ADVENTURE 6: Unplug/Leconte pt. 2 (Great Smoky Mountains NP)

One must champion oneself and say, "I am ready for this!"

— Catherine O'Hara as Moira Rose in “Schitt's Creek”

The forecast called for possible rain at dawn. I thus figured that any clouds could wash out the sunrise - and really, I didn't want to hike 3/4 of a mile to the sunrise overlook (in the pre-dawn gloaming!) knowing I had many miles facing me today. So I skipped viewing the dawn.

The morning was cool, so I took breakfast in our common room. The lodge provided a hardy meal to power our descent - scrambled eggs, Canadian bacon, grits, pancakes and syrup, biscuit and jam. Afterwards, Henry - the old-timer on the crew, who'd worked there for 27 years - cleaned up our cabin, so I took a few minutes to ask him about his experiences.

What caused you to take this job? "Divorce... When I got divorced, I started doing a lot of hiking, for the peace and serenity. I worked at some parks, made friends, then came to visit a friend working here. I loved it, and have been here since."

What is your favorite part of the job? "The people!" he said, smiling. "I've met people bringing their kids here, and then those kids bring their kids. I love seeing the grandkids of htose early guest!"

What changes have you seen over the years? "This place has grown. It used to be just a couple of lodge buildings. Over time, they kept adding cabins, and modernized. We now have solar power for kitchen. Also, the gift shop used to sell only tee shirts and hats, now they carry 45 different items."

Like all the friendly crew, he would have answered more questions, but I let him get back to work, and packed my pack for the long hike down.

On the trail, I quickly discovered that muscle fatigue wouldn't interfere with my hike. Pushing my body uphill had worked on my thighs; stepping down would test my calves and feet. On the first stretch to Trillium Gap, the Irishman and I passed each other several times as we each paused at different spots. At the gap, we opted to take the quarter-mile spur to Brushy Mtn, which provided more overlooks, but at the expense of a gnarly trail.

The descent from the gap was as steep as I recalled, and the oft-uneven surface kept me from establishing a comfortable pace. I stopped often for a forest-bathing moment, feeling the soft cushion of the mossy growth on the rocks, or looking at the smoky slopes of the far mountains, or gazing at the caterpillar inching its way across the trail.

I'd heard the llama train plied this trail every Mon-Wed-Fri, carrying food, clean linens, and mail to the lodge, and ferrying down used linens and recyclables. The notebook said that originally horses hauled the loads, but then managers realized that the soft hooves of the llamas caused less trail damage than horses' hooves - or than hiker's boots, for that matter.

I planned on filming a video as they passed on the trail, but when I rounded a bend, I saw them bearing down on me. They quickly passed me before I could turn on the GoPro, so I settled for a photo of them from behind.

As I neared the end of this stretch, a day hiker ambling up the trail approached me. "You might want to watch out," she warned me. "There's a big pile of bear poop just ahead. Looks fresh, so watch out for them."

I thanked her for the alert, then considered it. "Are you sure they weren't llama leavings?"

"Oh." She paused, and then agreed, "You're probably right. I'm not an expert on bear poop... or llamas either." She looked relieved as she moved up the trail.

At Grotto Falls, I took a longer break, changing from long-sleeves and sweat pants to tee shirt and shorts. Gone was the mountain chill, promising a beautiful day.

The family-friendly trail passed quickly under my feet, leaving me with the last mile and a half or so up and down. I no longer had the nervous excitement of the challenge ahead; it felt more like a slog. Here's the downed tree I stepped over; here's the one I crouched under; here's the parking lot spur (finally!).

All told, it took the same 5 hours, 10 minutes to get down that it took to ascend - of course, that included the half-hour detour to Brushy Mtn. The Rocky boots purchased for the Ohio walk four weeks earlier had worked wonderfully. Time to call this grand park adventure a wrap!

Later. Once I reached the car, I took the scenic exit from the park past more waterfalls.

By the time I left the park (and Gatlinburg) behind), it was 3:00. Too late for lunch, but I needed something to tide me over till dinner. Stopping at the convenience store, I noticed the forlorn hot dogs, endlessly spinning on their grilling rollers. That should suffice, I decided [note: I would not normally consider that, but it felt appropriate for today], plopping it into a bun, slathering it with mustard and relish, and stepping over to pay. "Is that all you're having today?" the cashier asked. "In that case, it's on me. Have a nice day!"

NOW it's a wrap!