Welcome & Info - Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont

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OUR ROUTE Day 1: Appalachian Trail to Boulevard Trail to LeConte Lodge (8.1 miles). Day 2: LeConte Lodge to Alum Cave Trail (5.0 miles) WHERE TO MEET The month of April is a very popular time of year to climb Mt. LeConte. The Alum Cave Bluff Trailhead can be extremely busy as a result. Ample parking space for all our vehicles cannot be guaranteed! Therefore DO NOT meet us at the trailhead (regardless of what our brochure says). Instead we will meet at Sugarlands Visitor Center between 8:45-9:00am. You can park your car there, use the restroom, and then hop in the Tremont van for the ride to Newfound Gap. We will begin our hike starting at Newfound Gap. Here we’ll hike on the Appalachian Trail for 2.7 miles then take the Boulevard Trail 5.4 miles to Mt. LeConte for a total hike of 8.1 miles. We will ask one of you to volunteer your vehicle as the shuttle transport. What this means: from Sugarlands you will follow behind the van on the drive to Newfound Gap, park your car at the Alum Cave Bluff Trailhead and from there ride in the van the rest of the way. (Rest assured we will be able to find space for at least one vehicle at the Alum Cave Bluff Trailhead.) At the conclusion of the hike on Saturday, we’ll rely on you to shuttle the van driver (me) to Newfound Gap to retrieve the van. This will take roughly 20 minutes. So…please meet us outside the restrooms at Sugarlands Visitor Center between 8:45- 9:00am on Friday. We will meet one another for a brief orientation at that time and then be on our way. Do realize that we MUST depart Sugarlands no later than 9:15am to ensure that we have a pleasant hike and do not feel rushed. We will not be able to wait for you if you arrive later than 9:15am. You will be on your own at this point. If you do experience a delay and miss us, here are my recommendations: 1) Please call (865) 448-6709 and tell them you missed us. We will be out of cell phone range and service can be very spotty in the mountains, but I should be able to reach the office once we get higher on the mountain and will contact the office to ask about your absence. 2) Drive yourself to the Alum Cave Bluff Trailhead. If parking is available, hike Alum Cave Bluff Trail and meet us at the lodge. If parking is not available, drive to Newfound Gap and hike the route described above (and below). Take a trail map! ACCOMMODATIONS ON LeCONTE: We will be staying in a single three-bedroom cabin while on Le Conte. Each room contains two double beds in bunk fashion. Beds have fresh sheets, pillows, and wool blankets. Each cabin also has a washstand but bathrooms are in a separate building. Don’t forget that we will be sharing beds so if you don’t have a friend coming with you, you will definitely have one when you leave!
WORKSHOP HEALTH & WAIVER: A completed medical form is required of each participant. In order that we may better meet your personal needs, we ask that you please fill out and send us the enclosed medical form prior to your trip. We must have this form for you to participate in the hike. PHONE AND ADDRESS: If someone needs to reach you, a message can be left at our office number: (865) 448- 6709 between 8am and 4pm. For after-hours emergencies, call the National Park Service at (865) 436-1294. We look forward to sharing the wonders of the Smokies with you. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to call. See you soon! Sincerely, Jeremy Lloyd GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS INSTITUTE AT TREMONT 9275 Tremont Road Townsend, TN 37882 Phone: 865-448-6709 Fax: 865-448-9250 www.gsmit.org ~ mail@gsmit.org
Page 1: Winter 2013 Dear Le Conte Overnight

Welcome & Info - Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont

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