I used to do some strenuous hiking and went to the top of Mt. LeConte twice. There are several different paths to take to the top. The shortest takes 5 hours; the longest 8 hours. Both times we took the shortest way up and the longest path back down. That was a pretty good strategy. I am not sure I could do it again, as I have hurt both knees and wouldn't want to chance getting into a pickle along the path. I wouldn't want to be put in the position where one of the llamas might have to come rescue me and take me up or down.
You can either hike up and down both during the day, or make reservations to stay at their lodge, which is what we did. I would not want to hike up and down in one day, but there was one older man who did that very thing almost everyday. He was amazing. He passed us on the way up, and he outbeat us kids.
One thing for sure, you want to be prepared for such a hike and have the proper clothes. Most of us had on hiking books, something that looked like Lowa boots or some such. Good tennis shoes would also suffice. But we came down the mountain one time, and there were several people in their 20s contemplating going up. One woman had on little summer shoes, and we told her she would probably not make it wearing those. You would hate to find yourself shoeless halfway up, and or get severe blisters on your feet that were not protected with good boots. Wonder if she ever hiked on up that day? Hope not! If so, maybe a llama had to come to get her.
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