I was on http://digg.com and stumbled upon a post called "7 Insanely Dangerous & Dizzying Hikes from Around the World" ... well, I had to look... (here is the orignal post) ... well according to the poster, I had been on one of these hikes :) ... well, I have been on one of these hikes several, several times... to some people who know me... that wouldn't be a surprise... to others who know the trail, etc. ... they would say... dangerous? what are you talking about...
In this particular "digg.com" post ... I am referring to Mount Le Conte in the Smokey Mountains (Click here for the National Park Service Webpage), near Knoxville, TN. I do not precisely remember how many times I have hiked Mount Le Conte... it has been several... one time was with an old girl-friend (I am listening to music from that era now)... another time was with a college buddy -- when in fact, we were in real danger because we (foolishly in our early 20s hiked it) during a snow storm and quite possibly could've become a statistic (Hey, Dave, remember that? Snow... Ice covered trail... clinging to the steel cable... you complaining I was out of shape... and then finally the recognition from you ... that we could be in danger? It was great fun and fond memories).
I have hiked Mount Le Conte several different ways over the years... per the video below... I have hiked it Alum Cave Bluffs -- which has a certain charm... I have also hiked it via Rainbow Falls... I wish I had time to dig out old photos for this ... perhaps this post will inspire my brother (17 years my junior -- to hike Le Conte the next time I visit Tennessee with me). Le Conte was the first USGS Topographical Map I ever purchased in my life -- of course with Google who needs maps now, but ... that was in the day when Google was a possible future but mostly a fantasy (yeah -- some of us imagined such things before they were reality but ... Well Google's CEO made it real)....
In any case, Le Conte always was an ideal and a realized dream -- the fact that I hiked it several times... and now a pleasure to hear it is considered -- at lest by this poster on Digg -- one of the most insanely dangerous hikes...
So I will dig out some old photos... and hopefully hike it again soon in the next year -- just like my desire to hike all the parks in the metropolitan Saint Louis area... oh, I also read that the Saint Louis airport is one of the best in the nation -- the same article said Miami International is one of the worst -- which also confirms my experience...
So here is to hiking dangerous trails! For a 6593 foot mountain... you wouldn't think it could be so dangerous... (I'm not sure that I believe the Digg poster... I don't think it is really "insanely dangerous".)
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YouTube Video
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