Mount Le Conte via Rainbow Falls Trail (Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee)

After my Jeep Rubicon was totaled late last year, I gave a lot of thought to what my next vehicle might be. While I loved my Jeep, it seems like a overkill living near Atlanta now. I decided to change it up a bit and bought a Subaru Outback with the Wilderness Edition package. One of the reasons, I chose this car was the possibility of sleeping in the back of it. After arriving at my campsite last night at Elkmont on the western side of Great Smoky Mountain National Park, I decided this night would be my first experiment with that use case. It worked out very well and I slept comfortable with the ability to fully extend myself. That's a good thing because I have a lot of miles to tackle today on the trail. 

Mount Le Conte rises to 6,593 feet and is the third highest mountain within the park. I visited and climbed it from the southern face (Alum Cave Trail) a couple of years ago, but today, I wanted to attack it from the north. The Rainbow Falls trail offers such an opportunity. While not quite as steep, today's trail is a couple of miles longer.

Wanting to get an early start, as I know the parking lot will fill quickly, I broke camp (meaning, I changed clothes and drove away) and headed into Gatlinburg to try and find a quick breakfast. Unfortunately, nothing fast was open yet and I had to settle for a pack of crumb donuts from a gas station just to get some calories in me. I might regret that later.

Pulling into the trailhead parking lot, there were already several cars here, but I was able to get a nearby spot without any trouble. After checking my gear and using the restroom, I hit the trail about 7:45 AM and began the ascent. The trail follows Le Conte Creek for the majority of the way up and offers ample opportunity for great pictures. This forest is lush, with the green hues almost saturating what the human eye can absorb. The trail itself is well maintained, but quite rocky and requires a certain level of focus to prevent injury. Speaking of injury, I took a short detour to get a picture shooting up the creek and while stepping on a large boulder, it rolled under my weight and scratched up my shin pretty good. It's not a serious injury by any means, but it sure does sting.

The trail crosses over the creek in a couple of places along very unique bridges, which I have only seen in this park. Essentially, it is a toppled log with the top side cut to offer a flat walking surface. A rail has then been attached on just one side. It's very sturdy and offers no real challenge, but I just find it interesting the builders only put that one rail on. Luckily, there were no pubs to be found at the trailhead to assist me in impairing my balance.

I'm making good time for now; those donuts are fueling me well, but with the trail continuing a relentless climb up the mountain, I'm not sure how long this sugar rush will last. I pass a small waterfall and take a minute to get a picture or two as I pass. I question whether or not this is Rainbow Falls, but the lack of tourists and the small size of this waterfall leads me to believe it is not the namesake of this trail.

Just a bit further though, I do reach Rainbow Falls and as predicted there are a lot more people here. They are very friendly though and not blocking my shot. This waterfall is actually a ways up a hill covered with boulders that must get washed further down with heavy rains. The waterfall itself is probably thirty yards from the trail and pours over a giant cliff that is probably eighty feet tall over a single drop. There isn't a massive flow of water right now, but I can imagine on a sunny day after a hard rain, this waterfall would be amazing and with the sunbeams hitting the mists through the tree canopy, it's not hard to imagine how it got it's name.

I chat with a couple of folks here and we discuss options for looping back along a different trail. I explain my plans and we look at the map together. There really is no option though unless one wants to put in the big-ish miles I'm planning to do. They decide to go back they way they came and I continue past the falls and continue the relentless uphill. 

The sugar rush is starting to wear off and I can feel some fatigue. I've still got about 2.5 miles to go and another 2,000 feet or so to climb. I'm not in bad shape, but I just feel that my energy levels are low. I push on though and continue up the trail, which now begins a series of long switchbacks through the forest. The trail here is notably less traveled, as the foliage has not been beaten back by the masses of hikers that likely travel to the waterfall. I imagine only a few of the hikers of this trail continue past the waterfall, but today I'm one of them that will.

In a few places along this part, there is an incredibly steep drop off and I think about who the rains must occasionally wash parts of this trail out. No sooner do I finish the thought than I come upon a section where a large boulder has recently slid down from above and blocked the trail along section. I'm able to climb over it without much problem, but I could definitely imagine this entire trial simply sliding down the mountain if conditions were right.

Past the rockslide, a burn area comes into view. hundreds of dead white trees rise up the mountainside and above the younger green growth. The fire that caused this was probably ten or more years ago, but the scars remain. It's always refreshing to see life returning though and the new growth below ensure the continuity of this landscape.

Eventually, the Rainbow Falls Trail merges with the Bulls Heat Trail and then together with the Alum Cave Trail (which I hiked previously) before dumping out at the Le Conte Lodge, the highest inn in the eastern US. The lodge is not truly at the high point of the mountain, but it's going to be my end point for today. I summited last time I was here. I'm hoping to purchase a snack or sandwich here, but it seems the gift shop doesn't open for another hour and the dining hall is only available to registered guests. I've entered the lottery the last couple of years to stay here at the lodge, but haven't yet met with success. I take a seat on a nearby bench and settle for the snacks I brought with me, which includes two clif bars and a pack of lemon peel scented green olives. It's not much, but it will do for now.

After a short rest, I head back the way I came. I had thoughts of returning on the Bulls Head Trail, but as it is a little longer and I'm already running a little behind schedule I decide the Rainbow Falls Trail will be fine to double back on. I'm not on a super tight schedule, but I did tell my wife that I would be home sometime in the later afternoon today and as it stands, I'm pushing a 6 PM arrival already.

The return trip is pretty uneventful, though the constant downhill is worrisome for my knees. Expecting this, I brought my hiking poles and while I generally find them annoying and unnecessary, they do take some of the pressure off my knees on steep descents when used correctly. This is one of those times. As I've already seen much of the scenery on the way up, I push pretty hard to get back to the parking area.

I do decide to take one slight detour though. The top of Mount Le Conte has four peaks and none of them offer great views due to the tree growth. On the way up, I saw a sign for the Rocky Spur Overlook and decide to take this side trail this time. That was mistake. The side-trail, though short, is overgrown and I have to fight my way through rhododendron and other bushes to get to the overlook, which itself is pretty overgrown. With no view to be had, I return on the other half of the loop disappointed. After returning to the main trail, I inform a couple of hikers on their way up of the nature of the spur trail to save them the trouble.

As I get closer to Rainbow Falls again, I begin passing hikers in huge numbers. It's around noon and most of the tourists have risen from their breakfast buffets and want to get outside and explore the park now. Most are very pleasant though and without being asked, move aside and allow me to pass them when they see the pace I'm traveling at.

Finally getting back to my car, I take a deep breath and a big gulp of water. It's been quite a workout. I just completed a 14.2 mile hike with over 4,000 feet of elevation gain. I'm tired, sweaty, stinky, hungry and ready to go home. I'll have to figure out which order to address those conditions on the drive. Overall, this was a great workout. I think I prefer the trail from Alum Caves to this one, but I'm glad I've now complete both and can compare.

Laurel Falls (Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee)

 

After checking into my campsite at Elkmont on the western side of Great Smoky Mountain National Park and rummaging around the nearby towns looking for a butane fuel cannister, I was ready to stretch my legs a bit. The Laurel Falls Trail, not far from Elkmont, seemed an ideal place to do this. This is an incredibly popular park and even within the park, this is an extremely popular trail. Most likely due to it's short distance and proximity to a main road, visitors seem to flock to this small waterfall. I get lucky and find a parking spot relatively easily. Perhaps this is due it being late afternoon.

The trail departs immediately from the parking area and starts a march uphill along a partially paved path, which I find quite annoying. I suppose the park service decided to pave it due to the high traffic it receives. Either way, I'm hiking like a man on a mission. I race past numerous other hikers as I push a pace of nearly four miles per hour. The trail is pretty with steep drop-offs into the gully below at several turns. I do get a bit annoyed when groups are hiking two and three wide, blocking the entire trail. I suppose that's the struggle of serious hiker being in a national park these days - too many tourists who are often oblivious to what's going on around them.

After a little over a mile, I reach the waterfall, which of course has several people bathing in it. Again, it's difficult to enjoy any solitude in these popular places any more. It's okay though, I just need to accept it and look for more places off the beaten track. The waterfall itself is nice, but nothin spectacular. It's multiple tiers combine for an approximately forty foot waterfall. The cool mist coming off of it is particularly nice though on this warm day. After taking a couple of pictures, I turn and head back down the way I came. Returning to my car, I see the hike was 2.6 miles, which matches what was advertised on the sign. I was able to keep that quick pace nearly the entire way. With my legs now stretched, I'm going to head back to my campsite and call it a day. I have a big hike planned for tomorrow.

Cherohala Skyway (Monroe County, Tennessee and Graham County, North Carolina)

I'm on my way to Great Smoky Mountain National Park for the weekend and deciding to make the most of the three or so hour drive, I decided to explore the Cherohala Skyway, which runs from Tellico Plains, Tennessee to Robbinsville, North Carolina. Unlike most of my hikes, this is simply a scenic drive along a high ridge in the southern Appalachians. It's similar in both purpose and setting to the more famous Blue Ridge Highway to the northeast. 

I stopped into the very nice visitor center at the western end of the skyway at Tellico Plains to use the restroom and to get a map. Not that a map is necessary, as there is only one way to go and it is well marked from what I can tell, but I thought the map might provide some insight into some of the better stops along the way. The skyway begins almost immediately east of the visitor's center and begins to climb up to the high ridge. 

The route along the skyway has number of hiking trailheads, but as I have some hikes planned within the national park, I opt to simply enjoy the drive. I do pull over a few times to take in the amazing views. All along the way, there are large pull-outs built and retaining walls offering visitors a glimpse of the sea of green that rolls out before them to the north and east. This is really the start of the Smoky Mountains and the mists that give them their name are visible from even here. Searching for the horizon, one must first make eye contact with layer after layer of mount ridges, each one slightly changing color within a palate of greens and blues, until finally the eye gets lost at the meeting point between distant ridge and blue sky. 

When I finally reach what I believe to be the end of the skyway, I search for a sign, but fail to find one. Looking at the map, it seems the route continues on another ten miles or so, but as I drive through rural residential areas, I question whether or not this is truly part of the path and upon my return, I see that the extra ten miles is not official part of the route. That said, it was a wonderful drive and afforded me a chance to breath in some fresh mountain air, which I have been missing. My GPS track includes the additional ten or so miles on the eastern end of the path, which is official 43 miles long. My track had me at 57.2, but we'll rack that up to missing signage. Still if you are ever in the area, the Cherohala Skyway is a nice diversion.

Hotlanta Half-Marathon (Fulton County, Georgia)

It's been about six weeks since my last race, but with all of the big trail miles I hiked in England last week, I was hopeful that I could do okay at today's Hotlanta Half-Marathon. I had picked up my bib earlier this week and so, I didn't have to get to the start line super early. Luckily, parking in downtown Atlanta was easy to find . . . strange, but welcomed. I find a spot just a couple of blocks away from the World of Coca-Cola, where we will start from. After walking to the start, I get in line to use the bathroom, always a good practice before starting a long race. 

From there, I find the pacer for my expected time and join in the massive group of runners awaiting the start. I'm hoping to come in around 2:40:00, but we'll see how it goes. That's still much slower than I was a couple of years ago, but especially here in Atlanta on a hot (almost) summer day, I'm not going to kill myself just for a good time.

With a quick countdown, the we're off. As I pass under the inflatable arch, I start my own time on my phone app. The first part is downhill, but we quickly hit the first uphill. I'm always terrible at uphills, but I'm feeling really good this morning and try to run through it, which I do. It gets me breathing pretty hard, but on the next flat section, I'm able to recover.

There are a quite a few people running this race. I don't know the exact count, but probably upwards of 3,000. In all honest, that's not a big race, but for downtown Atlanta this time of year, it seems pretty big. I maintain a pretty good pace as we make our way around Centennial Olympic Park, which commemorates the 1996 Summer Olympics, which were held here.

After doing a little loop on the southern end of the race route, I really feel the heat and humidity starting to kick in. I make it a point to hydrate at every water stop. Volunteers are offering fruit punch Powerade, water, and cups of ice. At most stops, I take all three. I know this heat is going to be a struggle today and I don't want to end up having a heat stroke like mother has recently experienced. A couple of the aid stations are also handing out disposable towels that have been soaking in ice water. I take advantage of these as well and after wiping my face with them, put them over the back of my neck until the water evaporates off my skin, They do help a bit.

Next, we run past the State Capital Building, which is pretty cool. I haven't been this close since moving here. It's sun reflects off of it's giant golden dome almost like a cheerleader urging us on. The trail continues along several streets. The police are out in force today and doing a terrific job of directing traffic at each intersection and keep the runners safe.

Eventually, we hit the Atlanta Beltline, which is a paved multi-purpose trail. No cars are allowed though, which is nice. I don't notice it at first, but there is even rubber-like track surface strip on either side of the pavement for runners. This surface is much easier on the body than is the pavement. I take advantage of it when I can. I also find myself walking a bit here and there, as the heat is really getting to me.

At one point here on the beltline, we go under an overpass. Beneath it, there is a huge amount of interesting and in some cases, quite artistic, graffiti adorning the cement surfaces. It adds character. We run past New Realm brewing, which I have visited before, but not recently and I think how much I would enjoy a cold beer right about now. From there, we run past the Ponce Street Market and are soon back on the streets, where the police are again protecting the runners at intersections.

Nearing the end of the course, we do a loop through Piedmont Park and then it's back on through a number of twists and turns as we head towards the finish line. I'm still struggling with the heat and the hills (which are plentiful), but I'm not feeling terrible. I have had to walk more than I would like, but I attribute that more to temperature regulation than exhaustion. Finally, with the finish line in site, I make one last push and cross under the arch once again, this time from the opposite direction. According to my own app, my time was 2:48:44. Not great, but considering, I didn't collapse from the heat, I'll take it.

I grab a bottle of water, while one of the volunteers hands me my completion medal. I then find someplace in the shade to cool down a bit before driving home. While I sit there fiddling with my phone, I overhear a woman telling her young children how proud she is of her husbands who sets panting nearby. Apparently, this was a bucket list item for him and his first half-marathon. I congratulate him with a fist bump and tell him that he's likely to get addicted now. He asks how many I have run and I respond that I've run about twenty-five half-marathons and two full marathons. He laughs and says, he'll see how he feels tomorrow. I wish him and his family well and had back to my car. After putting on my flip flops and a fresh t-shirt, I head home. It's been a very, very hot and humid day for a race, but I'm thankful that I was able to complete it without incident.

Tribble Mill Park Cycle (Gwinnett County, Georgia)

After my long hike in the UK last week, I felt it was time to get my road bike back out on the trails a little bit. I really want to get in the habit of trying to get my bike out at least a couple of times a week. There are a lot of paved trails in and around Atlanta, but I don't have a ton of time today and decided to visit Tribble Mill Park for a few miles.

Driving around the park a couple of times, I finally found the parking area I was looking for and took my bike down off of my roof rack. Strapping my helmet on, I took off along the two lane paved trails which surround Ozora Lake. There are a lot of pedestrians out and about today and so, I'll need to keep my speeds at a reasonable level to avoid injuring anyone. Heading clockwise around the lake, I make the first of two laps. There are a few uphill sections and I use them to get even more use to my gear shifting on this new bike, which I still haven't ridden a ton. 

Returning to the parking area, I see that I haven't quite gotten in three miles and decide to do a second lap. It's uneventful, but as dismount after getting back to my car on the second time around, my quads are definitely letting me know they've been awoken. I load the bike back onto my Subi and head for home. With the second lap, I was able to get in right at 5.5 miles. That's not a great distance for a ride, but I have a yard to mow when I get home and a half-marathon to run tomorrow. It will have to do.

Parliament, Trafalgar Square and Buckingham Palace (Greater London County, United Kingdom)

 Having completed the epic hike of Hadrian's Wall over the last several days and arriving back in London by train a couple of hours ago, I find myself wanting to explore some of the well known sites of this great city and capital of the United Kingdom. After getting a bite of food from the hotel restaurant, I catch an Uber to drive me the three or so miles to Parliament Square. Normally, I might have just walked, but my feet are very tired after having hiked some 115 miles over the last week.

The driver drops me as close to Big Ben as he is legally allowed to, which still leaves me a bit of walking to do. Today is Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee and the entire city, country, and commonwealth are celebrating. Many streets are blocked off to help with traffic flow. There are tons of people about visiting the same sites that I am and taking picture after picture. I walk across a bridge over the Thames to get a good angle on Parliament and Big Ben, but I can't help but think of Chevy Chase's character in the Vacation movie repeatedly calling his kids attention to these landmarks as they circle a round about multiple times.

From Parliament, I walk a few blocks to Trafalgar Square, which is another well known landmark. Here too the crowds are out in force waving the UK's Union Jack for all to see. The traffic flow and general topology of the area don't give me any angles for a good picture of the square, but I do the best I can.

Finally, I decide to attempt to visit Buckingham Palace. Perhaps her majesty would enjoy an impromptu visit, but the "Bobbies" (British Police) seem to have other ideas as they are carefully guarding any entrance from the crowds. The Mall is lined with gigantic Union Jack Flags along it's entire length and thousands of people have gathered here. Again, I'm not able to get close enough for a great picture, but I do the best I can.

Afterwards a walk part way and then eventually catch another Uber back to my hotel. I wish I had more time to explore London, but I'm grateful for the little time that I have had and will treasure this little tour of these well known landmarks.

Newcastle Castle and the Black Gate (Durham County, United Kingdom)

 

Tonight, my friends and I are spending the first of two nights in Newcastle upon Tyne as we hike the final two days of our Hadrian's Wall trek. Arriving well before dark (this far north, true darkness doesn't settle in until nearly 11pm this time of year), we decide to get our explore the city near our hotel a little bit. 

Not far from our hotel, sits Newcastle Castle or simple "The Castle" and alongside it a structure labeled as the Black Gate, which served as a fortified gate house. The remaining castle keep structure dates back to 1172 and the gatehouse to around 1247. The keep is quite impressive and rises eighty feet or so between modern buildings in this area of the city. While we aren't permitted entry, we can explore around a little bit and it's quite the interesting site. Dinner is waiting on us and we have other friends to rejoin. So, this will end our exploration for right now.