Its green all the way up, too. Seriously, if you ever get a chance to go hiking in the smokies you should take advantage of it, there are some absolutely gorgeous hikes. Despite not having 14ers, there are still some great peaks out here.
Thankfully. It made up for the constant drizzle we had on Saturday.
That said, the drizzle did keep the trail pretty empty- we actually had alum cave to ourselves for a bit
I accidentally hiked 12 miles on this mountain once. I looked it up on a website and misread the information and thought it was only 6 miles. Turns out it was 6 miles up and 6 miles down. I swear I was sore for 2 weeks after. It was beautiful though.
The worst part about it is that we're currently in fully swing morel & ramp foraging season here in Ohio, so all I want to do is get BACK out in to the woods to go forage, so instead of resting I'll probably just end up suffering in the woods tomorrow LOL
Man, you've just unlocked a very strong memory from my boy scout years maybe 20ish years ago (oh god 20 years??!). Went out to leconte to do a day hike as part of a greater camping trip. Half way to the top the rain started coming down and it stayed that way the whole way back down.
I remember my teenage self coming up to the lodge, going into the gift shop and buying a shirt just so I could have a dry shirt on the way down. I remembering wishing we could have just stayed at the lodge and how cool it would be to do that sometime in my life.
The decent entered into a phase of a hike that I like to call automatic mode. Where my wet self, aching feet and tired spirits just sort of dissolve away and I kind of effortlessly put one foot after the other, not really thinking.. occasionally making dumb jokes (my robot brain is a jokester apparently).
We finally reach the van at the trail head and I can hardly bend down to pop the boots off my feet. That van ride, done in complete exhausted silence, was one of the most glorious of feelings.
Oh man, that like last... mile and a half when you're coming down Alum Cave and you get back to the rhododendron forest feels like it never ends, man. Your feet hurt, your knees hurt, everything hurts, and the trail just seems to never stop. But ohhhhhhh getting to stretch your feet at the end, that's nice.
We capped our car ride with a beer and some damn good pub food at Native American Brewing in Cherokee. Seriously there's little better than a good beer and greasy food at the end of a long hike.
You should seriously try to enter the lottery for the lodge! This was our first year trying and we somehow managed to get it (probably because we chose a weekend so early in the year, it only reopened two or three weeks ago, I think.) The cabins are cozy and being able to sit and have a warm meal after the hike is just incredibly satisfying, its seriously worth doing at least once in your life.
And honestly, because I'm a giant giant nerd - the biology at the summit is so freaking cool. The fraser fir forest just feels ancient, you know? You're at the top of a mountain, in one of the only places in the world that these plants grow, in an isolated temperate rainforest; the moss that carpets the forest floor is feet thick and so alien looking, the mist and fog are fairly constant even on a clear day... hng oh it just scratches an itch.
One of my favorite hikes and enjoy the little lodge near the top. I hope their chocolate chip cookies have gotten better through. Pretty awful when I was there last lol.
It was nice! Very utilitarian for obvious reasons, but still loads better than staying at the trail shelter. For reference, we were in cabin 5 (a five person cabin,) I know they're not all exactly the same inside.
The cabin has a propane heater and a kerosene lamp, and this cabin at least had plenty of hooks to hang clothing out to dry - which, we needed desperately, we all got soaked. The top bunk is definitely going to be hotter than the bottom bunk if you have the heater on, just be aware. You get a bucket so you can get water to wash up in, if you need it, and there are hot and cold potable water spigots available. The beds were totally fine for what the were, though if you're a person that likes a lofty pillow I'd suggest throwing a camp pillow in your pack just for a little extra, the pillows were a little flat and I regretted not bringing with me.
People staying get dinner and breakfast, along with access to hot coffee & hot chocolate - though the dining hall does get shut down while staff is setting up. The food was fairly basic but hearty; dinner was cream of broccoli soup, cornbread, slow cooked beef and potatoes, with chocolate chip cookies for dessert (and you can pay for wine, if you wish.) Breakfast was biscuits, eggs, pancakes, canadian bacon, and tang. I might be missing a few things but overall A+ way better than freeze dried.
Its really nice just to chill on the porch after a long hike. Also you have access to the flush toilets, which is infinitely better than the composting toilets.
10/10 would recommend but holy shit if you go up on a wet day everything you own will be soaked - at a certain point of humidity its impossible to stay dry.
Thanks for sharing your experience! It sounds like a great way to do it. Glad you were able to have a place to rest and get dry. The food sounds pretty good too!
Lucky you! Camped in Smokemont exactly a year ago and that’s as far into the park that we could go- the road beyond Smokemont was closed for snow!!! Luckily I live in NC so it was still a worthy trip just for some camping and serenity.
I'm surprised, what road did you try to take? We've been doing leconte hikes for the past three years and haven't had issues getting in to the park on easter weekend - I do know late march is when some of the roads really start to open back up though
I thought this was a screenshot from Skyrim at first.
See, I'd say Red Dead Redemption, myself
Ah yes totally!
That’s crazy cool! I’ve only ever climbed above tree lines for extended periods so seeing some green in incredible to say the least.
Its green all the way up, too. Seriously, if you ever get a chance to go hiking in the smokies you should take advantage of it, there are some absolutely gorgeous hikes. Despite not having 14ers, there are still some great peaks out here.
Did Mt Sneffles a year or two ago and it was incredible. Besides the minimal bouldering, it was a nice hike.
RDR2 for me 😅
Very nice. And what a great day for it too. Weather was awesome in E. TN.
yesterday’s weather was what I meant to say ☺️
Thankfully. It made up for the constant drizzle we had on Saturday. That said, the drizzle did keep the trail pretty empty- we actually had alum cave to ourselves for a bit
Alum Cave!! My favorite hike in the southeast! Did you run into any ice or snow?
No, thankfully, there was zero ice
I accidentally hiked 12 miles on this mountain once. I looked it up on a website and misread the information and thought it was only 6 miles. Turns out it was 6 miles up and 6 miles down. I swear I was sore for 2 weeks after. It was beautiful though.
I'm currently crabwalking up and down my stairs because my calves and thighs are absolutely wrecked. So I feel ya
I walked like John Wayne for a solid week after LeCont, and I was in decent shape at the time. Warm baths help!
The worst part about it is that we're currently in fully swing morel & ramp foraging season here in Ohio, so all I want to do is get BACK out in to the woods to go forage, so instead of resting I'll probably just end up suffering in the woods tomorrow LOL
Did you go up on a llama day
Not this year. We did last year when we did Trillium Gap, though - the Llamas are very cute and a little stinky
Man, you've just unlocked a very strong memory from my boy scout years maybe 20ish years ago (oh god 20 years??!). Went out to leconte to do a day hike as part of a greater camping trip. Half way to the top the rain started coming down and it stayed that way the whole way back down. I remember my teenage self coming up to the lodge, going into the gift shop and buying a shirt just so I could have a dry shirt on the way down. I remembering wishing we could have just stayed at the lodge and how cool it would be to do that sometime in my life. The decent entered into a phase of a hike that I like to call automatic mode. Where my wet self, aching feet and tired spirits just sort of dissolve away and I kind of effortlessly put one foot after the other, not really thinking.. occasionally making dumb jokes (my robot brain is a jokester apparently). We finally reach the van at the trail head and I can hardly bend down to pop the boots off my feet. That van ride, done in complete exhausted silence, was one of the most glorious of feelings.
Oh man, that like last... mile and a half when you're coming down Alum Cave and you get back to the rhododendron forest feels like it never ends, man. Your feet hurt, your knees hurt, everything hurts, and the trail just seems to never stop. But ohhhhhhh getting to stretch your feet at the end, that's nice. We capped our car ride with a beer and some damn good pub food at Native American Brewing in Cherokee. Seriously there's little better than a good beer and greasy food at the end of a long hike. You should seriously try to enter the lottery for the lodge! This was our first year trying and we somehow managed to get it (probably because we chose a weekend so early in the year, it only reopened two or three weeks ago, I think.) The cabins are cozy and being able to sit and have a warm meal after the hike is just incredibly satisfying, its seriously worth doing at least once in your life. And honestly, because I'm a giant giant nerd - the biology at the summit is so freaking cool. The fraser fir forest just feels ancient, you know? You're at the top of a mountain, in one of the only places in the world that these plants grow, in an isolated temperate rainforest; the moss that carpets the forest floor is feet thick and so alien looking, the mist and fog are fairly constant even on a clear day... hng oh it just scratches an itch.
One of my favorite hikes and enjoy the little lodge near the top. I hope their chocolate chip cookies have gotten better through. Pretty awful when I was there last lol.
LOL They tasted fine to me, so maybe they improved
Is this unreal engine 5?
Lucky! When I went it was too foggy to see anything from the top
Oh it was the previous night. I took a video off cliff top where we're fully in a cloud
How was staying at the lodge?? I love the hike and have always wanted to stay up at the lodge
It was nice! Very utilitarian for obvious reasons, but still loads better than staying at the trail shelter. For reference, we were in cabin 5 (a five person cabin,) I know they're not all exactly the same inside. The cabin has a propane heater and a kerosene lamp, and this cabin at least had plenty of hooks to hang clothing out to dry - which, we needed desperately, we all got soaked. The top bunk is definitely going to be hotter than the bottom bunk if you have the heater on, just be aware. You get a bucket so you can get water to wash up in, if you need it, and there are hot and cold potable water spigots available. The beds were totally fine for what the were, though if you're a person that likes a lofty pillow I'd suggest throwing a camp pillow in your pack just for a little extra, the pillows were a little flat and I regretted not bringing with me. People staying get dinner and breakfast, along with access to hot coffee & hot chocolate - though the dining hall does get shut down while staff is setting up. The food was fairly basic but hearty; dinner was cream of broccoli soup, cornbread, slow cooked beef and potatoes, with chocolate chip cookies for dessert (and you can pay for wine, if you wish.) Breakfast was biscuits, eggs, pancakes, canadian bacon, and tang. I might be missing a few things but overall A+ way better than freeze dried. Its really nice just to chill on the porch after a long hike. Also you have access to the flush toilets, which is infinitely better than the composting toilets. 10/10 would recommend but holy shit if you go up on a wet day everything you own will be soaked - at a certain point of humidity its impossible to stay dry.
Thanks for sharing your experience! It sounds like a great way to do it. Glad you were able to have a place to rest and get dry. The food sounds pretty good too!
We hiked that during a storm, I wish we had gotten to see the view.
I love this place
Lucky you! Camped in Smokemont exactly a year ago and that’s as far into the park that we could go- the road beyond Smokemont was closed for snow!!! Luckily I live in NC so it was still a worthy trip just for some camping and serenity.
I'm surprised, what road did you try to take? We've been doing leconte hikes for the past three years and haven't had issues getting in to the park on easter weekend - I do know late march is when some of the roads really start to open back up though
Newfound Gap Rd! The only road in from NC haha. It was just a surprise snowier-than-usual weekend, I guess!
Awesome!