The Hiking Hokie: Mount LeConte, Clingman's Dome, and Cades Cove

I am so thrilled to say that I was finally able to visit Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I recently came across a list of "20 Best Hikes in the National Parks." (see the list here). Naturally, I had to take a look. The photographs were awe-inspiring and made me feel like a complete noob - having hiked only 1.5 of the listed trails. I say 1.5 because way back when, I went on a family vacation to Zion National Park and my family attempted to wrangle us three children up to the top of Angel's Landing. My mother and I made it to the point at which we were meant to cling to cables as we ascended the rocky precipice. We chose to sit on the little plateau and watch the chipmunks instead. I now wonder what my current reaction to this hike would be and would love to try it again should I ever have the time and funds to fly myself back to Utah.

But it would seem that I've already gone on quite the tangent. As it was, I read the list and decided that I needed to begin to make amends to the fact that I had only fully completed one of the listed hikes. Mount LeConte was on the list and so I decided that a trip to Great Smoky Mountains National Park was in order. Casey and I meant to go several weekends ago; however, when I awoke a few mornings before the trip with a bad cold, we decided that we may as well postpone. It ended up working in our favor because we rescheduled for the end of the year. We embarked shortly after each of us had finished our very last finals of our undergraduate career as a sort of salutation to the end of old times and the start of new beginnings. It was made especially special when I received a job offer just before we left. What a way to put worries behind.

Our site

Thyme-Leaved Bluets (my favorite flower)

The drive wasn't too awful and the weather, which was slated to be quite sketchy was actually quite kind to us after it first initiated us into the park. We arrived just in time for the downpour. As the rain fell in sheets, we attempted to hang the saving grace of our trip - a giant tarp. I had bought the thing on a whim at Walmart, thinking that it might be useful to have a place to sit outside out of the rain. While this was absolutely true, it also so happened that we managed to forget to bring the smaller tarp for underneath the tent, and so it worked that we were able to cover the entire tent area with the large tarp so that no rain drained near the base of the tent. I quite appreciated not waking up in a puddle.

I have no doubt that exactly this would have happened had we not brought the big blue tarp, as it stormed through the night. Casey and I talked until we fell asleep of the likelihood that a bolt of lightning would strike a nearby tree which would then fall and crush us in our sleep. Fortunately, no such thing happened and we awoke in the morning to much better weather.

Alum Cave Trail to Mt. LeConte

The drive to the trailhead for the Alum Cave trail accessing Mt. LeConte wasn't bad from our camp at Elkmont and we began hiking at 10:50 AM with the goal of getting back to the car before the afternoon storms that were in the forecast. Let me just say that the trail was perfect. The greenery was astounding and much of the trail had turned into a sort of rocky stream from all of the rain (which was significantly better than the mud and muck that could have otherwise overwhelmed the trail). My very favorite flowers were blooming all around the trail and we passed friendly fellow hikers on our way up.

We made it to the lodge at the top in 2.5 hours at which point the thunder was beginning to roll in the distance. From beyond the lodge, a wall of clouds appeared to be moving in. We didn't stay long, nor did we hike to the "official" top (another .5 miles down the trail), but we did wander around the camp area for a few minutes.

clouds rolling in on Mt. LeConte

The Lodge and elevation

The thunder was a false alarm, it turned out, and we made it back down the trail in another 2 hours. Because the weather was still holding out and our legs hadn't given out on us yet, we decided to make the drive over to Clingman's Dome. I had been wanting to see it, but because it would have been an hour's drive from Elkmont for a 1 mile round-trip walk, we weren't sure that it would fit into the plans. As it turned out, it worked perfectly. The internet wasn't lying when it claimed that the paved path to Clingman's Dome was steep, despite it's short .5 mile distance. I'd like to think that it was just because I had just hiked 10 miles, but I had to stop to catch my breath a few times. The top was pretty interesting though. We were presented with 360 degree views, including some of the mountain that we had just hiked.

The afternoon back at the campsite brought another rain shower, an attempt to cook pasta underneath the giant tarp to stay dry, a near miss when the propane leaked a bit and the flame shot a good foot and a half into the air, and a dinner of cold soup instead when we decided to trash the idea of warm pasta in favor of a less flammable alternative. I am still unsure if my lack of prowess with my cook stove is my own fault (I do tend to be more than slightly air-headed at times) or if it is the fault of my 20 year old stove. This is not the first time I have nearly blown myself up with that contraption.

The second night's worry was that a bear would find me and break into our tent while we were sleeping. I had knowingly broken the cardinal rule of camping and snuck a "food product" into my tent with me. After the hiking, my cough (which still hadn't fully dispersed from the week of the previous trip's cancellation) was back in full force. For both of our benefits, I brought two cough drops into the tent - one for now and one for later. This time, I fell asleep to thoughts of waking up beside a black bear scavenging for my lone cough drop. No such thing happened, but I think I will forgo the cough drop in the future for a more peacefully minded sleep.

Biking to an old homestead on an offshoot from Cades Cove Loop

Again, the weather made a turn for the better in the morning. By the time we awoke at 5:30 AM, the skies were clear, albeit still dark. We packed up and drove to Cades Cove in time to take a leisurely bike ride around the loop before cars were allowed on the loop road. We saw several turkeys and many more breathtaking beautiful mountain views.

Overall, this trip was not a disappointment. The park was beautiful, the weather was as good as I could have hoped considering the forecast, and the hike and bike ride were both extremely rewarding. We were even able to make a trip into the tourist trap that is Gatlinburg, TN. I must say, for as touristy as it was, I had quite a ball window shopping and sitting in a nice air conditioned restaurant for a bit. I will most certainly be back.