I was in the area for my son's wedding, so I got up at 4:30AM the morning of the wedding to get a long adventure run in. I had run to the Cliff Tops coming from the other side of Mount LeConte before, but this would be the first time running to the top from the Gatlinburg side. I started at the Little Pigeon river in downtown Gatlinburg at 5:38AM after finding a convenient parking spot for my car. I carried just 2 500ml bottles of Gnarly Endurance fuel (200 cal each) along with 2 pouches of Precision Fuel (360 cal each), which is all I used for the duration of this adventure. I started in the dark with only my iPhone flashlight for visibility once I left the lights of the town behind, after about a mile or so into the run. The next 2 miles were basically on a dark GSMNP park and trailhead access road and once I reached the Rainbow Falls trailhead about 3 miles into my run, I had enough light without having to worry about the lack of a headlamp. From here on, the trail is all single track, sometimes with stone or rock steps, sometimes covered with boulders of varying sizes, sometimes packed in dirt. Most of the time, running was challenging as it was a constant incline from the start. I took a couple of short wrong turns here or there, but always just really really short out and backs as I realized my error. Once I reached the top, I missed my first turn off to the Cliff Tops, which added to my overall time, but an FKT attempt was never really the plan, just a great adventure run. Once I reached the Cliff Tops, my official turnaround point, I realized the mountain was completely fogged in, covered in clouds, which meant I did not get to enjoy the sweeping views I remembered from my previous excursion. However, I did get to enjoy numberous views on my way up to the Cliff Tops with rarely a soul around. On my return leg down the mountain and back to Gatlinburg, foot traffic had picked up significantly, but I was still able to make descent time coming off the mountain. Once I reentered the road for the final 3 miles into town, I was able to really push. I even managed a sub 7 min mile while slowing down to try to capture a video of a couple of black bears playing on the side of the road. When I got back to my starting location, I still had plenty of time to make it back to the hotel for a late pancake breakfast with my better half. I highly recommend this and similar routes in the area as they provide both ample opportunity for a trail runner looking for some vert, but it offers the mountain views to match as well.