Marissa and I hiked the Trillium Gap Trail (from the Grotto Falls
trailhead) to LeConte yesterday, with a side trip to Brushy Mountain on
the way back down. 14 miles, 3,448 feet of elevation. Nice weather, just
a few sprinkles on the way down at dusk, but otherwise clear all day. I
didn't check the temp at the LeConte Lodge, but the forecast showed
temps in the 30's all day at the top.
Trail conditions were good, but some of the water crossings were more work than normal
after the heavy rains the day before. We talked to a couple of hikers
that were headed down from an overnight stay at the lodge. They had
hiked up the previous day in the deluge and had nothing dry on when the
reached the top.
The vistas, flora, rock formations,
waterfalls, and beauty of the trails as they hug the side of the
mountain are worth the hike up. The llama pack goes up Mondays,
Wednesdays, and Fridays on the Trillium Gap Trail with supplies.
This was our first hike to LeConte since 2014 due to my back issues.
Our last two hikes this year have been 14+ milers so the back is
getting stronger.
Colors were not spectacular but we did hit a
sweet spot during the elevation climb with some yellows. We started
late at 9:20 and got back to the car at 7 after spending some time up
top.
Pictures taken with a point and shoot so they are not the best, but you get an idea of the scenery.
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Near Grotto Falls |
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Boot prints. Looks like a message was left behind |
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Walking behind Grotto Falls |
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From behind Grotto Falls |
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At the LeConte Lodge |
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View from the back porch of the LeConte Lodge dining area |
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View from Brushy Mountain Trail |
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View from Brushy Mountain Trail |
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View from Brushy Mountain Trail |
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2017 LeConte shirt |
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Just below the top, on our way up |
What a lovely place to hike to. I miss those days in my past. Glad to hear you are getting better and the hikes are becoming easier.
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