Date: 5/7/2016
Distance: 13.3
Today's hike was with the GSHAG group. Anoria, Jeannie, Paula, Jan, Michael, Sara, Lesa, Karim, Ramsay, Kelly, John and Robin were my trail companions on this day. We met at Sugarlands at 8:00 and made our way to Alum Cave where we left 2 cars before continuing to Newfound Gap.
When we stepped out of the car, it was freezing. The wind was blowing hard and the temperatures were probably in the 40's.
The 1st 2.7 miles was on the AT. It climbed about 1000' before losing a bit of the elevation before we reached the Boulevard intersection. It was quite cloudy, but the clouds were high allowing lots of views along the trail.
The Boulevard has several up and down sections, but in general was pretty easy hiking until the final climb up to LeConte.
I thought the Boulevard was great. It has lots of locations with views and interesting terrain.
I decided to take the short spur (0.3mi) out to Myrtle Point. It was very pretty, but quite windy and cold. The trail was also a sloppy mess due to the melting snow.
I then made my way to the Cliff Tops for a few more photos.
Down at the lodge, I had my lunch while we waited on the rest of the group.
Alum Cave Trail is also a great trail. Near the top, there are a number of spots with cables on one side and steep drop offs on the other.
About 1/2 way down Alum Cave, is Alum Cave.
A bit down from the cave, you can see the Eye of the needle and the Keyhole off to the right.
About a mile from the parking lot is Arch Rock.
Today was a fun day in the park. It was nice to hike with a crowd for a change.
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