a twig of Catawba rhododendron blooming through a crack in the rocks. The rhododendron was in full bloom all over the mountain. We did find enough of a break in trees to get one photo toward Gatlinburg. We enjoyed many wildflowers on this section of the trail, including umbrella leaf, shown here with Katie's foot for scale. Here's a close-up of the flower. The lushness of the vegetation was an interesting contrast to the trail, which gave up all pretense of being anything other than a narrow, uneven rocky channel. Still, we had plenty of sweet white trillium, or is this a white variety of wake robin? Unfortunately, we didn't think to smell it. Views were still hard to come by on this stretch of the trail, and it was getting increasingly overcast. The little bugs were everywhere. They weren't biting, but there were so many settling on my shirt, front and back, that it was covered in small green stains. But at long last the trail joined up with the Bullhead Trail, meaning we were only six-tenths of a mile from the top of LeConte. I found Ruth waiting for me, and Katie, tired of waiting on slowpoke Dad, had already headed on toward the Lodge. The trail is still a steady climb, but knowing we're in the last half-mile or so certainly lifts one's spirits. The trail passes more through the trees than along the side of the ridge. Finally, at around 5:15 we arrived at the Lodge, to find Katie waiting for us at the steps. We went to the dining hall to check in, as the staff was busy getting dinner ready, and then collapsed in our four-person cabin for a short rest before dinner. That might have been a mistake, as when we rose we were all sore and slow-moving, but we staggered down to dinner and enjoyed a repast of a creamy chicken soup, pot roast, mashed potatoes, biscuits, cookies, and other dishes. We shared a table with a couple from Asheville and a group of three, two sisters and the husband of one of the sisters, who had come up on the Trillium Gap trail. The Asheville couple had come up the Alum Cave Bluff trail. Of the threesome, the married couple were living in Pennsylvania, and the single sister was living in Nashville. I believe it was the first trip to the lodge for all of us at the table, except for Ruth. After dinner we checked out the office and looked over the many articles tacked up on the walls. Chet and Ruth collapsed in rockers on the porch. Katie tried her hand at the guitar in the office, but shortly afterward she and Chet headed for the cabin to turn in. Ruth walked up to Cliff Tops to have a look at the sunset, but we were pretty socked in so there's wasn't much of one to see. She did get a photo of the sand myrtle buds, which are pink. The flower itself is white. She came down afterwards and joined us for a somewhat fitful night, what with Chet's snoring and leg cramps, Ruth's hogging of the blanket, and a rainstorm that hit the mountaintop during the wee hours. Though we were all exhausted, it wasn't quite the restful sleep we all hoped for. The next morning, June 1, was cool, with temperatures in the low 50s, lots of mist, and a light rain, as can be seen in this view of the office. We were relieved to find that our stiffness had mostly disappeared overnight, and the breakfast bell rang as we were getting dressed. After a welcome breakfast of pancakes, eggs, ham, and biscuits, we went to the office and bought our LeConte t-shirts. A few minutes later, we had finished packing up and put on our ponchos (or in Katie's case, a rain jacket and backpack cover), and it was time to say goodbye to our home for the night. We wanted a little variety for our return trip, so we had selected the Boulevard Trail for our return journey. After just a few minutes on the trail, we were at the official end of the Rainbow Falls Trail and at the beginning of Boulevard. The rain was actually pretty refreshing, and we were happy to be on the trail again. Moments later we were in front of the Mt. LeConte shelter, where Ruth stopped in to visit briefly with a father and son who had, as it happened, come up the Boulevard yesterday. They had had a cold night in the shelter. But they said the trail was no problem, though we'd need to be careful at the washout since it might be a little slippery. We pressed on, and immediately got a good feeling about this trail, though it was evident that we weren't going to get any spectacular views today. We soon arrived at High Point, and we did our part to raise the mountain by tossing our rocks on the stack. From this point, we started heading downhill. The trail was rocky underfoot, but the rocks were small and footing was good. We passed a grove of ghost trees, courtesy of the balsam woolly adelgid. Soon afterwards, Ruth and Katie clowned around at a small washout on the trail. Ruth clings comfortably to a short cable, while Katie looks at the precipice in mock terror. This, of course, is not the real washout. The real washout is the remains of a landslide, still very evident. We traversed the landslide without any difficulties, other than Ruth nearly losing her hat to a gust of wind. Again, strategically placed cables helped us with the crossing. After passing the washout, the trail narrows to just a narrow gap in the greenery. Though the rain and mist prevented us from getting any good views of the mountainside, it made for some very atmospheric photos. There was no shortage of wildflowers on this side of the mountain, as we saw a good stand of bluebead lily and more trilliums. The trail descended gradually, though from time to time we'd come to level saddles where the mist hinted at scenic views on clearer days, and the wind snatched at our hats. Though we passed a handful of people who were on their way up the mountain, most of the time we enjoyed the quiet solitude of the trail. Though most of the trip was downhill, there were some uphill stretches, with the result that we got strung out on the trail, with Katie well in front, Ruth somewhere in the middle, and turtle Chet slogging along about half an hour behind everyone. From time to time, we were able to keep the front and back of our line in touch with radios, but reception was spotty at best. The trail was wet, but rarely had puddles. This part of the mountain seemed a little more exposed to the elements, as the root ball of this fallen tree can attest. The last mile of the Boulevard was a climb, which was pretty taxing by this point. We were nearing the end of the Boulevard, as we passed the Jump Off, a side trail to an overlook that will have to wait for a day with better weather. But at 5.3 miles, we came to the end of the Boulevard at its junction with the Appalachian Trail. When Chet arrived, he was able to get in touch with Katie and Ruth by radio, and found that they had turned left at the intersection, heading away from Newfound Gap, with the intention of going to the Icewater Springs shelter where we hoped to get out of the wind and rain and cook up a little lunch. It was only .2 miles, and a hot lunch sounded good, even to a footsore hiker, so we all met up at the shelter. It was occupied by a small group of dayhikers from Oxford, who decided that their thin jackets and shorts were no match for the elements, so they gave up on their idea of going to Charlie's Bunion and instead headed back to Newfound Gap. There were two other AT hikers hanging around. One was trying to start a fire, with no luck, and the other was huddled miserably in his sleeping bag. He had gotten pretty wet and was trying to warm up. We broke out the stove and soon had some lasagna and black bean tamale pie steaming away in cups. We gave some to the frozen hiker, who said it was the first warm food he had had in two weeks. We tried to get a fire going, even using the stove to try to get some wood burning, but couldn't get a steady flame in the fireplace. Though the rain had stopped, the wind was vicious, and when we stopped hiking we realized how cold and damp we were, despite the ponchos. We quickly retraced our steps to the intersection of the Boulevard, and began the last 2.7 miles to Newfound Gap. Though the trail pretty much trended downhill, it was not easy walking, as the trail was rocky, with the occasional tree in the middle of the path. Down at this elevation, it was possible to get an occasional glimpse of the mountainside. It was still fairly misty, but there were occasional breaks in the cloud cover. After about an hour and a half, you could even see Newfound Gap Road through the trees. The camera had developed a bad case of internal fogginess. At long last, the trail widened, and the parking lot of Newfound Gap came into view. Chet staggered off the trail last as usual -- Katie had arrived about half an hour earlier, and was resting in the van, and Ruth had arrived 15 minutes behind Katie. We were all happy to pile into the van and drive down to Sugarlands to pick up our trail tags for LeConte, Rainbow Falls, and Boulevard, as well as a few books and some apple butter. More than a few people smiled at us in the parking lot, as we were soggy, a little muddy, and terribly stiff after our short ride in the van. After a short drive back to Maryville, a warm shower was welcomed by all, and we modeled our new LeConte T-shirts for our admiring hosts. We felt like we had earned them, with a 15.1 mile trip over two days -- not bad for folks not in the best of shape.

Return to... Guest Hikes 2005.

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