transform | hiking
rocky spur rambling a hike to mount leconte by christy hamrick
I purchased six items for the six-and-a-half mile hike to LeConte: two pairs of Smartwool socks, two pairs of sock liners, a waterproof trail map, and the guide book, ‘Hiking Trails of the Smokies.’ It’s only six and a half miles to the lodge. How hard could it be? I walked six to seven miles at the Greensboro watershed in two to three hours after work of an evening. I didn’t fully process the elevation of Mount LeConte at 6,593 feet. My friend, Terri, and I met Uncle Clyde and Aunt Suzy at the Hampton Inn, located a couple of stoplights away from the national park entrance. Gatlinburg is a conglomeration of food chains, airbrush T-shirt stalls, temporary and permanent tattoo parlors, “Made in China” souvenir knickknack shops, old timey photo booths and assorted wedding chapels. The exhaust from the continuous line of vehicles on U.S. Hwy. 441, mixed with lingering second-hand smoke from pedestrians rushing to buy fudge. Instant gratification is the town’s mission. The constant whirlwind of activity deflects attention from the towering Great
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MAY 2011 | AAWMAG.COM