Archive for the ‘alum cave trail’ Category

Temporary closures at Cades Cove and the Alum Cave Trailhead this week

Monday, June 13th, 2011
As mentioned in a posting last week, the Great Smoky Mountains will be temporarily closing the Cades Cove Loop Road and the north portion of the Alum Cave Trail parking area later this week in order to install new precast concrete public restrooms (vault toilets). The park has provided a few more details on the two projects in a press release today:

The Cades Cove Loop Road will close on Thursday, June 16, until 12 p.m. to accommodate the transport and installation of a vault toilet at the Abrams Falls Trailhead.

The road closure is necessary so that the tractor trailer carrying the vault toilets can enter Cades Cove via the exit side of the one-way loop road in order to avoid driving over the Abrams Creek bridge. The load capacity of the tractor trailer exceeds the design of the Abrams Creek bridge.

In addition, the north portion of the Alum Cave Trail parking area along Newfound Gap Road also will be closed starting at 6 p.m. Thursday, June 16 – 8 p.m., Friday, June 17, to install a vault toilet at that popular location. Overnight backpackers who wish to hike the Alum Cave Trail to Mt. LeConte on Thursday for an overnight stay must park their vehicles in the adjacent parking area. The north parking lot will be the staging area for the large equipment that will be used to install the vault toilet near the trailhead.

“The placement of these ADA-compliant vault toilet systems will satisfy visitor needs as well as to help to reduce the sanitary issues associated with the heavy use that these areas receive,” said Park Superintendent Dale Ditmanson.


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com

Posted in alum cave trail, cades cove loop road, vault toilets | Comments Off

Hiker with severe injury evacuated from Alum Cave Trail

Tuesday, October 19th, 2010
The NPS Digest has this report on their website this morning regarding a rescue on the Alum Cave Trail:

Ranger Brad Griest was heading up the Alum Cave Trail on the afternoon of October 10th to checkout a report of an ill hiker when another hiker told him that a man had fallen on the trail about three miles further on and that he’d sustained a head injury and was complaining of back and neck pain.

Griest reached him about 45 minutes later. The man reported that he had no feeling below his neck, and Griest found an obvious spinal deformity in the upper back and confirmed that the man had no motor or sensory functions below the deformity. He put a cervical collar on him, administered oxygen, managed for spinal trauma, and monitored the man’s vitals until a litter crew comprised of 13 park personnel arrived on scene.

The man was secured to a rigid backboard and placed on a litter. The evacuation was complicated by steep and rocky terrain, deep creek crossings, a short section of technical rope belay, and darkness. The carryout was completed just before 10 p.m.

The man was taken by Gatlinburg FD ambulance to the Sugarlands Visitor Center and flown via Lifestar helicopter to the Level 1 trauma center at University of Tennessee Hospital.

Unfortunately there's no word on what exactly happened, or any follow-up on the victim's condition at this point.


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com

Posted in alum cave trail, evacuated, hiker, severe injury | Comments Off

Hiker with severe injury evacuated from Alum Cave Trail

Tuesday, October 19th, 2010
The NPS Digest has this report on their website this morning regarding a rescue on the Alum Cave Trail:

Ranger Brad Griest was heading up the Alum Cave Trail on the afternoon of October 10th to checkout a report of an ill hiker when another hiker told him that a man had fallen on the trail about three miles further on and that he’d sustained a head injury and was complaining of back and neck pain.

Griest reached him about 45 minutes later. The man reported that he had no feeling below his neck, and Griest found an obvious spinal deformity in the upper back and confirmed that the man had no motor or sensory functions below the deformity. He put a cervical collar on him, administered oxygen, managed for spinal trauma, and monitored the man’s vitals until a litter crew comprised of 13 park personnel arrived on scene.

The man was secured to a rigid backboard and placed on a litter. The evacuation was complicated by steep and rocky terrain, deep creek crossings, a short section of technical rope belay, and darkness. The carryout was completed just before 10 p.m.

The man was taken by Gatlinburg FD ambulance to the Sugarlands Visitor Center and flown via Lifestar helicopter to the Level 1 trauma center at University of Tennessee Hospital.

Unfortunately there's no word on what happened or any follow-up on the victim's condition at this point.


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com

Posted in alum cave trail, evacuated, hiker, severe injury | Comments Off

Hiker with severe injury evacuated from Alum Cave Trail

Tuesday, October 19th, 2010
The NPS Digest has this report on their website this morning regarding a rescue on the Alum Cave Trail:

Ranger Brad Griest was heading up the Alum Cave Trail on the afternoon of October 10th to checkout a report of an ill hiker when another hiker told him that a man had fallen on the trail about three miles further on and that he’d sustained a head injury and was complaining of back and neck pain.

Griest reached him about 45 minutes later. The man reported that he had no feeling below his neck, and Griest found an obvious spinal deformity in the upper back and confirmed that the man had no motor or sensory functions below the deformity. He put a cervical collar on him, administered oxygen, managed for spinal trauma, and monitored the man’s vitals until a litter crew comprised of 13 park personnel arrived on scene.

The man was secured to a rigid backboard and placed on a litter. The evacuation was complicated by steep and rocky terrain, deep creek crossings, a short section of technical rope belay, and darkness. The carryout was completed just before 10 p.m.

The man was taken by Gatlinburg FD ambulance to the Sugarlands Visitor Center and flown via Lifestar helicopter to the Level 1 trauma center at University of Tennessee Hospital.

Unfortunately there's no word on what happened or any follow-up on the victim's condition at this point.


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com

Posted in alum cave trail, evacuated, hiker, severe injury | Comments Off

Video: Winter hike to Alum Cave Bluffs

Sunday, February 21st, 2010
The Great Smoky Mountains Association has just published their latest video. This time the GSMA takes viewers to one of the most popular destinations in the park during a winter hike up to Alum Cave Bluffs.




For more information on hiking to Alum Cave Bluffs, please click here.


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com Detailed information on trails in the Smoky Mountains; includes trail descriptions, key features, pictures, video, maps, elevation profiles, news, and more.

Posted in Alum Cave Bluffs, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Smokies, alum cave trail, hike, snow, winter | Comments Off