Mt LeConte SHELTER or LODGE? I Did Both-Backpacking Great Smoky Mountains Rainbow Falls Trillium Gap

[@spencerhall8743]

Hiking and staying at the shelter tomorrow. Great video! Thanks for sharing!

[@TheNotLostNomad]

Thank you! Hope your trip was great! I enjoyed my time in the shelter…it’s nice and cozy!

[@stanr9397]

I hiked alum cave trail and spent the night at Mt laconte. By far the greatest thing I've done in the smoky mountains! Great video.

[@TheNotLostNomad]

Well thank you! It’s a great mountain! Glad you got to experience it!

[@reginacelia8966]

Great video! We are also from East Texas! We Love the Smoky Mountains ❤️ 🙌🙌🙌🎉

[@TheNotLostNomad]

Thank you! So you guys understand the struggle of living so far away from the mountains! So many long drives!

[@gregroberts875]

Great Video!! Thanks for sharing your trip

[@TheNotLostNomad]

You bet! So glad you enjoyed it!

[@the_only_sniper8409]

Great video brother! I’m heading up in a couple days and this video boosted my excitement!! Hope you had a wonderful 4th!!

[@TheNotLostNomad]

Hey thank you! Hope you have a great hike up there! Leconte is an amazing mountain!

[@michaelpetersonbackpacking6077]

You sure can put a good video together. Day one was “The Best Of The Smokies”. Fog/ mist/ running creeks/ drips/ rocks under feet / and the falls to yourself. AWESOME!! I haven’t been there in a while - which is known you were headed that way. What an awesome trip! Thanks for sharing!

[@TheNotLostNomad]

Hey thanks Michael...Yeah I had a whole range of conditions but I loved every minute of it. Yeah that is close to your neck of the woods...this one was a very quick trip. Next time I head that way I’ll let you know. I have my eye on the Roan Highlands in North Carolina.

[@paulalexander5516]

Awesome video and very insightful! Will be backpacking that area this summer.

[@TheNotLostNomad]

Thank you! Definitely make it up to Leconte if you get a chance. The Smokies are amazing!

[@MyLifeOutdoors]

Another great video! Looks like the umbrella served you well!

[@TheNotLostNomad]

It sure did! Thanks for letting me borrow it!

[@ahmadtobas]

this is a very nice video I'm glad I gave it a watch

[@TheNotLostNomad]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@carlypearson6840]

Thanks for posting such a great video. I use a wheelchair and am planning a trip up there. I plan to take that route and your video is the best one I’ve seen yet. Thanks for helping plan out the details!

[@TheNotLostNomad]

Well thank you very much! I hope you have an amazing climb and I think it’s awesome that you are getting out there on the trail!

[@jimcaprell9153]

Hey, that was a great video! We hiked LeConte, preCovid, with friends. Maybe 21 times? I've hiked all 5 trails. Good memories. Thanks again!

[@TheNotLostNomad]

Well thank you! And wow, you’ve definitely got some experience on that mountain! What would you suggest my next trip be out there in the Smokies?

[@jimcaprell9153]

@@TheNotLostNomad You might do a one way on the AT from Clingman's Dome to Newfound Gap at US 441. (You can jump on the Boulevard and head up to the LeConte shelter.) Cades Cove has a few short trails. Smokemont is nice too. Here's a link to the park map:www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/upload/GSMNP-Trail-Map_JULY21.pdf.

[@jimcaprell9153]

@@TheNotLostNomad Sorry, the Boulevard is a bit north of Newfound Gap, toward Icewater Springs shelter. A nice hike also on the AT. Charlie's Bunion is a favorite spot.

[@papajeff5486]

I’ve done that drive, from central Texas/Killeen and southeast Texas/Corpus Christi, a long way, several times. I have people in East Tennessee. My first time up LeConte was 55 years ago with the Chattanooga YMCA. I’ve gone up and down several times since then; it gets me every time, beautiful. Watched the evolution of the lodge before the little cabins to now. My grandchildren do it now.

[@TheNotLostNomad]

Wow…sounds like you have some great memories up there! Other than the lodge, has it changed much up there? And that drive is pretty long…those long drives can sure take a toll on your energy.

[@sarahwoodring5587]

Thanks for posting this. I'm planning this trip next May and this was super helpful and informative

[@TheNotLostNomad]

Glad it was helpful! It’s beautiful during May…so green. Make sure you bring rain gear!

[@JerryArizona]

Dude. That intro? Solid. Beautiful scenery. And you got me hooked on the honey mustard pretzels….

[@TheNotLostNomad]

Thanks man! Yeah this trip had such a big variety of amazing scenery...I had to go big with the intro to give an idea of this whole trip. It was fun! And dude...those pretzels though! Amazing!

[@tangenttrails]

Blows me away that you posted this today! I’d just researched the hike this morning and have it planned for June 9th. Thanks for posting this!👍

[@TheNotLostNomad]

Heck yeah! Perfect timing! Which trail/trails are you planning on taking? You’ll love it up there...such a cool environment with all of the green moss. Have a great trip out there!

[@tangenttrails]

@@TheNotLostNomad We're taking the Rainbow Falls trail up and Bullhead trail down, but the order might change depending on how warm the temps are. I hear the Bullhead trail is a bit exposed and can be hot in June.

[@MetroOnTheMove]

Excellent camera work! What it difficult to get reservations? How far in advance did you have to do this? Now following!

[@TheNotLostNomad]

Well thank you! I actually called the lodge to see if there were any cancellations and it was pretty simple. I was even able to get a permit for the shelter as well. This was all about a month in advance.

[@tommytrantham-doublet5913]

We went a couple of years ago and it rained the entire time we hiked up in the rain and down in the rain. We still had a great time we stayed at the lodge I think it was same place you stayed. Ready to go back. We hiked up Alum and down same way. Enjoyed the video.

[@TheNotLostNomad]

Hey thank you! And how cool! I bet it was great even with the rain. I loved when it rained while staying at the shelter. It’s such a cool trip! Thanks for watching!

[@CameronHall88]

Hey man, great video. That intro was awesome. I think you've about got those about as good as it gets. Looked like you had a great trip with a good mix of sun and what seems to be the true GSMNP experience, rain and fog. I dont know how you made that drive and then hiked that day. That's nuts. The lodge looked like such a cool experience. We enjoyed our time at GSMNP a couple weeks ago. We will have to look into Mt LeConte for a future trip.

[@TheNotLostNomad]

Hey thanks man! Yeah GSMNP is a great place! I’m glad you guys had a great trip! I need to catch up with your latest posts…this summer has been full and I’ve gotten very behind. And as for driving and then going straight into hiking…you and I basically did the same thing in BIBE…it’s tough but you do what you’ve got to do I guess!

[@AdventureswithJerrod]

My buddy fell off the cliff at the bluff a few years ago! Had to rush him to the hospital for an emergency surgery! Has a scar now to tell the story and is ok! New subscriber!

[@TheNotLostNomad]

Oh man…wow, what a scary experience. I’m glad he’s all right! What exactly happened? And how did he get rescued out of there? Thanks for subscribing! It’s been a busy summer so I hope to have lots of updates soon!

[@AdventureswithJerrod]

@@TheNotLostNomad he somehow hiked out himself with the paramedic and two people helping lol

[@ericrodgers1365]

Great video , it was very informative. Im going up there in about two weeks to spend the night . I will have a little better idea of what to expect now !

[@TheNotLostNomad]

Hey thank you! Let me know how your trip goes! Hope everything goes well out there! It’s a beautiful mountain!

[@dannylgriffin]

I've hiked up to LeConte with kids via the Alum Cave trail. Never went the way you did from the north. You're lucky the park rangers didn't bang on your window and tell you that you couldn't sleep in your truck at the trailhead. They used to do that to me whenever I tried it. :) Another great video! Love the GSMNP.

[@TheNotLostNomad]

Hey thank you! Haha, yeah the about the time the Rangers showed up I was already stirring...and I can’t say I really slept at all. It was lightning and thundering all morning. Alum Cave is a nice trail! I did it about 8 years ago...These trails I did were definitely tougher though... man it seemed like the trail went forever.

[@deborahhaines4835]

My first bear experience was at the LeConte shelter. Back in the days when they were fenced in.

[@TheNotLostNomad]

I’m sure glad I don’t see any bears on this trip! I hear they are at the shelter quite a bit.

[@hikingwithjackieboy]

Looks beautiful. Nice and green. Not like Texas right now we're burning up. At the end of April I visited Big Bend National Park and Balmrhea State Park. This week I visited Lost Maples State Natural Area.

[@TheNotLostNomad]

Oh I know right!? It’s already getting super hot here. I know Big Bend had to be scorching hot. How was it out at Lost Maples? I’ve been there a few times...love it out there!

[@hikingwithjackieboy]

@@TheNotLostNomad at the end of April it was 107° at Santa Elena Canyon. I caught Lost Maples in the morning it was in the 60s when I started and the mid 80s by the time I finish my day hike. Friday I plan to do a hike at Government Canyon State Natural Area

[@fountatelier]

Great as always, love the footage and story telling. What camera did you use in the wet conditions? Keep up the good work sir

[@TheNotLostNomad]

Hey thank you! It was nice to have some time to slow down and tell the story. It was a lot of fun. So I used my GoPro5 for all of this...I hiked with and umbrella which helped when it was really coming down.

[@DarthBrandybuck]

what is the extra space and buckets for in the privy at 7:25?

[@TheNotLostNomad]

That’s all buckets of sawdust…when you make a deposit just sprinkle a little over the top…it helps it compost and keeps the odor in check.

[@christynall-mathis1785]

Do you have to make a reservation to stay at the shelter?

[@TheNotLostNomad]

Yep, reservations are needed for the shelter…but they are pretty easy to get. When you go to the reservation page you can see every date and how many spots are left. I was surprised by how easy it was.

[@LJH08Ralith]

What camera was this?

[@TheNotLostNomad]

Hey! For this video I used a GoPro 5 with a gimbal. I set the field of view to “Linear” to get rid of the wide angle look. Although it is still considered wide angle. Today I use a GoPro 11 and this eliminates the need for a gimbal.

[@LJH08Ralith]

@@TheNotLostNomad hey thanks for the info! I’ve been debating buying some cameras for some outdoor activities I do. And thanks for the hints about the settings! I’m definitely not a film maker but using phone constantly isn’t an option as we use phone at times for other things during these events.

[@TheNotLostNomad]

You bet! I found myself in the same boat. I primarily use my GoPro for my main shots and my iPhone for my low light and closeups. It’s not perfect but it works great for this outdoor stuff. It’s hard to compete with those using DSLRs but in my opinion it’s not worth the added stress.

[@Hypertrey]

Please hike with me, bff's 4ever

[@TheNotLostNomad]

😂

[@mightylaidlow1]

I'd go but dogs aren't allowed.

[@TheNotLostNomad]

Yeah I wish they’d allow dogs…but I get it…probably not the best idea with all of the bears out there.