L E C O N T E 1 9 9 9
HIKING UP
Immediately after the Alum Cave Trailhead you will cross the bridge over Walker Camp Prong Creek to begin your hike...
The moss-lined trail passes through a canopy of Rosebay rhododendron, decorated with large white flower clusters in early July....
Most of the scars visible on Mt. LeConte date from a 1951 thunderstorm that dropped three inches of rain in less than an hour; soil
on the steep slopes gave way, sending trees and rocks crashing down.
At 1.7 miles in a heath bald, a stone outcropping hosting the dainty sand myrtle provides a rest and an open view of Sugarland Mountain.
At about 1.9 miles look left through a clearing and see if you canspot the "eye of the needle" in the ridge beyond.
At 2.5 miles, the trail ascends to Alum Cave Bluff. The cave is actually a 100-foot-rock overhang of the Anakeesta formation with a high sulfur content.
