Good morning JP! Your pictures are breathtaking , I enjoy reading your blog every day. I feel as I am there enjoying the beauty of the mountains with you! THANK YOU for all you do! Enjoy your day...

The heavens are telling the glory of God;
and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.
Day to day pours forth speech,
and night to night declares knowledge.
There is no speech, nor are there words;
their voice is not heard;
yet their voice goes out through all the earth,
and their words to the end of the world.
In them he has set a tent for the sun,
which comes forth like a bridegroom leaving his chamber,
and like a strong man runs its course with joy.
Its rising is from the end of the heavens,
and its circuit to the end of them;
and there is nothing hid from its heat.

lovingb

Hate to sound dumb here (been to the park many times but never summited LeConte) - but is there an actual "Alum Cave" on Alum Cave Trail? I'm assuming so -- but wasn't sure how big/deep/etc it might be.

I do wish the park would do a better job of explaining that it isn't an actual cave.

I can think of at least half a dozen times (and we've only hiked Alum about 20 times) when my wife and I have been starting or finishing a hike to the Lodge and have come across tourists wanting to know "how close the cave is". (By tourists, I mean people wearing jeans and tennis shoes/ cheap flip flops and carrying no provisions who expect to walk for 5 minutes into the woods and see something.) We always explain that no, there isn't a cave, and it's a 2 plus mile walk mostly uphill over lots of rocks and terrain not meant for flip flops. In most cases, they turn around and head back to the car.

Michael, I do agree w/ Steve that you need to get to the top of the Mother Mountain. It's a Cathedral that no man could ever even hope to build.

I agree that the Park Service could do a wee bit better job of describing the Alum Cave Bluffs, Alum Cave trail, ALum Cave, and so on; I sometimes describe it differently each time I mention it in my comments. Watching the sunrise and sunset up at Myrtle Point and Cliff tops is truly a unique experience, surpassed by few other places on Earth I've been. I'd love to talk with Allyson and Chris about their Kilimanjaro trip as I was up there in 1985; I'm sure it was a memorable trip for them. A person I know continues to quiz me about hiking, camping, backpacking {I make distinctions between each of these activities, and variations in each pursuit} and I'm trying to relate my own experiences to give a rational explanation of why I do those activites. Each individaul must decide for themselves what those things mean to them. Years ago I was more into the longer backpacking trips, remaining out in the back country, usually in the Smokies but occasionally out west or in Alaska [there's another source of writing I'll perhaps describe later sometime] for days at a time, often two or three weeks, but these days my longer journeys are limited to the A.T. hike through the Park and an occasional backcountry overnighter (or two). What equipment do I carry ? Well, that's another personalized matter, but the essentials are common necessities that everyone will carry. No one has worked out a backcountry style as light, simple and elegant as that of the Himalayan yogi, "Milarrepa", the 11th century Tibetan saint. At one point in his life he had his outfit down to a few religious objects and a bowl. {I wonder what he would think of my "Sierra Cups" ?} He needed no more protection than a thin cotton cloth {would he like fleece ?} because he had mastered the yoga of vital heat that enabled him to stand extremes of cold. He needed no bedding because he never lay down, spending most of his time in the posture of meditation. He needed no special supply of food. He made soup of nettles that grew along the way. He hardly ever came down from the mountain. Milarepa, in the tradition of the mountain men of Eastern religions, was in the wilderness with the purest intention, for only the right reason. Uplift. Some could subsist on air which is lighter than freeze-dried food ! And there's John Muir, but that discussion can wait for now. Each person must develop his/her own style, as I have. AND, these days and for years to come that will definitely include visits to Leconte Lodge. Great Galloping Gertie my firends !! I do believe I'm mellowing out !!

Yep, I learn something every day reading this blog. For one thing, not to wear jeans, done that! Or cotton shirts and so on. I have only been up there 6 times and out of the 6 I finally found some Anu hiking boots that have not gave me blisters. 5 out of the 6 I come down the mountain with blisters. Love my purple hiking boots. Makes it so much more enjoyable. Good day everyone!

Believe I saw you on the Discovery Channel....Dual Survival?

You sound more like an Alabamian than a Michiganian. I can say that cause I are one...well of the masculine variety.

Nope; pure Michigan!
Booted Foot -
you sound more like Big Foot
;)heehee

Apollo Overlook is a spot on the trail between the Lodge and the summit of the mountain about a quarter of a mile past the shelter. The trail follows the edge of a cliff and faces southeast towards Cape Canaveral. The story is that folks standing there could see the trail of the Apollo rockets headed for space. It's a great spot to view Newfound Gap, Clingman's Dome, and points south.