Rainbow Falls, Mind Over Matter & Traveling String Bands

This morning we set out on the first of what I hope will be many hikes on the way to our goal of hiking every trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Today's trails were chosen by Ken Naumann, a parishioner of St. Thomas who has been wanting me to head into the woods with him for many months. He chose a loop that took us near the summit of Mt. Leconte via the Rainbow Falls Trail, then down the mountain via the Bull Head Trail, ending with a very short section of the Old Sugarlands Trail to arrive once again at our car. As expected, we did not get the early start that we would have liked, but there was more than enough daylight to get us from beginning to end.

It has been a few years since I have hiked on Mt. Leconte and I had forgotten how high one climbs to get to the top. At 6593 feet, Mt. Leconte is the third highest peak in the park. There are five trails that will take you to the top of the mountain and prior to today's adventure I had only hiked three of them. Tonight as I write this I can add Rainbow Falls to the list. On a beautiful spring day like today, Rainbow Falls Trail is spectacular. It could be a tough trail for beginners though as it climbs 4,000 feet in under seven miles. Early in the day, I found myself breathing hard as we continued climbing, climbing, climbing.

As continued our trek up the mountain, we began looking for signs of Rainbow Falls. I didn't know whether to expect a large or small waterfall, but thankfully a couple who had been on this trail many times gave us a description that would make it hard to miss. They also were traveling with a beautiful Siberian Husky whom I felt sorry for due to the heat. When we reached the the falls and creek below, however, the dog knew where to find comfort and was soon resting in the cold mountain waters.

As we continued up the trail, we soon discovered some bad news. Ashley was beginning to feel some pain in her leg that was not to soon subside. Pain is part of hiking, but it is never fun to endure. One thing I have learned in many years of hiking and backpacking, however, is that much of this kind of pain can be overcome with what I would refer to today as "mind over matter". When things are tough on the trail, your thoughts can be your best friend or your worst enemy. Ken and I did our best to encourage Ashley as she made her way to the downward section of the trail, while also making sure to take plenty of rest breaks and pain killers. It isn't all mental after all!

On our downward journey we encountered an unexpected group that included another St. Thomas parishioner and an excellent musician, Bo Carey. Bo and his fellow musician friends were heading up to Leconte Lodge, instruments in tow, to spend the night and no doubt to entertain the other lodgers with their excellent skills on the strings. I hope they had an enjoyable time. Leconte Lodge is a wonderful hiking destination. Here's how it works. You reserve a spot in advance, hike up Mt. Leconte, sit down to dinner (which always seems to be beef stroganoff and noodles), sleep overnight in a bed, sit down for breakfast, and hike back down. Not a bad deal, is it?

So down we went on the Bull Head Trail, with beautiful views and several stream crossings. At around the half way point of this trail is a stone platform known as the Pulpit. Here I took a few moments to preach upon the one of the fundamental tenants of hiking, that being,

THERE IS NO ADEQUATE SUBSTITUTE FOR AN EARLY START!

There are certainly substitutes, like starting late with friends and making sure to care for one another with concern for injuries, good conversation and cold bottles of Snapple prepared in advance for the end of the day. But is this type of substitute adequate? I'll let you decide.