Rich Mountain Loop Trail (8.5 mi.)

It was rainy when I pulled into Food Lion ~7:45; Ellie arrived shortly and then Marita. When we reached the parking area at the beginning of Cades Cove Loop, Bob (Bolinger) was waiting for us (Bob lives in Sevierville and hence meets hikers in the GSMNP). We were at the trail head at 9:05.

The initial segment of Rich Mtn Loop Tr is level and passes John Oliver's cabin at ~1.4 miles; in the next ~1.5 miles it rises ~1,700 feet. Seemed to be marked changes in temp in the climb and along Indian Gap Trail; it was also very cloudy and pictures taken were not clear. As we started descending down Crooked Arm Ridge the weather cleared quite a bit. The first picture that was clear presents my fellow hikers, i.e., Ellie, Marita, and Bob (Bolinger); the background is Cades Cove meadow. The last picture was taken at the end of our hike facing South; it presents the Cades Cove Meadow at the beginning of the 11-mile motor loop.