Post 900 Hike #19

In my search for the September hikes I looked for something that would attract a good number of hikers (e.g., a hike 10-12 miles in which heat should not be too much of a detriment). One hike that had been recommended to me last week was Trillium Gap and Bull Head; I added a shorter one in Rainbow Falls and Bull Head (optional add-ons would be Brushy Mtn. for former and LeConte for latter). I arrived at Food Lion ~7:45; there was a good bunch there but some were Otis Beaver’s group that would be doing a different hike. From our group at least one carload planned to take the Rainbow Falls--Bull Head hike, 2-3 would go in and out on Trillium Gap to the Gap and then return, 2 were going to do Rainbow Falls and return on Trillium Gap, and I went with Jane (she drove), Amy Howe, and Susan up Trillium Gap and down Bull Head; I also agreed to go with Jane down Rainbow Falls to pick up a 0.5-1.0 mi. section that she had not completed. I did not record an exact starting time at the trailhead. The first picture is of my cohorts (Susan, Jane & Amy) at Grotto Falls. Amy and I arrived at the Gap at 11:00; at 11:15 the four of us continued. We had barely started when I decided to accelerate a little and get a good aerobic workout; I arrived at the LeConte Lodge at 12:35; in that 3.6 mi. trek (mostly up at a fair grade) I got my HR to 153 (that was 99 higher than the lowest that I noted in our trip to the Park today). For a 73 year old that is high; however, I was not worried. I noted the temperature was 65.8 and my pedometer registered 6.9 total miles. None of the other hikers were there when I arrived; I then assumed that the Rainbow Falls--Bull Head hikers chose not to go to Le Cont. After eating my lunch I went to take a Llama picture; the Llamas make daily runs and bring provisions up Trillium Gap trail (they left evidence). Then Amy arrived; it looks like she tried to get on the non-existent back seat. After Jane finished lunch she and I took off for we had a longer hike. The junction of Rainbow Falls and Bull Head trails is 0.5 from Le Conte. Once we arrived there we started going down Rainbow Falls; on a prior hike Jane was told tht she was only ~0.5 miles from the latter trail junction. (I subsequently learned that she had a good mental picture of the spot to which she had hiked previously.) We soon learned that the distance estimate was short; when we got back to the Rainbow Falls—Bull Head trail junction, the time was 14:55 and my pedometer registered 10.8 miles.

We then took off on our downhill trek of Bull Head. I did not note the time nor mileage when we caught up with Amy and Susan; they were waiting for us at the stone-layered lookout point on this trail. Susan’s boots were giving her problems; her toes were taking a hit on this downward trek and she decided to wear her rubber water shoes for the remainder of the hike. Shortly after our group of 4 started out, I decided to go ahead so that I could ice my knee prior to getting in Jane’s vehicle. I reached the end of Bull Head at 17:21 and my pedometer registered 16.7 miles. I still had 0.4 mi. on Old Sugarlands Trail and I arrived at the parking lot at 17:28. There were a number of cars in this parking lot; I assume that most of the cars were those of individuals taking the short trek to the Falls itself. Not sure when the rest arrived; believe it then took ~2 hrs. to get back to Food Lion. On the way home I stopped at Krogers and at ~19:05 I arrived home.