Sun! Glorious sun! I opened my eyes and saw blue skies. We received a cold greeting from Mother Nature in the morning. I flew down to the lodge to use the toilets there and find out what the temperature was. It was 36 degrees Fahrenheit. Shadows shrink around us as the sun reached higher in the sky. Once we were all up, we hiked up to Myrtle Point for breakfast and catch a few morning views.
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n our way to Myrtle Point, we came across the cairn that marks the highest point of Mount Le Conte. When researching the Great Smoky Mountains, it appeared to be natural erosion in most of the photos I saw. The person we talked to last night told us a tradition started by a local hiking club years ago to bring a stone from the base and bring it to the top so it can become the tallest mountain in the park. It is only fifty feet shorter than Clingman’s Dome. The three of us cheated a bit and brought a stone from the trail and placed it on the cairn.
Magnificent. The view was grander than I expected. We could see for miles. We saw how Gaitlinburg’s main drag winded through the valley below. Mountains were all around us. We can see the faint curvature of the earth. I wanted to stay at Myrtle Point all morning. I felt so big looking over everything yet I felt so small seeing everything around me. I’m a small part of this magnificent planet. I didn’t care that we missed the sunrise. It’s okay. I’ll be coming back.
We headed back to the shelter to collect our gear. We ran into the group we met at the shelter, They were headed down The Boulevard Trail. The gentlemen we spoke to the night before was a nice man and stopped to greet us good morning and asked if we were able to see the sunrise. As we we photographed the cairn, he explained the cairn to the group he was with. He was a really nice guy. I wish I were able to keep in touch with everyone that met.
We visited the lodge for the last time to look inside the office and get water for our trip down Bull Head Trail. While waiting for the pump, lodge guests talked to Lucky Foot and Nutty Cowboy. While I was taking photos and hearing them talk, I was thinking about the woman from Nashville, TN chatting with me while I was waiting for Lucky Foot to finish using the toilets. Nashville asked me where I was from and how I was able to get a reservation at the Lodge. She told me she had to plan this trip for almost a year. 
I told her I was actually staying at the shelter and there were cancellations that night. I was tempted to stay in a cabin but I opted not to. I said I was from Chicago, and she raised her voice and replied, “CHICAGO?!” in a surprised tone. Another toilet freed up she used it quickly and said, “CHICAGO?!” as she past by and wished me a good trip. CHICAGO!!!
The hike down Bull Head Trail was much less steep than Rainbow Falls but it felt like forever to finish it. There were a series of switchbacks and no views. 
Where Rainbow Falls had changes in flora, it was the same thing all the way down Bull Head Trail. We were able to get a few nice photos of clouds that reminded me of Sky Above Clouds IV by Georgia O’Keefe at the Art Institute of Chicago. I also found a Pink Lady’s Slipper. She indicated we’re below 3000ft. We’re almost near the trail head.
We revisited the Gaitlinburg and Great Smoky Mountain National Park visitor center and asked Gaitlinburg visitors desk of a good barbecue place in the area. The cute southern girl wasn’t working today. It’s alright. Neither Lucky Foot or I would have approached her. We asked the older gentleman behind the desk. His attempt for jovial banter failed because well, I’m bad at banter and we were up for almost anything that day. Even chitlins. He asked what we thought about barbecue. Nutty Cowboy had a craving for barbecue earlier this week so he referred us to two good places on our way to Knoxville in Pigeon Forge. 
We chose Bennett’s because it was the closer of the two. Bennett’s had some of the best barbecue I’ve had in a long time. I ordered the pulled pork plate that came with a side of potato salad, fried okra, and corn bread. I loved it all. They ordered the same dinner, a barbecue sampler, which they quickly devoured. A side note, our waitress Shannon was originally from we live. She lost her Chicago accent and has a cute Tennessee accent.
Nutty Cowboy attempted to drive all the way back to Chicago. Six hours into the drive, he submitted to fatigue and gave the pilot’s seat to Lucky Foot. Buzzing from the Coke he bought at McDonald’s he took the wheel and concluded our trip the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
We rolled up to our driveway, unloaded our car, took a shower and had some well deserved sleep.