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Danny Max, Matthew King, and Kevin Price hike to LeConte Lodge 6/12/2005

We left Gatlinburg about 0730 that morning with the weather partly cloudy and rain showers predicted. The higher we drove, the gustier the wind became. We actually had to dodge a few falling branches. We arrived at the Alum Cave trailhead at 0800 and put on rain gear. I also put on my long sleeve coolmax. Our plan was to hike to the Lodge and return via Bullhead trail. We departed around 0815 and the wind subsided as we hiked. We paused at Arc Rock to take some pictures and continued toward the bluff. Only sprinkles of rain. Below Inspiration Point, we met a hearty young lady that said she had camped at the Shelter overnight. She said it was very windy up high.Near Inspiration Point, it began to rain and the higher we climbed, the windier it became. As we hiked by Inspiration Point, it began to rain and I do mean rain. The bluff was a good dry place to stop and rest. There, we met several overnighters from the Lodge and they told us it was gale force winds during the night and lots of rain. They said it must have been a result of the Tropical Storm that recently came ashore in the gulf. We departed the bluff and began to climb in wind and rain. The saddle was a good break for me as my legs were beginning to feel like spaghetti and 15 second stops came after ever 100 yards. Grassy slide was really scary since the wind was fierce and it was raining sideways. But, we were determined. Already, my feet were soaked as was the rest of me even though I was wearing my Red Ledge rain top. We arrived at the Lodge around 1200, ate lunch and bought our shirts. The heater was not on and the longer we sat, the colder we got. We stayed until 1245 and as we departed, I filled my water bottle. My finger began to turn blue, and as I waited on Kevin and Matt to use the restroom, I began to shiver. Only then, did I realize how chilled I had become. I knew I had to get moving to generate some heat. So, we left at a fast clip. Just above the junction with Rainbow Falls trail, we met another young lady that had no food, no raingear, no bra and an empty water bottle. She said she was from Atlanta but she had a German accent. I told her she was close to the Lodge and she could refill her water bottle there. She wanted to know if she could buy food there. I explained that the food was only available to the overnighters, but she needed to ask someone at the lodge for some food. I gave her some M&M’s in a baggie and told her not to stay long since the rain and strong winds were predicted to continue. She was totally unprepared for such a hike since she did not leave the trailhead until 1100. I hope she got some food and made it down OK. We continued down Bullhead at a steady clip with rain and wind. As we got lower, the winds began to subside. Around the Bull head, we began to encounter downed trees across the trail and huge limbs that had been blown out of the trees. I later reported this at Sugarlands. We finally arrived at Rainbow falls trailhead around 1600 in a huge downpour. My wife and daughters met us at the trailhead after almost 8 hrs of continuous rainfall. Over 12 miles in one day is my limit. It was a great hike.Danny Max

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