What Goes Up Must Come Down: Mount LeConte, Part III

We made it!

This bridge is the very last part of the trail.

Overall, I was really impressed with everyone!  Brent did great!  He doubled-back so many times to wait on people and take pictures.  I don’t think he even got winded.  Arlis & Thelma did great also!  They smoked us on the way up!  And Talitha hiked the whole entire hike during an asthma attack.  Hardcore!

After we left the park, the plan was that Brent would go to his parents’ house and I would go to Mama & Daddy’s. So me & Daddy drove out of the park, through Gatlinburg and into Pigeon Forge with the top down! It was just a beautiful day. We stopped at the Apple Barn & then stopped at Ruby Tuesdays for supper.  I could barely hold my eyes open on the way home.  When we got home we had warm apple fritters + vanilla ice cream!  We earned it!

The End!!!

On Top of the World: Mount LeConte Part II

And then we were there!

The lodge itself is actually not much.  It is pretty rustic.  I can’t imagine working up here and having to stay up here for days on end!

We had a picnic at the top.  It was chilly!  I went in the dining room and stood by the heater for a little while.

The view from the lodge is actually not that great. To really get the full effect, you have to hike a little further to Cliff Tops or Myrtle Point. Last time we hiked to the Cliff Tops but I was too tired to make it to Myrtle Point. This time, me, Daddy & Brent headed out to Myrtle Point, an additional 0.7 miles past the lodge.  But first, a family photo at the top! (Some of us were happier than others! Ha!)

As you can see, the little bit of extra hiking was worth it!