Day 2: Engagement Party on the Trail
Sharing the News
Maria and I woke up the next morning around 8 AM. Since Maria’s phone had service, we started the day by calling both of our parents. Unsurprisingly, they were over-the-moon excited to hear the news, and many more emotions poured out. After hanging up, we agreed to wait the remainder of the weekend to share the news with anyone else. We wanted to celebrate our engagement privately before telling the world about it.
We awoke Hannah and Sam, and our group took our time packing up camp and making breakfast. By 10 AM, we were on the trail to our next destination: Mount LeConte, which Maria and I visited the previous year.
The Jump-off of the Great Smoky Mountains
After stepping on the Boulevard Trail, we diverted to a viewpoint known as the Jump-off. We followed a split in the trail for about ten minutes, eventually reaching a stunning overlook of the Great Smoky Mountains’ northern terminus. We could even see Charlies Bunion, sparking happy memories of the evening before.
We spent 30 minutes at the Jump-off snacking and chatting before returning to the Boulevard Trail. The trail provides a straight shot to Mount LeConte, gaining and losing elevation as it follows a ridgeline. Since it is only accessible via several miles of hiking on other trails, it sees less traffic than other parts of the park. So, we passed only a few other park visitors. It was the four of us and lots of serene nature.
Return to LeConte, the Best View in the Great Smoky Mountains
After a few slow-moving hours of hiking, we arrived at Mount LeConte in mid-afternoon. Due to the presence of a lodge atop the mountain, the peak sees a heightened level of visitor traffic. Accordingly, we quickly started to encounter other hikers once reaching the peak.
Our group found the Mount LeConte shelter and began lightening our packs once more. Maria and I prepared our tent and sleeping pads while Hannah and Sam wandered away in search of more salamanders. Maria and I decided to stop at Cliff Tops, the same place we had watched a sunset in 2021. We went there to wait for Hannah and Sam, giving our bodies a break from hauling equipment.
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At Cliff Tops, fog and clouds periodically obscured the views. Whenever they parted, however, they treated us to awesome views of the valleys below. The sun continued to disappear and reappear as we rested on the uneven rocky terrain. The occasional hiker stopped by to snap a photo, but we saw no crowds on the same level as what we’d seen for last year’s sunset.
Hannah and Sam regrouped with us at Cliff Tops before long, and when they arrived the clouds fizzled away. We took the opportunity to snap a few photos, including my favorite of Maria and I from the weekend.
The Blue Ridge Spring Salamander
By the time we left Cliff Tops, it was already 5 PM. We decided we did not have enough time to visit Rainbow Falls before sunset, so we embarked on a search for the Blue Ridge spring salamander. Sam had been on the lookout for the species all weekend, and was determined to photograph one.
It took less than 30 minutes for Sam to find the elusive salamander. We decided Sam was either very lucky when searching for specific species of wildlife, or he had some kind of magic touch when turning over logs and rocks. Either way, he was delighted at the sight of the beautiful amphibian. The rest of us were, too.
Our group spent about 10 minutes handling the salamander and taking pictures of it with our phones. For me, it was a unique and memorable moment. I had never handled wildlife of the sort with my own hands. Sam’s enthusiasm for every wild animal – big and small, mammal and otherwise – that we had seen throughout the weekend had softened my reservations against close encounters with wildlife. So, I was uncharacteristically eager to hold the colorful salamander. Letting the slimy creature run through my hands was an absolute delight to the senses, and it put a huge smile on my face. Thank you, Sam!
Sam busted out his professional wildlife photography kit to get better pictures of the salamander. After he finished, we returned to Cliff Tops in time to watch the sunset.
Another Spectacular Sunset
As Maria and I discovered the previous year, Cliff Tops sees significant crowds at sunset. Due to its close vicinity to LeConte lodge – which houses hikers looking for more comfortable accommodations than what is found at a backpacking site – many people are able to easily view the sun. During this visit, we saw an even larger crowd than we’d seen the previous year. As the evening progressed, as many as 30 people joined us to watch the day’s conclusion. It was a little annoying, but we were able to befriend some of the strangers: always a plus.
The sunset we witnessed the day before was one of the most beautiful I’d ever seen. The sunset we saw this time, however, might have beaten it.
When we first reached Cliff Tops, the view was totally obscured by clouds. But, as the sun lowered, the clouds gradually began to fade away. The progression from dense fog to clear skies was incredible, and the clear skies unveiled a phenomenal view. Check out the gallery below to see how the evening sky evolved over time.
After witnessing the day’s stunning conclusion, we returned to the Mount LeConte shelter. We embarked on another nighttime salamander hunt before turning in for the night. With our alarms set for 5:15 AM to catch the sunrise, we were all ready to sleep.
Maria and I had still not fully grasped our engagement to each other. The last two days had been perfect: pleasant weather, beautiful sunsets, cute salamanders, great company, and blissful escape from the busy world around us. Though we were excited to share the news with the world, we weren’t quite ready to leave the park…