Well, we conquered LeConte again, but it was the most grueling hike yet! We hiked up the Boulevard and out Rainbow Falls – a new trail to us (although we have hiked up to Rainbow Falls & back before). It was cold, the trail was covered with ice & snow, the lodge was not open and it took 9 whole hours. We used our new crampons (lifesavers!), ate an entire bag of Steve’s dried strawberries (they’ve never tasted so good), and limped out to the Rainbow Falls parking lot after dark. I will brag for the rest of my life that I did this hike 3 months pregnant – during the first trimester!! In retrospect, it was not the best idea for many reasons, the least of which is the risk of falling (which I did, but on my backpack – thankfully, which - also thankfully - was filled with clothes that I had taken off).
Some pics of the hike:
Crampons are AMAZING! Walking on ice – this would have been so dangerous without some traction!
Rainbow Falls – iced over! Compare to our last vist! (<-click the link!)
So, we finally made it out and headed to Best Italian for a late supper. I’m not sure I have ever been that hungry! Probably my last LeConte trip for awhile – maybe the next time we go, Brent will carry Baby instead of me! I wonder how many other babies have hiked Mount LeConte twice before they were even born?!
