Gracie's Pulpit

The scene we discussed in class today reminded me greatly of a place in the Smokey Mountains. While hiking the Mt. LeConte trail, I came upon an area known as Gracie's pulpit. Who was Gracie? According to friendly passerby's, they told us that there was a woman named Gracie who climbed to the top of Mt. LeConte every single day during her retirement (making her last trek up at the age of 92). This rock marked 1/4 of the way up to the top. Here, she would sit and meditate and grew into the practice of giving sermons on an actual mountain. They weren't necessarily religious, but they focused on releasing bad energy and finding yourself in nature. She would lead talks upon this rock ledge on the mountain once a week. They apparently became pretty popular and eventually the rock became known as Gracie's pulpit.