Day 29: Great Smokey Mountains

Sunday, Oct 2, 2022

The plan for today was to do a big hike in the Smokey Mountains and then make my way to Atlanta, Georgia. Got up early, since it was going to be a long, packed day and left the hotel around 7am.  It is also hard to find parking at the popular trailheads in the park.

I got the second last parking spot at the Alum Cave Bluffs Trailhead at 7:30am. It was cold, a light drizzle and lots of fog and low clouds. I planned to do the Alum Cave Trail to Mount LeConte hike, one of the most popular hikes in the Smokey Mountains. It is a difficult one at 11 miles and 3060 feet elevation gain. 

The cool foggy weather was great for hiking, but not so good for views of the surrounding mountains and valleys. 

The Alum Cave is at the half way point to Mount LeConte. As you can see, it is not much of a cave at all, more like a huge cavity in the mountain side.

 

 

 

The trail was very rocky and slick due to the rain. In some places it was narrow, hugging the cliffs and a steep drop below. There were helpful steel cables to grab onto to set the mind at ease. Overall, it was not that bad, just lots of elevation gain.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reached the summit in about 3 1/2 hours. There is not much to the peak, just a pile of rocks that have increased the elevation of the mountain peak by a few feet :-)

The views are supposed to be phenomenal from the peak, but I couldn't see much due to the fog and clouds. 

On the way back, it cleared up partially and I got a glimpse of what the views might have been on a clear day.

Reached back at the trailhead around 1:30pm, tired after the long 11.5 mile hike, my longest one of this road trip. It was a wonderful experience and look forward to going back to the Smokey Mountains for more! 

Next, I drove to some the popular vista points like the Newfound Gap, but the visibility was still quite bad and I couldn't see much. So, I headed out towards Georgia, passing through North and South Carolina briefly. 

Reached my friends house in Atlanta area late evening. It was great to see him, his wife and their teenage daughter after many, many years. They lived for many years in the bay area and relocated to Atlanta. It was good hearing about their experiences of the transition. Enjoyed chatting with them over Dosas at a local South Indian restaurant.

The raw numbers for the day:

• 228 miles driving, 29700 steps walking
• 1 Tesla supercharger stops
  
• 4 states - Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia