Hiking The Great Smoky Mountains, North Carolina Part 2

Appalachian Trail to Cheoah Bald

I loved this hike! We saw almost no people for the eleven miles out and back on the trail. A family of four backpacking and a small group of kids with their dads were the only interactions over the five hours we were hiking. The hike up to the bald did not present many open vistas of the surrounding mountains, but hiking through the forest was amazing. It was full of so many rhododendrons in bloom and trees so big I couldn't put my arms around them.

Why this hike: the view from the bald was spectacular with wildflowers and views for days. And absent people.

Mount LeConte via Alum Cave Trail

An acquaintance of my dad's suggested this hike, but warned us that it would be crowded. I am not a fan of heavily trafficked trails but I know if you get up early enough, you can avoid the crowds on most hikes. So I convinced Jim that he really really wanted to see the sunrise in the Smoky Mountains. 😂 Dawn was at 6am, sunrise 6:30, and we were on the trail by 7.

I'm so glad we got out early to enjoy an empty trail. The hike first half of the hike was along the creek and surrounded by rhododendrons in full bloom. The birds were bringing in the day—loudly!

The hike to Alum Cave was short and easy. We hadn't planned to go beyond the cave because I had read that the trail to Mount LeConte had ropes and a lot of open ledges. Since the hike to Alum Cave was so quick and easy, we figured we would just continue on the trail up to Mount LeConte for as long as we were comfortable with the open ledges. Well, I don't know where the open ledges were supposed to be, but we didn't come across anything I would consider all that steep or exposed. We ended up at the Cliff Top just beyond the Mount LeConte Lodge. (Side note: I totally want to stay at one of the cabins at the lodge. The only way in is to hike, but you fall asleep to views and wake up to more views. 😍)

Why this hike: the cave view is really cool, the trail is beautiful, the view at Cliff Top, and great picnic spots along the creek.

Appalachian Trail from Tellico Gap to Wesser Bald

Our first hike in the rain! Surprisingly we have been here almost two weeks and this was the first time we got rained on while hiking. It was a gentle rain—really more like sprinkles, but the thunder rolled in the distance and not so far in the distance at times. The end of this hike was supposed to be great views from the fire tower. With the thunder, it was an obvious choice to limit time on a metal structure that is specifically designed to be one of the tallest things around in order to spot fires!

The other highlight of this trail was the blackberry bushes. Another three weeks or so and I'm guessing there will be a lot of happy black bears in the area filling up on berries. I was a little jealous that we won't be here to see them ripen. Perhaps I'll get a chance to pick some berries as we head north through the mountains to New Hampshire.