Mt. LeConte - Great Smoky Mountains National Park

[Stretch]

Hello gang, thought I would share a bit of home with you all. Mount LeConte, from its base to highest point, is the highest mountain in the Eastern US, and is the third highest peak in the Smokies. There is a very nice lodge on top of the mountain that offers superb views and spectacular sunrises and sunsets overlooking the national park. I have been up to the top in summer from a different trail but thought I'd give it a go in winter from a different direction. At one point this month we have had 9 straight days below freezing which is very uncommon for east Tennessee. The snow and ice on the trail slowed me down in places, but the grade of the trail was pretty gentle and I made good time to the top. At nearly the halfway point you come to Rainbow Falls which is considered the highest water drop in the park, but on this occasion it was frozen solid. The trail gets a bit tougher over the last mile or so and if you stepped off the path you became about a foot shorter. With a half mile to go you reach the intersection of the Bullhead trail which you could use for a loop back to the car. There were only a few people who ventured past the waterfall on this day which is nice considering how many tourists follow this path up in summer. Once at the lodge you can head up to one of four summit vistas, on this trip I went for the Cliff Tops (6555ft) view which overlooks the park to the south toward North Carolina. Spent about an hour at the top feeding the hungry squirrels and taking in the views of my state from above. Overall this was a fine day out with warmer temps and clear blue skies. Enjoy and come visit Tennessee if you get the chance!

[malky_c]

Brilliant - more please!

Ever since reading the Bill Bryson account of walking the Appalacian Trail, I have wanted to see photos and reports from some of the adjacent areas.

cheers

[Paul Webster]

Great to see your neck of the woods Stretch. The snow looks like the weather in Britain over the last few weeks. I love the look of the log cabin at the top.