We strode up in the mist undaunted
To capture a prize we all wanted
Despite portents of doom
We marched through the gloom
So now we can say we’ve “LeConted”.

By Rob Howard

I spent the past two days with sixty friends at LeConte Lodge in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I didn’t know I had that many friends, other than on Facebook. Friends of the Smokies had organized a trip to LeConte Lodge and we took over the whole place. Friends came from Texas, Wisconsin, Ohio and Asheville to be on this trip.

Remember that the Smokies is a national park.

LeConte Lodge is a full-service lodge at the top of Mt. Le Conte at 6,593 feet. Technically, that is the top of the mountain; the lodge is a little lower. The lodge offers cabins with sheets and blankets; so you don’t have to carry a sleeping bag. The stay includes dinner, breakfast and unlimited coffee. This is luxury. But, everyone, guests and staff, has to walk up and down. There’s no road. But the effort is worth it.

Anna Lee Z., the development and outreach associate at Friends of the Smokies, worked out all the details, with the help of Holly Demuth, the North Carolina director. It’s not easy to organize 60 people of varying hiking abilities.

Several Friends staff came on the trip. Dana Soehn, the press officer for the park, came as did Karen Chavez, the outdoor editor for the Asheville Citizen-Times.

We hiked up the Boulevard Trail from Newfound Gap. I led the “moderate/a little faster” group of 30 up with the help of Holly Jones and Beth Ransom as sweeps at various points in the line. It was hot and humid, but the rain held off. So, to me, the weather was perfect. My group arrived about 3:30 pm or so and settled in our assigned cabins-another detail that Anna Lee worked on.

The second group dribbled in later and by 5 pm, almost everyone was enjoying a social hour at the picnic tables. People brought boxed and bottled wine, cheeses, and dips. We could have made a meal out of the offerings. But at 6 pm, the LeConte Lodge crew struck a triangle, round and round, to call us for dinner – soup, stew, mashed potatoes, … It was a hardy meal, probably much more than we needed for the eight miles we walked.

By then, the last few folks made it and had a late dinner. We gathered at the office/library for fun and games – literally. Anna Lee (again) had organized a social planning committee, that worked on the evening program. We had to draw a pig to figure out our personality. I turned out to be a “optimist/realist, analytical and a good listener”. I thought I was just terrible at drawing. Rob read a few limericks, one which is shown at the top.

Dana, the voice of the mountains, spoke about what national parks, and especially, the Smokies means to her. Unlike most career national parks people who move around a lot, she came to the Smokies as a college intern in 1989 and stayed, working her way up. The Smokies continues to be a source of discovery for her and for many of us.

The leaders were concerned about the well-being of the hikers who had come up late and tired to the top. Were they going to be safe to go down at a reasonable speed? Who was going to shepherd them down the slippery Rainbow Falls trail?

Dana called Mark Eckert, a medic ranger, to help sweep the second group down. Mark showed up at 8:15 am, while we were having breakfast. He must have run up the trail, with a large backpack and whistle at the ready. I continue to be amazed at the care and thought that the park showers on its visitors.

Now don’t think that you’ll have Ranger Eckert at your side on your next hike; you have to take care of yourself. But in this case, it was the right call.

I led 15 hardy hikers down Rainbow Falls Trail back to the cars. By the time we got down around the falls, the trail was crowded with visitors wearing flip-flops, without a pack or water.

All sixty friends came down safely, on either Rainbow Falls or Trillium Gap.

Thank you all who came and contributed time and effort to the success of this trip. Our next hike will be on Tuesday August 11 on Big Creek, a much simpler and easier hike.

To sign up, contact Anna Lee Zanetti at [email protected] at Friends of the Smokies or on 828.452.0720.

After six days at Family Nature Summits, we came home, did the laundry, and packed the car for three days of camping in Cades Cove in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. We hiked, set up camp and got silly with wiffle ball nets. What could be so difficult and strange about that?

It rained on and off the whole weekend. Even though Cades Cove Campground was supposed to be full, several campsites were empty. I guess that $20 a site per night (less if you have a Senior Pass) wasn’t enough to convince everyone to show up.

On Sunday, we drove the Cades Cove loop and stopped to walk to the John Oliver cabin, shown at left, and Elijah Oliver’s home place. Elijah, son of John, had a more elaborate set up, with a home, barn, and several outbuildings. Since it was a half-mile walk to the second site, we only saw one family there.

We saw a bear in the woods on the loop, but the most exciting sighting was close to the campsite. Isa, shown here with grandpa, and I were going to play in the creek one afternoon. We walked through the campsite when Isa announced that there was a bear ahead. Whoah! The bear didn’t even lift its head. It kept sniffing the ground and we found another place to play.

When you get a campsite, you’re told in plain language to not leave any food, flavored water, or coolers unattended. We want to avoid attracting bears in the campground. Then you sign that you understood this.

Still campers are careless and forgetful. Our camping neighbors across the road left their coolers under their table while they went out for the day. They came back to this sign which also said that the rangers took away their cooler.

About 10 pm, I noted a park vehicle with two rangers, one talking to the couple. I stood and watched, curious to see what would happen. The campers got a $70 ticket (cheap at twice the price) and a good talking-to. Too bad!

It rained most of the day and I had told my hikers that there were several unbridged water crossings. We were going to get wet, but still seven hikers came.

The Caldwell Fork Trail has ten crossings over the stream. Several bridges are missing so we had to walk right through the water. That’s what most people remember.

But the Boogerman Trail itself forms a “C” in the forest. Rhododendrons bloom and ferns show off their range of green color. The area never allowed commercial logging so the trees are huge. Huge stonewalls remain from the residents who lived here before the area became a park.

The hike took longer than usual because we needed to be careful with the water crossings. Since it rained most of the day, the river moved quickly and we traversed the water slowly. We ended up muddy and soaked but we all loved it.

While I was splashing on the trail, Lenny went on a birding trip, looking for birds in the rain.

Hannah and her group went on a hiking and cultural trip through Cataloochee. Isa went canoeing on Lake Junaluska with her group leader. This was Isa’s first canoe trip.

This is the beauty of Family Nature Summits. Each member of the family does her or his own activities with a group. We then get together for late afternoon family time and then dinner.

Last night, each group put on a skit, even the faculty. We had a slide show, which recapped the week’s adventures.

Then the moment we’ve all been waiting for: place and date for next year – Ghost Ranch, New Mexico, July 2 to July 8, 2016.

Look at the website to register.

So what was I doing scouting a hike which involves a lot of non-official trails and even private land?

All legal and above board, but even so–OMG. What was I doing on private land?

Anna Lee of Friends of the Smokies and I scouted our October Purchase Knob hike in the Smokies.

We started at the Appalachian Highlands Science Learning Center at Purchase Knob, located at 5,000 feet. As the name implies, the center hosts scientists and school children to work on science projects. Though there’s nothing to stop the public from parking up there to hike, it’s best to call ahead to make sure that the gate is open, if you’re not coming for a project.

We started down toward the Ferguson Cabin and then on the Cataloochee Divide Trail. Now we were on a trail, but not for long.

We headed toward The Swag, an upscale bed and breakfast and  then to Cataloochee Ranch.

We weren’t interested in going to Hemphill Bald; that was this June’s hike. Instead, we explored the ins and out of Thunderbolt Mountain, meeting other hikers and horseback riders.

On the way back, we stopped at the Swag and walked their nature trail.

But first, we had to admire the view. Anna Lee did a series of cartwheels – see the first picture above.  We didn’t have the dress to twirl to the The Hills are Alive to the Sound of Music but that would be the place to be Maria.

The Swag Nature Trail has several follies, structures that are chiefly decorative rather than serving any purpose. Dan’s Hideway and Deener Hideway, little comfortable areas to hide, have hammocks. I took a picture of Anna Lee “sleeping on the job” in a hammock but I’m not going to show that. Dan and Deener Matthews own The Swag.

We stopped at the lily pond, which might be a good place for lunch with the group. Then we walked back to Purchase Knob and our car.

Though there’s nothing secret about this hike, it might be a difficult hike to do on your own. That’s why we scout the hikes for you.

Intrigued? You know the drill by now. Contact Anna Lee Zanetti at [email protected] at Friends of the Smokies on 828.452.0720.

I remember climbing Chimney Tops Trail in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The two-mile trail was full of uneven rocks, roots and gaps.

Now, thanks to the Trails Forever program funded by Friends of the Smokies, the trail is perfect. Yes, it’s still steep – nothing that can be done about that – but the highly skilled Trails Forever crew has put in steps,  drainage ditches and removed hazard trees.

Eric Wood, one of the trail crew leaders, showed us some “before” pictures of the trail. See the bottom of this post for the statistics on the trail.

Yesterday, I joined a celebration to recognize the trail crew, donors, and volunteers, park partners.

Superintendent Cassius Cash thanked everyone for their work. And a bunch of us climbed to the top of Chimney Tops. The staircases were amazing. In fact, one run of over 360 steps is dubbed, “the Stairway to Heaven”. This trail will last, yes, forever.

But at the top of the trail, the rock climb was still there. The park crew was not going to blast the mountain and put in a viewing platform. I dropped my pack and started climbing the rocks. At some point, I dropped my poles and went on all fours, or five (my behind) or, seven (my knees, as well). It was not a pretty sight. But I made it to the top.

Here I am with Anna Lee Zanetti on top of Chimney Tops Trail. Anna Lee is the outreach associate for Friends of the Smokies. She and I lead monthly hikes for FOTS members.

She was here, climbing on a work day. This is part of her job. Now, how lucky can you get?

Thanks to all who contributed in time, money, sweat and effort to make Chimney Tops Trail last, well, forever.

For those who love numbers, here are some:

Chimney Tops Trail Reconstruction Highlights: