It was a beautiful morning as we left Cleveland at 7:00am to reach our goal of starting our hike by 10:00am. Arrival time at Alum Cave Trail Head was 10:15, not bad seeing as I didn't know where we were going. Parking was at a premium, however: we were able to find a spot on the side of the road close by. Conditions were perfect for a day hike, low 80's and little to no humidity. Our mantra was "slow and steady" even though in the back of our minds was an evening of eating at Calhoun's and Bama football. No hurry...just need to be off the mountain by 5:00pm. That we can do!
As the elevation increased, the terrain changed dramatically. We began through a thick forest, with mountain laurel along the river and tree roots as our main obstacle. As we exited the tree covered canopy, we began our ascent toward Alum Cave. At this point the main challenge was the steep grade and maneuvering through rocks and mud. Alum Cave was a wonderful sight because I had packed peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch and we were both very hungry. Alum Cave in an hour and fifteen minutes...not bad. After catching our breath and befriending a hungry squirrel, we were off.
From Alum Cave it is 2.8 miles of mostly straight up hiking. Our path took us along the edge of a mountain with literally nothing more than a wire to hold on to, as we navigated our way along the trail. Don't look left, I said to Hal. (Brenda out, Hal here). Brenda did not exaggerate when she described this hike. It has everything...incredible beauty, breathtaking views, and some serious difficulty. The closer we got to the top, the steeper the grade. I was happy to hear Brenda say, "Smell the pine!." That meant that we were getting close to the LeConte Lodge. Sure enough, we reached a plateau that led us into the village. The village consisted of about 20 or so one room cabins with no electricity or facilities. There was a dining hall and a meeting house. A reservation one year in advance is required to stay in one of the cabins. Brenda and I decided to make our reservation as soon as we got home. This place was so peaceful and serene. We each bought a nice long sleeve T Shirt to commemorate. We proceeded t0 continue our hike to the summit, which was about another half mile. Upon arrival and despite my protest, Brenda made her way down to the edge of the cliff to stand. I could only imagine a large gust of wind...quickly I snapped her picture so she could climb back to safety. There were 10 or 12 other people at the summit and we had some nice discussion before we decided to make a motion back down the mountain. Our trip back down was uneventful, except for the additional 1.2 miles that we had to hike courtesy of my choosing the wrong trail. Our knees hurt and Brenda was ready for a hot bath when we got to the hotel. A quick turnaround and a short wait had us eating steak at Calhoun's and enjoying the relaxed atmosphere. This day was the perfect Fall Kickoff...a big hike with perfect weather, college football, great food, and the best companionship ever! More later.
