On the day after Christmas (Dec. 26 2017) I hiked a roughly 16.5 mile round trip hike up the Trillium Gap Trail (http://www.hikinginthesmokys.com/lecontetrillium.htm) to the top of Mt. LeConte and back down he Rainbow Falls Trail (http://www.hikinginthesmokys.com/leconterainbow.htm). On the way up Trillium Gap I got to pass under the ever beautiful Grotto Falls.

Further up in elevation the snow and ice were prevalent but people were not. I actually did not see another person until I was on way back down the Rainbow Falls trial.

The last quarter mile to the top was a straight sheet of ice! If you go hiking in the Smokies in the winter do yourself a favor and by some Yaktrax (https://yaktrax.implus.com/).

The early bird gets the worm and the peaks all to themselves!

While at the top I check the altimeter on my new Samsung Gear S3 Frontier. The posted elevation at the lodge was 6593 feet so the Gear S3 was off by roughly 100 feet.

When I finally got down to Rainbow Falls there were actually quite a few tourist. It was hard to get a decent shot without someone in it.

But, I did mange to snag this quick shot of the foot bridge with no one on it. Love this view!

Mt. LeConte is by far one of my favorite places in the Smokies and I try to visit at least once a year. The hike to the top is a little strenuous but the views are worth it.