Grotto Falls is a very popular water fall hike due to its location near Gatlinburg, the short hiking distance up to the Falls and the fact that it is the only water fall in the park where the trail goes behind the Falls. There is a small pool at the foot of the falls where folks can wade or splash around. I have hiked to the falls before, once in the winter when the falls were a frozen sheet of ice, again in the heat of summer when the trail to the falls was like a boardwalk with people coming and going en masse. It was like a circus at the falls themselves on that day. On this day, the parking lot was full when we grabbed the last spot, but not overflowing, we met several folks as we hiked up, but the falls were not overcrowded. The trail has been upgraded since the last time I made the trek, and it is a nice wide trail with very good footing. We enjoyed several moments at the Falls taking photos and enjoying the beauty.
I had never been past the Falls on Trillium Gap trail before. The trail climbs from the Falls towards an intersection with Brushy Mountain Trail. That was our next landmark on our hike. The footing became a bit more treacherous, the trail is rocky and narrow in places. In places we ran across trail improvements in progress. The verdant, green growth of the forest was stunning, the grasses and ferns and mosses lining the trail were so vibrantly green we stopped several times to watch the play of light and shadow on the forest floor. Life all around us reminded us that no matter how desperately crazy it gets out there, here nature rules and with timeless elegance the seasons march on defining the days. It is summer, the world is alive, the wildlife abundant. We heard the calls of birds, an owl hooting in the distance, a woodpecker at work on a tree. We stopped and watched a squirrel busily devouring a nut.
Rhonda said she had never seen a bear as we headed up Roaring Fork Motor Trail towards the trail head and not long after 2 cubs raced across the road ahead of us. Rhonda caught a delightful photo of one cub at a tree. Laughing as we got out of the Jeep Rhonda said she had never seen a snake out hiking, well…at the trail intersection with Brushy Mountain, I almost stepped on a large black snake. I asked her if there was any other wildlife she would like to see as she was batting 1000 at this point.
We took the side arm up Brushy Mountain for the unique views adding 0.8 miles to our round trip hike. We met some fellow hikers at the trail intersection when we came back down from Brushy Mountain. We joked around for a few, then Rhonda and I began one of the longest 3.6 mile stretches of trail I have ever hiked. The trail climbs to the lodge, it is very rocky, the terrain just waiting to trip the unwary hiker and no fall would be good on this trail, there are stretches where it is straight up on one side, and straight down on the other. The Llama trailer at the trail head advertised the presence of the gentle beasts on Trillium Gap somewhere and the evidence of their passing was underfoot in the form of Llama poop. We were passed by descending hikers and I asked about the Llamas. They were up at the Lodge, we would get to see them.
The trail wound around and climbed gently in many places, the steady upward trend leading towards our destination. As we climbed, the footing challenged one to pay attention. I slipped a couple of times, and realized that I needed to slow down a wee bit. Rhonda led the way and we pushed towards the summit. We stopped for rest and refreshments, the cool temperatures our friend. As we neared the top, my hip flexors began to hurt, I wasn’t in as good a trail shape as I would wish. The trail just seemed to grow longer the further I hiked. We met the Llamas coming down from the Lodge, they were so cute as they marched along single file behind their handlers. The Handlers said we did not have much further to go, I believe their idea of not much further was a bit further than I imagined. The last leg became one of those endurance tests that happen occasionally on a lengthy, difficult hike. Determination had me setting one foot in front of the other, I ached. When I finally came within sight of the Lodge I would have done a little celebration dance but all I could do was find a patch of grass to collapse onto.
The Lodge was crowded, there are 5 trails that make their way up to Leconte Lodge, and I believe Trillium Gap was the least traveled of the 5. Rhonda and I rested, visited with fellow hikers checked out the little gift shop where I bought a I hiked it in 2020 Mt. Leconte patch, they also sell t-shirts and other gifts. The trip back down had its own flavor. The stones underfoot kept me attentive to my tread. We stopped to rest and snack before we got the trail intersection then again at the intersection with Brushy Mountain. We were both tired and the last 2.8 miles past the falls and to the parking area were a push. We joked and encouraged one another and felt a great sense of accomplishment when we got back to the Jeep. Trail miles for the days hike as measured on the map equaled 13.8 miles round trip, my fit bit and Rhonda’s phone had us making 16+ total miles and it felt like we walked every step of the 16.
As the world around us goes insane, the forest maintains, the hikers we met were of all colors and all stations of life, and all of us smiled, spoke, joked and shared camaraderie. The differences between us are often manufactured by our environment and influences. When we find ourselves in the same place with common purpose it is easy to see that we are all just children of God. In his world we are all equal and we all have the same opportunities to find our way. We may not all be headed in the same direction or have the same destination but we are all on the same road between the cradle and the grave.
MrsSmithsLifeUnexpected 