Hike 1283 5/14/04  I scheduled this hike to include a visit to my childhood hometown of Decatur, AL. The third Sunday in May is Decoration Day at the Cemetery where my parents and loads of other relatives and ancestors are buried. I always like to go back and pay honor to those that have departed this life. As things worked out, my daughter Peggy and her daughter Laura were supposed to go to Oak Ridge, TN for a collegiate Rowing competition. The University of North Carolina team was competing. Laura had late classes and they would not get to Oak Ridge in time for me to take a shower in their motel room before having dinner and heading to Decatur. I decided to just hike and return to Florida.

I kept a close eye on the weather but it appeared that every day during that week there was at least a 40% chance for thunderstorms. I decided to go anyway. On Wednesday the 12th, I left Florida, after finishing a dental appointment and drove to the Ramada Inn in Waterboro, SC. I have stayed there so many times that they give me a poolside room on the ground floor at the coupon rate. They also offer a free hot breakfast and there is a Shoney's next door for dinner.

The drive to Cherokee, NC was uneventful except for some fairly serious rain. I arrived at the Best Western in Cherokee at noon and again got a room on the ground floor by the pool. I watched the weather channel and became convinced that I was going to get soaked, but I had driven at least 760 miles so I intended to just hike and enjoy it. I checked out at 6:00 a.m. and walked across the street to Hardee's. There I had breakfast. I chose the sausage and bacon omelet in a bowl. It is really a nice breakfast but getting the food out of the plastic bowl with a plastic fork is not the greatest.

I arrived at the trailhead at about 6:45 a.m. Ronnie Holbert had just arrived and was preparing to go. We took off at about 7:00 a.m. under an overcast sky with a temperature of 53 degrees. Before we reached the first footlog, a young man came up behind us and asked if I were Ed Wright. I asked what I was Wanted for? He introduced himself as Kirby Russell from Knoxville, TN and he had read my post where I announced my next hike and he wanted to do the hike with me. Kirby moved to Knoxville from Louisville, KY. We hiked at my slow easy pace and reached Inspiration Point at 8:00 a.m. Mike Howitz from Amana, OH overtook us there and hiked past Gracie's Pulpit with us. We stopped for a picture. I took a picture of Ronnie, Kirby and Mike standing on Inspiration Point. Ronnie got out his camera and small tripod and took a picture of all of us. 

I stopped across from the Eye of the Needle on Little Duck Hawk Ridge and looked for signs of the peregrine falcons but I did not see or hear them. I did take a picture of the ridge though. We stopped for a short break at the Alum Cave Bluff. I took the occasion to photograph Ronnie and Mike. Kirby had continued up the trail to the upper end of the bluff. As we continued our hike I took pictures of painted trillium and an overhead view of Little Duck Hawk Ridge. A bit further along, we had an obstructed view of the parking lot far below. During the winter months, when there are no leaves on the trees, this is an unobstructed view but our view was limited by the new foliage. We then had a nice view of The Chimneys. We stopped at Gracie's Pulpit for a snack. I needed to eat something to keep my blood sugar level up. I did not want to pass out again on the trail. The view across to Cliff Top showed clouds hanging over the top. Mike had to meet his wife back at the trailhead at 2:30 p.m. He could not complete his hike to LeConte and back at my pace so he sped ahead. We met him on his way back down near the upper steps. We paused near the saddle to photograph a red trillium, the only one that I have seen on this trail but I have seen it for many years. I also photographed a clump of white trilliums.

Beyond the three mile point, we started meeting members of the Huff Family. Jack Huff and his wife built the lodge in 1925. The Huff family and friends hike to the lodge every year and spend the night. We first met two grandsons Aaron Whaley, with his hat on backwards, his brother Keith and later their father, Eddie, joined them. I later learn that their grandfather and Jack Huff were first cousins. Sorry for the mix-up. As we were moving along at my snail's pace, I stopped long enough to photograph two live snails at work. As a matter of fact there were three snails but I only see two in the picture! I probably cropped one out. Near the upper steps we met more of the Huff family. Jack Huff's Grandson Chris Bowling, his wife Cyndi and a friend Byron Fortner. Chris manages the Jack Huff Motor Inn in Gatlinburg, TN.


. There were lots of bluets around but none that struck my fancy. I did take a picture of a Witch Hobble in bloom.

We met Cookie (Dorothy "Cookie: Huff Bowling, Jack Huff's daughter, at the now smooth Bust A@@ Rocks.  I took a picture of her with her hiking friends and sons, Scott Bowling has a hat on, Jonathan Bowling has a hat on, O.H. Ogle of Gatlinburg, Cookie, Linda Clemons from Va.

and then took one of Ronnie and Cookie. We continued our climb and kept meeting overnight guests who were descending. At Trout Branch I photographed a clump of grass in bloom. I asked Ronnie and Kirby to hold it a second while I took a picture of them at Grassy Slide. The grass there was also in bloom. I paused at West Point View and photographed another clump of white trillium. We were most happy to reach Betty Jane's Stairway to Heaven. At that point we we have wonderful views and were pleased to know that most of the climbing was over in our climb to the LeConte Lodge. It was still cloudy as we reached Margaret's Place and Paul's Face but we had not encountered any rain and the views are nice.

The lodge was cloudy and 45 degrees. When we went into the office, we were greeted with a very bright interior. Four new skylights have been cut into the roof and a new ceiling installed. Work is still ongoing.  Lots of lumber and other building materials are stored between the Trail Maintenance cabin and the office. The desk has been moved and a new registration counter built at the end of the office, in the space that once was used to store nonperishable food. A new expanded store for lodge paraphernalia now is stored there. After signing in, I checked to see if Tim Line had updated the weather data. He did have the 2003 data posted and  had, in fact, made a new chart that included  the weather data from 1978 through 2003.  This new chart replaced three smaller charts that hung on the wall. I was not certain that I could read the data from my picture so I read the information off while Kirby wrote it down. Ronnie took our picture. Way to go Ronnie. Before leaving, I filled my CamelBak with fresh water and visited the facilities. Ronnie and Kirby went into the dining room and took a picture of the new sign over the door to the dining room.

After completing my chores I could not find my hiking companions so I started my descent knowing full well that they would have no, problem overtaking me. The first several hikers that I met, I told them to pass the word along that I was on my way down. They overtook me before reaching the upper steps where we found two couples from Louisville, KY having a lunch break. I also found a group of bluets below the steps that I decided to photograph.

When we reached the saddle, the trail goes uphill for about 0.4 miles. That stretch really slowed me down. We stopped at Gracie's Pulpit for another snack and visited with three brothers ages 9. 13 and 16, who were waiting for their parents. We met them just below, struggling. I know the feeling! We cruised on down the trail, meeting lots of hikers. I paused for another picture of the Eye of the Needle. It is always interesting and different. No peregrine falcons were in sight again. I photographed Sand Myrtle and lichen before reaching Inspiration Point.

Below Inspiration Point we met Victor Ashe, the former mayor of Knoxville, TN and his former staff, heading for an overnight stay at the lodge. I took their picture  Last year when I met the Mayor, near Gracie's Pulpit, I asked if I could take his picture. He wanted me in the picture also. I did not have a tripod for my camera, so I could not make the picture with me in it.  I asked Ronnie take a picture with me in the group. President Bush just has appointed Victor Ashe as our next ambassador to Poland. I can count the number of ambassadors that I have been photographed next to on one finger. Congratulations Mr. Ambassador! We now have a friend in Poland. We met Tim Line and his lovely daughter Grace at the first footlog. They said that Lisa, Jacob and Nathan were fine.

At the last footlog we met a delightful young lady from Columbus, OH, Cindy Wisniscky. She is an e-mail friend and a wonderful photographer. I am looking forward to a copy of the pictures that she took. Ronnie took a picture of us and a group shot at the trailhead. I took a final shot of foam flowers at the parking lot before changing from my hiking boots to sandals for the drive back to Florida. Cindy gave me copies of some lovely pictures that she had taken on Mt. LeConte and Death Valley. She also gave me an Ohio State Cap to wear. This was a very special day with special people. We completed the hike at 2:30 p.m. and in good spirits. The Good Lord kept the weather essentially rain free for us. I don't know how the day could have been better unless accompanied by family and more friends. I hope to hike again on June 19, 2004 with family. If you would like to join us, come along. We hope to leave the trailhead by 6:45 a.m.