Picture
Caroline and Courtney having fun while washing the dishes.
The lodge is coming together. The new crew has been bonding over dishes and dust. We have six new crew members this year. I will work on getting their pictures and information up as soon as possible. It feels good to get the winter wiped away and the cabins set up for the new season.

You have often read about what we miss from the land of plenty while we are on the mountain. I thought I would share what we miss about the mountain while we are on winter break. One routine I miss is my morning french press coffee with my husband. He wakes up early to make breakfast for the guests, I then make my way to  the kitchen and pour my self a cup of coffee. I love finding out what music he has picked out to listen to while flipping pancakes.  This morning it was the Rolling Stones, or Mick and boys as he likes to refer to them. Once again, it is the little things in life that the mountain makes so special.

Today seems to be a little on the cloudy side. The low last night was 39 with a high of 52. The snow is melting but the trail is still pretty slick. It looks like it may rain today. That makes for a good day to scrub the kitchen.

Those of you from last year that were wondering if Chris and I made it to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro, I am happy to say we did. We can now add our names to the 19,340' club. I will share pictures and stories on days when not much is going on. Time for me to get to work.

 


Comments

doug y
03/17/2013 8:32am

Good morning and welcome to all the new crew members ! I'm looking forward to meeting them. I wish for you up there on the mountain a very good season !

Reply
Dave
03/17/2013 8:46am

Welcome back and welcome to the new crew! We leave a week from today to begin our journey up to you and we can't wait! What are the conditions towards the top on the other trails? We are coming up Rainbow falls and down Boulevard and are trying to decide to bring the stabilicers or not. Was hoping for some warmer weather by then but I guess it will make that morning coffee even better!

Reply
Gina
03/17/2013 8:46am

Welcome back Allyson. I look forward to your style of posting everyday! WOW, looks like a lot of the former crew has moved on. I understand that but will miss hearing about them. Hope to hike up sometime in April or May.

Reply
Rick Shepherd
03/17/2013 9:07am

Looking forward to all your pics n descrips of LeConte Lodge in 2013..... ( And Mt. Kilimanjaro!)......Hope to see your happy faces this year!.... Rick and Mary

Reply
Tommy
03/17/2013 9:08am

i also enjoy french press coffee, never had a cup of it on top of ole smoky though, that would be a win - win for sure. Welcome back and i look forward to seeing you'll sometime this spring. Tell my friend and neighbor I said hello and all is well down in the valley

Reply
Christina McGaha
03/17/2013 9:20am

Welcome new members of the crew , and will surly miss old crew members John and Bonny Northrop . Have a good season , good luck.

Reply
Jeff F
03/17/2013 10:13am

Can't wait for June to get here so we can make our way up the mountain.

Reply
Barbara
03/17/2013 11:43am

Welcome new staff. Nice smiles! Am curious about what John and Bonnie are filling their time with in the lowlands. I also like hearing about activities on the mountain. Glad you're back, Allyson

Reply
Paul B
03/17/2013 2:38pm

I think JP mentioned that John was working at an Outdoor/Hiking store in town. I stumbled upon his photography site on facebook, "Smokies Stories and Glories"

Reply
kelly
03/17/2013 12:21pm

Welcome back! Can't wait to read about Kilimanjaro and see the photos, I'm sure it was a trip of a lifetime.

Reply
Juanita
03/17/2013 12:47pm

Welcome back crew I am so looking forward to next trip up the mountain love your hot chocolate and food. See you all soon.

Reply
Anthony W.
03/17/2013 1:04pm

Happy St. Patrick's Day, ya'll!

When will the the new shirts be ready for sale? Is there a photo of the new design?

Have made it a personal tradition to day hike up LeConte early in the season to purchase a new shirt. It's like a rite of Spring for me. Thanks.

Reply
Debi
03/17/2013 1:27pm

Alot of new crew members. There in for quite the adventure. Have fun this summer. Gees, I thought you'd only hire 2. Who else left besides the Northhrops??? Going to be a fun year for all them.

Reply
Ken T
03/17/2013 1:41pm

WELCOME BACK, Allyson, Chris and crew. Can't wait to hear and "see' about your great trip to the "dark continent" and climb.

Reply
Sandra
03/17/2013 1:54pm

Happy St. Patrick's Day & welcome, new crew members! Hoping you all have an enjoyable, fulfilling & memorable time on the mountain this season!

Reply
David Rice
03/17/2013 1:59pm

Welcome back. Can't wait to see everyone

Reply
Gary
03/17/2013 3:34pm

Breakfast on LeConte, while listening to the Stones, what a great way to start the day !
:)

Reply
Jim Huskey
03/17/2013 6:00pm

Hiked Kilimanjro back in the 90.s. Lost a friend to "hape" on the way up. Good trip with a bad ending. Hope yours was much better. Jim

Reply
Bill
03/17/2013 6:39pm

We look forward to meeting you all on the 2nd...we are friends of JP

Reply
Dd//Mich
03/17/2013 8:52pm

I'm happily anticipating hearing some
rip-roaring stories from Nathan's time-off
--as well as those from Kilimanjaro~!
Welcome back, all :)

Reply
Tanya
03/17/2013 9:31pm

Welcome back, Allyson and Chris!! Can't wait to hear all about your trip to Kilimanjaro. Looking forward to a dayhike to LeConte next month!

Reply
Suzanne
03/17/2013 9:41pm

So thrilled to see Alan is back to full time llama wrangler! I had the pleasure of meeting him last season. I could clearly see his affection and his heart was with the llamas. He is one in a million. Glad you have a new knee, Alan to take you through many hikes up to LeConte with the llamas! Best wishes to you. The new girls look so happy, hope they stay that way.

Reply
03/21/2013 6:13pm

Congratulations on the Kili Climb. We knew you would make it and look forward to hearing all about it. Did Africa change you?

Jeff and Susie

Reply



Leave a Reply