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Conditions looked great for a walk up the Alum Cave Bluff trail to LeConte as we piled out at the trailhead on a frosty morning. Only a few cars were on hand, backed into the deep snow banks left behind by the road-clearing crews. The roads were still covered in patches of hard-packed snow and ice, but traffic was moving pretty good up the mountain from Gatlingburg. A few spaces over from where we parked, ranger Dave Worth was sweeping about 18 inches of snow from his SUV after walking down the trail from the Lodge on Mt. LeConte. As he headed out, he stopped to let us know that the trail to the top was in great condition. Dave is a walking animal, having hiked all of the trails to the top of LeConte in one day - a truly epic adventure.
We geared up, putting on our gaiters and 3 point instep crampons, essential gear on the Alum Cave Bluff Trail in the winter months. Adding food and drink to our packs, we left the highway behind and walked down to cross Walker Camp Prong at the start of the trail. The Prong was blanketed in deep snow, with fluffy pillows of snow atop the boulder strewn stream.

Walker Camp Prong, near the trailhead for the Alum Cave Bluff trail, pillowed with recent heavy snowfall.

The path led gently uphill towards Arch Rock, a huge arch of stone that straddles the trail above Styx Branch. The Branch was running low this early in morning, waiting for the midday sun to fill it with snow melt. Each cascade was a sculpture in ice, beautiful in the early morning light.

Alum Cave Creek below Arch Rock on the Alum Cave Bluff Trail.

Somebody had left a number of 'leaf signs' along the side of the trail below Arch Rock. We weren't sure about the purpose of the leaf signs - maybe it just seemed like fun to make 'em at the time. Losing the trail would be difficult - if you stepped a few inches off of the hard packed surface, you would plunge up to your knees in the drifts.

Two hikers (with 40 years of marriage behind them!) cross the bridge below Arch Rock as they climb towards Mt. LeConte. Even the log bridges were still covered in snow that hadn't yet been packed into ice. Still though, the crampons proved their worth, giving us welcome traction on the steeper sections of loose snow.

Donna climbs the snow-covered steps beneath Arch Rock. Early in the day, the steps were covered with packed snow that gave good traction, but by the time we returned later in the day, the snow had melted and re-frozen, leaving behind a slick sluice of smooth ice. This section of trail lies in deep shade, so we were still wearing several warm layers to fight the morning chill. There is something I find comforting in the soft 'squeak' of dry snow when I'm hiking. It's a good feeling and we made great time as we climbed on up the drainage of Styx Creek.

Foot bridge over Styx Branch. The small stream is the main path of access to the rugged Huggins Hell region of the park. Rough climb, with lots of downed timber and rock slides along the way to the Boulevard Trail. The Styx moniker is appropriate, considering that it leads into Hell...
Later in the day, the water level would rise considerably in the creek as water from snow melt made its way down from the high ridges around Mt. LeConte.

The trail was in the best condition that I've ever seen it in, with hard-packed snow underfoot smoothing out the normally rocky surface. We were wearing the little 3-point strap-on crampons that fit beneath the instep of the foot. They were life-savers at times, letting us walk safely on the few icy sections of the trail. However, they tended to rotate around to the side of the shoes, making it necessary to stop occasionally to re-adjust the straps to keep them in place. Next time, I'll be wearing the Micro-spikes that fit over the entire sole of the hiking boot. We saw quite a few hikers using the Micros on the hike, and they all had nothing but praise for the setup. Still though, the strap on 3 pointers are a great backup for occasional use. Donna had a lot better luck than me with keeping her spikes in place. It takes a while to to get the fit just right, and I kept stopping to re-adjust. So long as the trail grade remained moderate, I found it easier to just leave the spikes on the side of my boots, stopping only when the grade steepened.

Donna climbs the Alum Cave Bluff trail above Arch Rock and the Styx Branch crossing.

This is the trail as it comes up on the lookout point below the Bluff that offers up a grand view of Duckhawk Ridge and the Bluff. No ice! That's amazing, and it shows how lucky we were in being among the first hikers on the trail for the day. Scenes like that in the photo below show what keeps hikers going - it's always the wondering of what's just around the bend that makes us push on and on.