Mt. LeConte

Today, I went for a hike up one of the tallest mountains east of the Mississippi - the third highest, I think, after Mt. Mitchell and Clingman's Dome - Mt. LeConte, elevation 6,593 feet. Our office maintains a weather station at the top of the mountain where there are some cabins, and once a year someone hikes up the mountain to do this. There were 6 of us from the office that went. I was the youngest, so I couldn't let the older guys show me up. We started at 3,800 feet and hiked to the top in about 2.5 hours. It was very pretty with great views. Needless to say, I was exhausted. In the cabin, there was a picture of the guy who started the lodge at the top - in 1929 he carried his mother up the mountain in a rocking chair strapped to his back! We were at the top for another 2.5 hours, bought a souvenir tee shirt, ate lunch, then headed down, taking about 1.5 hours. I'm not much of a hiker, but I had a good time. Maybe I'll do it again next year, but right now, that doesn't sound very appealing. My legs hurt.