The Smokies were great! Our adventure started off in Gatlinburg. We arrived Friday afternoon not knowing where we were going to stay that night and not 100% sure about the route we would take on our hike up Mt LeConte the following day. We decided to stop inside the Natahala Outdoor Center and browse around and talk to some of the workers. Gray mentioned to one of the workers we were looking for a spot to stay that night. She wasn't sure we would find a place since it was a holiday weekend and everything would be pretty expensive. Out of nowhere a man behind Gray said he owned some condos right down the road on the river. He offered to let us stay in one and gave us a killer deal and even waived the cleaning fees. What a great way to start off our trip! We then made our way up to the camping section and talked with some workers and fellow trail seekers. We came up with a route for our hike after meeting a guy from New Orleans that gave us some tips. We were also convinced to buy spikes for our shoes since there would be heavy snow and ice on the mountain. I was a bit nervous about it being really cold on top and whether or not we would be able to stay warm enough to sleep on the top of the third highest peak in the Smokies in January!! I was a nervous wreck.
Gray helped me and told me we could get an early start and if we didn't want to sleep in the shelter on the top we could just hike down. Wheww. I was a lot better. So the next morning we ate a quick breakfast and started the walk. What a beautiful walk it was! It was like a winter wonderland, snow everywhere! The trees held the snow so gracefully and beautifully. The creeks partly frozen, which made for tricky crossings, the beautiful blue sky, and the icicles hanging from the rocks. It was like we were hiking through Narnia. We even met the lodge-keeper (who stays atop Leconte during the winter months) on the way up and he assured us it was worth the hike, but told us it may be a bit cold to sleep - but it was definitely do-able. We finally arrived on the top after 8 miles and 4,000 feet in elevation gain! The view was outstanding. Looking out from the cliff tops we could see for miles, gazing at the ever so blue, Blue Ridge Mountains in the distance, it was definitely worth the trek. Snow beneath out feet and Sun above our heads, we found the shelter we were scheduled to stay in and sat on the benches for a break and a snack. It was so relieving to take the packs off! We gazed around and noticed that the fire pit inside the wall had been blocked in due to people burning wrong things in the past. Bummer. With the weather forecast of Gatlinburg saying it was going to be in the teens and well below that with the wind factor, I can safely say it was an unanimous vote to hike back down and get some hot food and sleep in a warm cabin. So, we hopped up and started the walk down. I have to admit, I was pretty relieved that I didn't have to freeze all night long! The walk down was much quicker- although it still took almost 3 hours to get down. We arrived at our car around 6:15pm, right as the sky turned dark. What a long (16 mi. hike), challenging, beautiful day in the Smokies. We then went to our favorite spot we found in Gatlinburg (or should I say the lest touristy spot), the Great Smoky Mountain Brewery. We filled our well deserving bellies and then headed to our little cabin in the RV park for some sleep! (We still got to use our sleeping bags in the cabin and they kept us nice and toasty!) We cannot wait to come back to the Smokies, we'll save the camping up top for warmer weather :)
And like johnny Cash's song 'one piece at a time' - we are taking the Trails of Life, 'one step at a time', enjoying every one of them.
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