Taking Mental Notes

8/5/2014

There is a layer of cloud hanging over us this morning, making for a chilly start to the day. The high yesterday was only 59º with a low of 52º. We listened to the rain last night as nighttime settled in. I have found that I really like the sound of the rain on the rooftop. When that is the only sound you hear, it is so peaceful. I enjoy taking a moment each day and capturing the sounds of silence. I know that will be a rare moment when I get to the lowlands. I am trying to pause at least once a day and make mental notes of life on LeConte.

Dawn

8/5/2014 12:53:07 am

This time in 3 weeks I will be waking up on my first morning on top of Leconte! I am so excited and so thankful to my sweet friend for taking me along! I cannot wait and want to take it all in! But what trail should a beginner 50 + woman with 50 year old knees take? Am truly open to suggestions ?? Am more excited each day. :)

tomk in SC

8/5/2014 02:03:35 am

If you have knee issues, make sure you test them on a long hike soon. Trillium Gap trail starting at the Grotto Falls parking lot UP and DOWN pounds the knees the least of all trails. If your knees are ok, but you are just worried about being 50, the Alum Cave trail is a great starter trail due to its shortness. It IS steep. Either way, get some good hiking poles and practice with them so they are second nature. Nothing unloads knees like a good set of poles!

Missy

8/5/2014 02:41:26 am

Hi Dawn - If you think it will be your only trip to the lodge, take Alum Cave Trail. It is the shortest by over a mile and on your first trip up, those miles really add up.
The trail is everything you want it to be. There are so many wide open views. You will get to see Arch Rock, Alum Cave, Inspiration Point, Eye of the Needle and so many other vistas you read about. All are worth the effort.
I found going up difficult, but coming down was much easier. If you haven't been exercising, start! Get used to wearing your pack with some weight in it. Use hiking poles for sure! They will save your knees and help with balance and help to get you up and over some of the obstacles going up and coming down.
Be sure to post after your hike & let us know about your adventure.
Good luck and hike your hike.

Terry

8/5/2014 03:36:45 am

Dawn, I agree wholeheartedly with the recommendation of Trillium Gap trail from the Grotto Falls trailhead. For me it was much easier than Alum Cave trail. Don't worry, since you are staying over and not doing it as a day hike, you should be fine.

Mike

8/5/2014 06:59:47 am

If this your first hike up LeConte be very careful! That old mountain can be very addictive and you'll want to keep going back. It happened to me!

Tom C

8/5/2014 01:35:48 am

I'll be 71 this October. Last April 23 I climbed to the Lodge on Rainbow Trail. I had a knee replacement 8 years ago. I had absolutely no problem with the climb. Actually, the decent down Bullhead Trail seemed a bit more tiring and longer. I have controlled my weight though, and am very active. So I'm probably in a lot better shape than most 70 year olds. The climb is long though, so just take your time, and take plenty of breaks. You'll enjoy it!

doug y link

8/5/2014 12:44:49 pm

Tom C: I am curious about the recovery period after a full knee replacement surgery which I will undergo in about four weeks. I'm not at all worried about it, just curious because I've heard so many varying descriptions of the recovery period, etc. My email address is found on my own website if you wish. Just click on the arrow by my name if you wish to send me a message, but it's not necessary. G'evening

Barbara "Mamaw B" Allen

8/5/2014 02:28:42 am

I am replying as an encouragement note. What's with the 50+ and 71yo. We maybe be old but we can accomplish more that we think we can. At 71 I thru hiked the Appalachian Trail. In July I hiked the AT thru the Smokes-72 miles. I am hiking in the Dolomites in Italy in two weeks. The secret is to keep moving. Take your time, use the trekking poles and do it. It is a mental game more than physical. You must want to achieve your goal. Happy trails :)

Missy

8/5/2014 02:54:09 am

Mamaw B - I love your post. As a new 49, I don't really take age into account either and hope I never do. Reading that you thru hiked the AT at 71 gives me hope that I can still find the time to do it. When we hiked up to the lodge last year, it was our first real hike. I was not in good shape at all. I agree that the mental part is just as if not more important than the physical. Enjoy your time in Italy. That's on my list as well. =^)

doug y link

8/5/2014 02:50:24 am

Great comments today. Very good advice from everyone. tomk's suggestion of Trillium is good and that trail is my favorite because of fewer people in my opinion. The main thing is the journey itself regardless of a trail's particular set of qualities. Tom C and "Mamaw B" are likewise spot on correct with the attitude side of it which is probably the very mist important thing anyway. I've hiked the A.T. over my hiking lifetime but never had the opportunity to thru-hike it. It is always encouraging, refreshing, and enlightening to read abut someone else having knee surgery which I will have in four weeks. I look forward to it, not in fear, but with much anticipation and eagerness. It will allow me to regain some lost mobility. Oh I can hike now, but with many pains and prodigious quantities of Advil, etc., but these facts are but trivial ones. More importantly is keeping up with activities at the lodge and on and around the Smokies. I have one last camping trip scheduled before the surgery and I am very tempted to do a day hike up to the lodge and back. I can do it with sheer tenacity ! Yes, very profound advice here today which is great. Attitude conquers. And remember: No matter where you go, there you are ! G'day

Pat N.

8/5/2014 03:08:07 am

Nice...great seeing y'all yesterday

Brendan

8/5/2014 03:10:22 am

I have been hiking the mountain since the late 80's. My personal favorite is Trillium Gap, but I remember the top half of that one being pretty rocky under foot. I know that Allyson is partial to Boulevard, but be warned that it is almost 8 miles long and involves a lot of undulation. You'll climb for a while, then descend, then climb, then descend (lather, rinse, repeat). Eight miles of feeling like you're constantly losing any progress made going either direction. I'm glad there are those who do enjoy it, but I'm not among them.

TomK is spot on about Alum Cave. Short (relatively) but steep. I have always hiked with a stick, so the steepness hasn't ever bothered me much. It gets more traffic than any of the other trails, including a lot of day hikers. I do have a friend who I met at the lodge who is ~70 and takes Alum Cave up and down every year, usually in around four hours. He does wrap his knees and he does use poles. He also bicycles quite a bit.

Bullhead and Rainbow Falls trails start from the same parking area and make a nice loop. Most people tend to go up Rainbow Falls and down Bullhead, but I find them just a bit easier the other way 'round. I would not expect either one to be particularly tough on knees, compared to the other trails.

Whatever route you take, pace yourself and enjoy the views.

linda carr

8/5/2014 08:44:48 am

I am 68yrs old. Have wanted to hike to the lodge for 25 yrs. Never had time or opportunity til now. Not in good shape, l'm very healthy but over weight and don't exercise much. Any ghost of a chance I could make it? Please respond.

doug y link

8/5/2014 08:55:46 am

linda: Follow some of the suggestions, good suggestions, too, of a few others on this site. Take a few preliminary short, day type hikes. The more the better in my opinion. But do try to finally make this hike. Only you can truly judge your chances, but with your good attitude, you should be able to make it; just begin as early in the day as possible and remember that if it's only a day hike, the shortest distance you'll have to cover is about 11 miles (the Alum trail). Good luck, Do it.

ken taylor

8/5/2014 10:33:51 am

linda....remember...its only one step at a time, with some beautifu scenery thrown in

Missy

8/5/2014 11:03:42 am

Linda - I was 48 last year when I hiked up for the first time. I am overweight, not in good shape and don't have time to exercise. If you can get a reservation at the lodge, it will be better for your first time. Of course - if you live in the area, you could set a goal to hike to Arch Rock to see how you do and then on to Alum Cave and if you are still OK and have time, head on up to the lodge. There is no shame in turning around.

It took me 8 hours the first time, but I had a reservation and knew I didn't need to hurry or make the return trip that day. Most people say to allow 4 to 4.5 your first time, I figured I'd make it in 6. Once I made it, I was thrilled but so tired that I thought I'd mark it off my list and move on to another goal. Even announced that at dinner.

Something happens on that mountain though. It gets a hold of you and pulls you back. This year we are spending two nights. I hope you set your mind to do it and go for it. It's worth every winded step.

steve c

8/5/2014 10:07:59 am

Dawn at age 57 this year I hiked up the alum trail to leconte lodge for the first time in my life. I have since been up to the lodge 2 more times since my first trip in may, the last of which was this past Saturday with my 10 year old granddaughter with whom I had a wonderful time. My second trip up this past june I talked to Larry o on the trail again and he told that he knew that I would be back to the mountain after my first trip up and you will enjoy your time on the mountain Dawn.

cincyseibs

8/5/2014 04:13:59 pm

Dawn- sorry to chime in so late. Lots of good advice here all from avid hikers such as myself. But as a 50-something with bad knees let me add that good fitting sturdy hiking shoes are a must! I once hiked a very steep trail and had no problem with the uphill but the downhill about killed me due to a narrow toe box in my shoes. Good luck and enjoy!

Dawn

8/6/2014 12:58:09 am

Thank you! thank you! thank you! You all have me so pumped up! Can I leave my job and come now? I am grateful to you all for the wonderful and helpful advice. I have hiked a couple of times up to the Bluffs so I have some idea of how wonderful the area is. I will see you top of the mt the end of this month! WOO HOO! I will hike, climb, crawl, but I will get there!! AT at 70+? Wow! Awesome! Again thank you!!

Brendan

8/6/2014 02:22:55 am

Dawn, in your original post, you left out that little detail about having made it to the Bluffs a couple of times. If you can make it to the Bluffs, you can make it to the top. I look forward to hearing about it when you do.

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Taking Mental Notes

LeConte Lodge

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