Just before winter hit, I moved from Michigan to Tennessee. But we had plenty of cold and snow down here, at least up in the mountains. With the Great Smoky Mountain National Park just an hour drive away, Nan and I spend our weekends hiking or occasionally backpacking the mountains and valleys. In late January the weather suddenly broke, and the contrast between two hikes, just a week apart, was dramatic.
LaConte
Nan and I and Nan's friend Terri went for a three day overnight hike up Mt LaConte, and stayed in the lodge there. They're closed for the season, but with Nan's connections we volunteered to carry up some provisions for the winter caretaker, and in return were given access to a cabin. The hike up Alum Cave trail started with about 15cm of snow on undisturbed ground, with a well broken trail (it's a popular route, even in winter). At the first landmark, Arch Rock, the trail steepens and ice became a problem underfoot. Soon after we stopped to put on instep crampons for Terri and I and yaktraks for Nan. We meet a surprisingly large number of people for a very cold Thursday in the park, and most were wearing crampons. Curtains of icicles hung off every trailside rock, normally dripping wet in summer.
The skies are overcast, and the snow is getting deeper as we gain elevation. As long as we're moving and climbing, we stay warm, but every rest break starts with adding a layer. Closer to the top the snow clings to the branches of the spruces, and the undisturbed snow is up to about 40cm deep. We also get more and more vistas to the south and west over the Smoky Mountains and other ranges.
The lodge is finally reached, elevation 6593, with each building draped in a blanket of snow. We meet Alex the caretaker in the kitchen, and settle in to our cabin. It's toasty warm with propane heat. Alex heads down the mountain after an early dinner, leaving us alone for a bit until his weekend replacement makes it up, about two hours after dark.
Friday morning dawns crisp and cold with rime ice up to 1cm on anything exposed to the frigid breeze. The three of us suit up for a day hike out to Myrtle Point, and it is beautiful and intensely cold. Many of the trees have heavy loads of bright white snow, with rime on any branch that cannot carry snow. The sky is deep blue and the sun casts blue shadows on the snow. Again, the trail is well broken to start. Past the shelter there have been fewer people, and we're breaking trail out to the furthest (and best) viewpoint at Myrtle Point. It's a great place for a midmorning snack, and we soak in the views south and east into North Carolina. The rime is heavy here too, with some trees completely frosted and glistening against the deep blue sky.
After soaking in the beauty of it all, we head back to the intersection where the Myrtle Point spur started, and continue along the Boulevard Trail. Just a few people have been out here since the major snowstorm a week ago, and nobody since the latest storm of 3cm with drifts. This section of trail hugs the north side of the ridge, and the temperature drops. In about a mile the trail turns the corner back into the sun, and crosses a slide. It's very exposed, very steep, and very deep and drifted, and bright. I don't feel secure crossing the slide, so we decide that's far enough, make snow angels and snow shivas, eat lunch, and return to the Lodge.
White Oak Flats
The following weekend we return to the park and meet with Clyde, Dee and Terri. A warm air mass has pushed into the region, and the snow is nearly gone. On Sunday we begin with on an off-trail hike called White Oak Flats, which follows up a stream for about a mile and a half, then climbs steeply to the ridge. This is not a maintained trail, although people sometimes hike through with a pair of clippers to help keep it open. As such, there are places where the rhododendron forces us to choose a detour, climb over and under, or walk the stream. The morning air is cool and pleasant and smells of spring. But it's still January!
When the stream ends, we consult the map and choose a compass course up and up to the top of the ridge. It's sunny and warm up here for a lunch break, and when we start moving again we're each down to one or two layers. Just below the lunch spot we join Lumber Ridge Trail, and about half a mile further we're down to t-shirts and zip-off shorts. It's that warm. I'm almost expecting to see wildflowers, but there's actually small patches of snow in shady places. In another mile we leave Lumber Ridge and take the Curry Mountain Trail down to the cars.
