Ron Metcalfe's 11th hike to LeConte to watch the lodge air supply

Full photo album of March 17, 2008, hike, click here.  
Pictures from other LeConte hikes, click here.

I (Ron Metcalfe) had the privilege of hiking with Ed Wright to watch the helicopter air supply to LeConte Lodge on Monday, March 17, 2008.   It was Mr. Wright's 1,306 hike.  I also got to meet Lynda Platone, Cindy Wisnieski, and Tom Grubbs who have all hiked with Mr. Wright before. 

On Sunday afternoon, the day before the hike, I drove to Newfound Gap to see the staging area.  Mt. LeConte was socked in by clouds, although it was mostly sunny and upper 50s in Gatlinburg.  On the way, I stopped at the Alum Cave Bluff parking lot and walked around for a few minutes.  I noticed, for the first time, that you could see one of the Eyes of the Needle from the parking lot, specifically the Left Eye.  I knew that you could see the parking lot from areas on the trail, so it stood to reason you could see those areas from the lot, but that was the only landmark I could definitely identify.  There was a bit of rime ice clinging to the trees at elevations near 5,500 feet.  Chimney Tops were covered, and many of the ridges, including Balsam Point.   The trees are Newfound Gap were covered with about 1/4" of rime ice, caused when fog and clouds freeze upon contact with surfaces below freezing.  While standing on the monument, I heard a man ask aloud "I wonder how they got all that river rock up here?" 

The supplies were brought to the Luftee Overlook parking lot, about 3/4 mile past the Newfound Gap parking lot.  Alan Householder, who also runs the llama train to the lodge, was overseeing the area and staying overnight to guard the supplies, most of which were covered with a tarp, but otherwise ready to go.  While there, Mr. Wright and Lynda arrived, and we spoke for a few minutes, and I returned to "base camp" at Douglas Lake.  On the way, I noticed a new development that had been hacked on the side of a big hill.

The weather forecast was favorable for the flight to commence on Monday and possibly continue Tuesday, if needed.   A weather system was supposed to move in during the middle of the week that would make flying the helicopter impossible.  Monday morning was mostly clear and cold, about 25º at the trailhead.  Daylight was just breaking as I passed the Gatlinburg overlook, but it was still pretty dark at the trailhead at 7:20 AM.  Mr. Wright, Lynda, Cindy, and Tom were there and ready to go.  We all "layered up" to keep warm and set off.  It didn't take long to start generating some internal heat, and we stopped to change layers or add a cap or gloves.   I put on my Under Armor cap and Tom stopped to put on his toboggan.  Daylight started to break in the deep woods as we walked along Alum Cave Creek.  Recent rains and some melting snow have returned most of these areas to a full flow, although the regional drought is by no means over.

About 1/2 mile into the hike, it started getting lighter, and we could see sunshine starting to reach the highest ridges.  It took us just about thirty minutes to hike the first mile to the first footlog bridge, and just a few minutes later we arrived at the Arch Rock.  Just after crossing the fourth and final footlog bridge, at 8:18 AM, we saw the helicopter fly over on its way to the Luftee Overlook.  After passing the U-turn, as we reached the stretch of trail leading to Inspiration Point, we finally were walking in sunshine.  The sunlight back-lighting the twigs and branches on the trees made an amazing site, almost like a spider web.  We reached Inspiration Point, the 2-mile mark, at 8:56 AM.  The sunlight was starting to warm things up, so we all made adjustments to our wardrobe.  Linda had donned an appropriately themed St. Patrick's Day hat sometime along the trail.  It was sunny and beautiful at Inspiration Point, and the Right Eye of the Needle and the Left Eye of the Needle were easy to see, although the angle of the Left Eye makes it less prominent.

After a short rest, we continued on to Alum Cave Bluff.  The trail was wet, and although in the shade, didn't have any ice on it.  The stretch before Alum Cave Bluff is a real lung buster and calf killer.  The angle of this picture of the steps is exaggerated, but this is what it feels like.  I also like to point out that all those big rocks on the ground below Alum Cave Bluff used to be above your head, so I usually don't tarry under the overhang any longer than necessary.  There weren't any huge icicles hanging from the edge of the cliffs, but all the water that had dripped down had frozen on the small rocks on the trail, which made it feel like you were walking across marbles.  It wasn't too terribly dangerous, but you did have to take your time and get your footing.  Mr. Wright and crew arrived at the Alum Cave Bluff at 9:16 AM and took another break to pose for pictures.  While there weren't any icicles hanging from the cliff overhead, where the water had dripped into the adjacent trees, there were some.  We also saw the helicopter making one of its runs to the top with supplies.

Just past Alum Cave Bluff we saw the first of four damaged areas of the trail.  A large tree had snapped and fallen across the trail, although the trail itself was neither significantly damaged nor blocked.   Looking back to our left, we could see Inspiration Point, directly out from the trail were the Duckhawk Ridges, and to the right were the Chimney Tops, which were now about eye-level.  Before the halfway point, we came to another damaged area of the trail, where a large tree had uprooted, taking the trail with it. Because of the underlying rock, the root system is fairly shallow, so there wasn't a chasm to cross, but merely a mound of mud.

We reached Gracie's Pulpit, the halfway point, at 9:42 AM.  We continued to see and hear the Sikorsky helicopter shuttling supplies (seen here descending the far side of Mt. LeConte).  Mr. Wright performed some trail-side surgery to remove a splinter, and we were on our way again, crossing the Saddleback below Peregrine Peak.  The Log Steps, in my opinion, mark the beginning of the toughest part of the trail.  Not that it is any steeper than other sections - indeed the stretch right before Alum Cave Bluff is probably the steepest - but it seems that this 1/2 mile is the most consistently rising part of the trail, so I take frequent rests.  Fortunately, it also provides some of the quietest walking with some great views every now and then.  The only sounds are the occasional boomer and the trickling of water across some areas of the trail.  I reached the Upper Steps at 10:41 AM and took a break there to refresh my legs.  There was also some erosion around the steps from recent rains.

About 800 or so feet past the Upper Steps is Lu's Pulpit.   There, the trail turns 90º and you begin to get some outstanding views of Clingman's Dome.  Just past Lu's Pulpit, we came to another uprooted tree, but again with a shallow root system, it hadn't damaged the trail beyond use.   In the shady spots, there began to be some ice on the trail, particularly in areas near the Mossy Drips or other rocky areas where water was running on the trail.  The cables even had some big chunks of ice frozen around them.  There were also some interesting and beautiful icicles on the vegetation.  Views of Clingman's Dome (500 feet higher), Chimney Tops (1,600 feet lower), Peregrine Peak (1,100 feet lower), and Newfound Gap (1,000 feet lower) were outstanding.  Those views were from the Grassy Slide and Rock Slide, 1 mile from the lodge at 11:10 AM.  You also catch some glimpses of the trail ahead, where it hugs the cliff side and the Stairway to Heaven.

The trail was still a bit tricky in the shade, but not deadly dangerous.  There was a bit of snow lingering around 6,100 feet in the shade.  After huffing up the Stairway to Heaven and rounding the bend at the cliff-hugging part of the trail, I reached the flat section of the trail, 1/2 mile from the lodge, at 11:40 AM.  This very shady part of the trail was crusted with a little ice, but not terribly slick, although there were occasional patches of snow.   I could hear the helicopter coming in, hovering, and leaving before I reached the lodge itself.  There was still some snow underneath the trees behind the lodge, and many of them were coated with thick rime ice from the nights before, although it was melting quickly in the 45º temperatures.

I went to the office porch to watch one of the most amazing things I had ever seen.  A Sikorsky S-61N helicopter is used for the airlifts.  It is operated by Construction Helicopters from Ypsilanti, Michigan.  It has a twin turbo engine and can lift about 7,000 pounds and flies with two pilots, each of which have a bubble window they can peer out of to see where their load is hanging.  The chopper is about 59 feet long, with a rotor diameter of about 62 feet.  It can carry up to thirty passengers, and for this trip, landed near the lodge to drop of members of Construction Helicopters crew who assisted with the supply.  Four pallets were suspended in cargo nets beneath the chopper with a long cable.  The pilot would fly (apparently) roughly the same route the Boulevard Trail takes, crossing just north of High Top on his approach to the lodge.  He would then maneuver the cargo and lower it between trees and cabins, placing it gently on the ground.  The pilot was in contact with the ground crew through radio sets worn by some of them.  He could drop a palette or two in one location, lift up, move a few yards, and place the others in front of another building.  Long straps hanging below the cargo nets allowed the ground crew to "fine tune" the deposit location.  After dropping off new supplies, he would move the chopper to another location and pick up something to go off the mountain.  Sometimes it was just trash or empty pallets, other times he would leave with as many as four propane tanks.  After the helicopter left, those on the ground emptied the palettes.   Some people formed a bucket brigade to move the new supplies into different buildings while others moved the cargo nets and empty pallets and readied them for another flight.  Most of the non-perishable food, wine, and t-shirts were brought up during the supply flights.  I heard someone say that a total of three flights of four palettes each were required to bring up the t-shirts, sweatshirts, and other souvenir items to the lodge.  By the time I left, the dining hall was almost completely full of boxes, all of which must be put away before the first guests arrive on March 26.   I would assume most if not all the paid staff were working that day, but many of the visitors (Larry Wright pictured here) who hiked up to watch also pitched in.

Although unstaffed, the lodge office was open and the guest book was out.  I noticed something that was either new or I hadn't seen before - Margaret Stevenson's bronzed hiking boots.

Ed Wright arrived, completing his 1,306th hike to the lodge, and spoke to lodge manager Chris Virden and some of the helicopter crew, and he took a few minutes to stroll around the lodge area.  After watching these activities for a couple of hours (and pitching in and helping some with the bucket brigade), I got ready and left for the hike down at 1:39 PM.  Saw all of the same sights - cliff hugging trails, Lu's Pulpit, Gracie's Pulpit.  I did notice that trail workers had cut down a tree right next to Gracie's Pulpit.  Tom Grubbs and I had noticed on the ascent that the ground was cracking around that area, and it appeared that soon that area might have to have some work done.  Apparently by cutting the large tree, the stress of the roots and weight of the tree on the trail would keep a major slide from happening.   The helicopter kept making flights, and it appeared that it was bringing up propane tanks.  Alan had said the previous day that he thought the tanks were to go up on Tuesday, but the threat of weather may have caused them to move that up a day.  Either way, the flights continued.

The most notable part of the hike down was finding a park ranger hiding behind a tree about 1/2 mile from the trailhead.  He didn't scare me, but I asked him if I was under arrest (jokingly).  He said they were looking for a young man in camouflage wearing a red hat and carrying a firearm.  Since I didn't fit the description (in any sense at all), I walked on.  I met another ranger at the trailhead, saw another one pull into the parking lot, and passed two more heading up the mountain as I drove down.  I arrived at the trailhead at 4:19 PM and drove down to the Gatlinburg bypass overlook to see if I could spot the helicopter still making flights.  Sure enough, after just a few minutes, it appeared over Myrtle Point, hovered over the lodge, and turned and flew back out of sight.  Traffic was backed up all the way into Gatlinburg by people just wanting to "get away from it all."  I quickly turned and took the back roads out of there.

It was another spectacular hike to Mt. LeConte and it was an honor to meet and hike with Ed Wright.

Ron P. Metcalfe
Mosheim, Tennessee