Mr. Wright: here it
is. Feel free to edit any of it if you see fit. I have
discovered writing about this trip to be very difficult. But, anyway, for
better or worse, here you have it.
After an up and
back hike to the LeConte Lodge in 2004 via Alum Cave trail, we, (Paul &
Jeanne Sanders), wanted to return and spend the night there. As luck would
have it, we managed an overnight reservation for March 21, 2006. We were
ecstatic.
We traveled to
the Smokies from Indiana a few
days before our trip. The weather in the foothills
was not promising: rain, mist, cool temps. At Sugarlands, we
checked the weather at Mt. LeConte with the rangers. They were most
helpful to us, and I thank them. After
much discussion, we decided on Trillium Gap, mainly because my wife thought
it would be less rocky and more pretty than Rainbow Falls, the trail I
initially wanted.
We arrived at
the trailhead the morning of the 21st, and gathered our gear. We met
Bob and his daughter Katie, who were also going up for the
night. Very nice and friendly duo. We hit the trail at 8:30, later
than I had planned. It was raining, and our $2 ponchos proved invaluable.
The woods were beautiful and the climbing steady. We crossed 4 beautiful
streams before we made Grotto Falls at 9:15. The falls were pretty,
and we had to walk behind the falls to
continue on the trail, a unique
pleasure indeed. It was at this point where
the trail became more strenuous, and more rocky. The
trail seemed to end at another
falls; finally we discovered a sharp switchback,
and continued ahead, finding it increasingly steep and rocky.
We took our first
water break at 10:10; the rain finally quit, and
the sun broke bright and beautiful. We had lunch at noon in an open area
with stunning vistas of the surrounding mountains. From this point on, we
had plenty of sun, with an occasional patch of fog. As we
continued upward, we encountered a huge sheet of ice on the cliff next to
the trail, and found the trail to be ice-covered as well for about 20 or 30
feet, with a steep drop-off into nothing but air on the
We arrived at the
lodge at 2:45. The last mile or so of the trail was very
rocky, so the small wooden structures of the lodge were a welcome sight
indeed. We checked in, and fell
in love with our tiny cabin; bunk beds, small
wooden chair, wooden table, small little bed. A kerosene lamp for light.
Just perfect! After taking off our gear, we staggered to the Dining Hall
for
delicious hot chocolate, and then headed to Cliff Top where we were greeted
with stunning views; the clouds had lifted just in time!
Back
at the lodge, the temps dropped, the sun suddenly vanished at around 5pm, and it
started snowing and sleeting. By 6, it had turned into a real ice and snow
storm, with strong winds, making walking even a few feet difficult.
Ice coated the stone paths and railings, and made
for a beautiful winter wonderland on the mountain top.
Dinner was
at six at the dining hall with great food,
delicious wine, and excellent conversations
with our fellow overnighters. We returned to our cabin about
7:30, and enjoyed the simplicity of the cabin, listening to the wind
howling outside our door. Around 11, we ventured out to the restroom;
coming back we got disoriented in the fierce storm, and found ourselves heading out of the
lodge area. We quickly righted ourselves, somehow found our cabin, and spent
a magical night in the
cabin,
listening to the wind and ice battering our windows.
The next
morning found the lodge buried under a thick carpet of
ice,
with the temperature at the office reading 13 degrees. It took some
of the folks 10-15 minutes to get out of their cabins, as their doors were
frozen shut. Conversation during the 8 am breakfast was all about how to get
safely off the mountain. Numerous folks changed
their initial hiking plans, and took
different trails down than they had
intended. I decided we should return via the Bullhead; I was leery of
getting down the Trillium Gap trail with the precipitous drop-offs and ice.
From talking to more experienced hikers, the Bullhead seemed the
safest.
We filled our
water bottles, strapped on our crampons, and headed down
by 9:15. (Filling our water bottles at the camp pump proved to be one of the
most difficult tasks of the whole day for me. Just getting to the pump from
the office was difficult due to the ice)! The trip down was utterly amazing,
and nearly defies description. The rain that
had fallen the previous day was now
ice; added to that was the ice and snow that fell during the night, and
well, descending the mountain became daunting indeed. The crampons saved us,
and even then, we had to walk on the edge of the trail, searching for frozen
grass and dirt, trying to avoid the sheer ice choking the trail.
The Bullhead
proved to be a good choice, with less precarious drop-offs
than the Trillium. Later I heard that 3 of the 5 trails to LeConte had
become impassable that day. I think the Bullhead & the Trillium Gap
trail are both wonderful trails. Great views on both of them, interesting
water crossings. I recommend them. (But not after an ice storm)! Anyway, we
somehow made it down by 2:15, and then had to walk another 2 miles down the
road to reach our car parked at the Trillium Gap trailhead. All in
all, we hiked about 16 miles in those 2
days.
For those
folks intending to scale LeConte, I strongly suggest, among
other things, hiking boots, good hiking poles, and bring crampons along.
(Not everyone who spent the night there had such items). The weather up
there can change in minutes and the mountain, while breathtakingly
beautiful, is unforgiving. At one point on the way
down, we were crossing an ice-choked stream, with dangerous drop-offs on the
left. A strap on Jeanne's backpack came loose, and she was pulled suddenly
to the left. If not for her sturdy hiking pole, she may have gone over the
side.
It
is difficult to sum up our trip; my words in this little journal
have proven to be woefully inadequate to fully describe the adventure. We
experienced rain, fog, clouds, mist, sunshine, snow, and ice. The
sound of the ice and wind hitting the windows of our tiny cabin
all night long is a sound we shall never forget. And of course, the views
are stunning, and they defy description. We definitely intend to return.
It was an experience of a lifetime for us.
Postscript: to anyone who spent March
21 & 22 at the Lodge, and might recognize
Jeanne and myself here, please email me. We would love to hear
of your trips down the mountain that day; here is my email address: prsanders@psci.net
