bob and sue on the road: Great Smokey Mountains visit and a stay at LaConte Lodge

About 10 years ago we hiked to Phantom Ranch at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. While there we met a man from Tennessee who told us about a similar place in the Smokies, LaConte Lodge, and he said he thought we’d enjoy it as much as we enjoyed our stay at Phantom Ranch. LaConte Lodge is similar to Phantom Ranch because you have to hike to get there. No roads lead to LeConte Lodge. There are multiple trails, but the one we chose was 51/2 miles and the most strenuous. The other trails are longer, but not as steep.
LaConte Lodge is also more primitive. There is no electricity, each cabin has a kerosene lantern plus a wash basin to clean up with. They provide a bucket to take to the hot water faucet to get warm water to wash up.

The night before and after our hike we stayed at the Edgewater Motel in downtown Gatlinburg.

There was a nice river walk close to the hotel.

Occasionally we forget about eating low fat.

We’re on our way into the Park.

Getting ready at the trailhead.

This was the shortest but most strenuous trail. Note the 2,853 foot increase in elevation from this point.

The trail is picturesque the entire trip, but the first few miles are outstanding.

We keep getting higher and higher.

Mountain Laural was blooming along the trail.

About half way to the top we passed Alum Cave. It’s not much of a cave, rather more of a large scooped out side of the cliff.

There were many places where the trail wasn’t very wide, and the wall beside it was weeping from all the rain. (Notice the cable to hold on to.)

I kept telling Sue, as we looked up, we were only seeing fog, but she insisted it was rain. I stopped saying that after it started raining hard near the top. Fortunately, we had rain gear in our backpacks.

We made it, and the rain stopped. This is the dinning hall.

Our cabin, “Number 9”. I wonder what’s it like inside. You’ll see in a minute.

But first I need to get some warm water to wash with. No showers here, only a washbasin.

It’s time to relax on the front porch and enjoy the view.

Looking down towards Gatlinburg and beyond.

Sue brought her knitting along.

OK, here’s the inside of our 4 star accommodations. I’m glad we brought our flashlights. Kerosene lanterns don’t offer much light.

The Lodge gets supplies three days each week by a llama supply train.

We needed a big breakfast before starting back down the trail. The pancakes on the left are NOT all mine!

The meals are served family style. We had eggs, Canadian bacon, pancakes, grits, peaches, biscuits. coffee and Tang for breakfast.

It rained over night and it was still raining when we started down the mountain. The trails looked more like a stream that a footpath.

After about an hour of hiking we were out of the rain, but it looks like it’s probably still raining at the top of the mountain.

The trail drops steeply through a short tunnel. Yes, that’s another cable/handrail on the right side of the photo.

We’re almost back to the trailhead. We had a great time, even with the rain, and plan on returning next year. We got back to the trailhead shortly after lunch and decided to drive around the park to explore.

We got out of the car when we saw these guys who were focusing, very intently, on something in the bushes.

Fortunately for me, this bear decided to cross the road right in front of me. Sue wasn’t as excited as I was. Maybe it’s more accurate to say she was excited, but not at the good luck to be this close when we weren’t in the car.

The guy by the white car decided to turn and head away forgetting to get some good shots.

Down the road we got really lucky. It’s hard to see, but there are two bear cubs in the tree. The top one is easier to see, it’s about about three quarters of the way up the left branch of the tree. The other cub is on the same branch but hidden by the green bush. They are very safe, and you’ll see why when you look at the next picture.

Momma bear is resting at the base of the tree her cubs are in. Two of us got as close as we could to get pictures. I wasn’t overly concerned because I’m sure I was faster that the other guy!