Write Up:What an action packed weekend in the Smoky Mountains! Our adventure started Friday evening where the five of us backpacked 3 miles to Deep Creek campsite 60, next to the river - at 10:30 PM! It was very soothing to sleep to the sound of the running river, and even more delightful hiking in the morning near the waterfalls!
Saturday morning, after departing Deep Creek, we dropped by Bryson City for a quick morning cup of coffee/hot chocolate & pastries, and a quick tour of the town, before driving on to the Alum Cave trailhead in the Great Smoky Mountains Park. On the Alum Cave trail, we had a fun and enjoyable time backpacking up to the top Of LeConte where we were rewarded with an amazing sunset and live guitar music and singing at one of the nearby LeConte cabins - several new friendships were made! Afterwards, we spent time in the LeConte lodge warming up our toes and listening to music. Later, we finally ended up back at our shelter for a cold night sleep.
On Sunday morning, Matt and Lynn hiked to one of the cliff tops to watch the sunrise, while the rest of us had breakfast and packed our gear for the trip down the mountain. The trip down the mountain was as scenic as the trip up the mountain the previous day!
Overall, we could not have asked for a better weekend and weather like we had this weekend!
We're looking forward to our next backpacking adventure in January - please keep your eyes open for our next AOC backpacking posting, 'Siler Bald and Beyond', by Matt Borland and Tom Jarosz.
Looking forward to seeing you on the trail!
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