This hike was the SMHC’s annual summer off trail hike up Mount LeConte, and was led by the Gregs, Harrell and Hoover. Our large group of mostly experienced hikers started where Trout Branch crosses the Newfound Gap Road and plunged immediately into the easy lower section of Trout Branch. Here, in low water, it is possible to rock hop large sturdy boulders up the creek bed while keeping one’s feet dry, and avoiding the dense thickets of rhododendron that line Trout Branch.
As is his custom Harrell immediately surged ahead reaching the
mouth of the Scar Branch in around 25 minutes. We then were there for longer
than that waiting for the rest of the group to catch up. Hoover and Kindel then
led a splinter group up the Scar while the main group continued up the main
branch with Harrell.
Our group moved slowly to the 4400’ split. Ken, Mike, and David took turns as rear leader trying to coax slower hikers along through the creek junctions and steeper falls.
The lower part of Trout Branch is fairly easy going until the 4400’, mostly it is just a case of rock hopping up the stream on fairly reliable boulders of Thunderhead sandstone. It’s a pretty walk and not difficult, with decent footing. Any obstacles in the creek bed are easily bypassed. Above the 4400’ it gets rough, what Harrell refers to as the “bar fight”. The lower part of that section is a long series of cascades, closely guarded by thick rhodo on all sides. It quickly becomes a full body workout of contorting oneself thru the rhodo and balancing delicately on wet, slimy rocks and fallen trees. We kept in the creek as best we could, despite water levels that reached midthigh deep. I had climbed Trout in 2008 with Mike, Mark, and Ed in ~4:45, and at first expected the club might do it a good hour slower, but already it looked like time might be tight.
The streams draining off of LeConte seldom flow gently. Typically, they are a series of steep drops, cascades, and waterfalls. It is paradise for those that love the sight of falling water, and a beautiful landscape that most hikers only get a taste of. I always appreciate the falls and cascades, but at some point in the hike fatigue and the problem solving part of my brain start to overwhelm my appreciation for the landscape. I start to view the next waterfall or cascade simply as an obstacle to be overcome, and can seldom remember the location of the larger drops. The steep water occurs in the steepest terrain, often falling over the edges of cliffs of Thunderhead sandstone. Most of the taller drops need to be bypassed, necessitating a session of vigorous rhodo rooting in the steep, slick slopes on the creek side. Its no wonder at later points in the hike that the gentler stream sections become my favorites.
The second half of the bar fight segment has fewer and shorter cascades, but is still slow going with lots of tricky climbing. I remember some loud booms of thunder relatively close, but we weren’t able to see the clouds, and only got a few sprinkles. I was walking mostly with Rick (who grew up in the hiking club) and Chad (who was relatively new to the club of trail hikes). We planned to go right at the next split and got instructions from Greg up above us to swing up the left fork a bit and then traverse over to avoid a major waterfall at the mouth of the right fork.
In the midst of the struggle there was a load “crack” and one of the hikers yelled out in pain. Luckily, Rick was nearby. They determined that his shoulder had pulled out of the socket. Working together we managed to find enough leverage to pull the shoulder back into place. Suddenly there was an audible “pop” and I could instantly tell from the look on his face that he got a huge relief from the pain. As Rick said, “that was the difference between getting out in the light, and being here overnight.” There was no way anyone would have been able to finish the climb with that much pain, and we were only halfway through the climb.
We continued up the fork leading directly to Cliff Tops. I think this was the spot where David showed me “Treasure Cave” a ~25’ deep, partly standup-able cave that looked to be created by the collapse of a few huge blocks of Thunderhead sandstone. I think we left here around 2PM when the rear group stopped for lunch.
Above that spot we ran out of the Thunderhead sandstone and the stream flow essentially stopped. We were in the spruce forest and at some point abandoned what little was left of the creek. The last couple of hundred feet was in an old landslide scar, well grown up. We’d gotten some good views back toward the Chimneys, but their tops were obscured by clouds and it began to drizzle again. I found an old shredded Pepsi can and hoped it meant we were getting close to the trail. As we approached the Alum Cave Trail the rain began in earnest. We reached the trail about 3:45, almost 2 hours slower vs. my 2008 trip. Generally, even on off trail trips, I try to visit the summit of LeConte, not today though. With the rain, we all decided to descend via the trail.
While waiting on the trail for the rest of the group, the rain turned torrential. Greg was comfy enough to wait for the remaining hikers, but he directed the rest of us down the trail. I was OK in just my green raincoat, and good thing as I found out later at home that I’d never packed my med weight wicking shirt. Other hikers were still heading up the trail in just T-shirts. We ran into Hoover and Kindel just above the scar. They had sent their hikers down the trail, and kindly waited for us there.
We pushed the pace down the trail, still fast, easy walking after its recent rebuild. It was odd to see no one at Alum Cave. The rain let up by Arch Rock and I took off the raincoat at the parking area for the final walk back to my car at Trout Branch. It must have been around 6PM at the cars with a total of about 8 miles of hiking.