 Good Morning, It’s currently 4 degrees and clear on Mount LeConte. We didn’t receive any precipitation, but the mountain saw it’s coldest temperature of the year. There is still 1.5 inches of snow on the ground. Plan and prepare for heavy ice and frigid conditions if you plan to hike up top. 24 hour temperature range | High: 13 Low: - 5 NOAA 7-Day Forecast Mountain - Forecast Weather Smokies Road Info -- Arriving at Apollo Overlook, I stopped and listened to what the mountain was trying to say. Eyes closed, the image came to me. I would have to move quickly, but I could see the exact spot I would need to stand. Could I witness my dreams? It was time to try. Breathing heavily at an obscure location, my eyes feasted on one of the most beautiful scenes I’d ever seen. The sun’s raspberry light painted the tip of West Point just as the full moon waved goodbye, continuing his tour around the earth… I waved goodbye - grateful for the moment. Onward, Seth "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."
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 Good Morning, It’s currently 6 degrees and socked in up top. When I checked the weather gauge at 6:30AM the temperature was 14 degrees - it’s going to be a cold day up top. We received 2.6 inched of precipitation before the temperature dropped. We have 1.5 inches of new snow on the ground. 24 hour temperature range | High: 38 Low: 6 *US Hwy 441/Newfound Gap Rd from Gatlinburg TN to Cherokee NC is temporarily closed due to high winds NOAA 7-Day Forecast Mountain - Forecast Weather Smokies Road Info -- The silence told me the mountain had changed. Crawling out of bed I peered out of the window to see how the world had changed. It was too dark. My fingers found the flashlight, I descended the loft, grabbing my bibs on the way down. The floor was cold, giving me a hint of what outside might be like. A thin ridge of snow had formed inside next to the leaky door jam. If the snow was that light, it must be properly cold. I slid on a thicker pair of wool socks and made for the door. The little torch came to life. I kissed the door handle with the blue flame - the mountain was flash frozen. Smiling at the circumstances, I melted the frozen precipitation and brewed a black cup of coffee. Life was good. Mirroring the arctic, the LeConte Lodge stood stoically in the single digit temperatures that continued to plummet. Taking a long sip of coffee, I made plans for the day. Something would be baked and fresh tracks would be made… What more could I ask for. Onward, Seth  “You’re searching, Joe, for things that don’t exist; I mean beginnings. Ends and beginnings - there are not such things. There are only middles.” -Robert Frost
 Good Morning, It’s currently 33 degrees with high winds and rain. We didn’t receive any new precipitation last night, but we are accruing some now. I wouldn’t recommend venturing out in these conditions. Falling timber is a real hazard with these winds. 24 hour temperature range | High: 35 Low: 28 *US Hwy 441/Newfound Gap Rd from Gatlinburg TN to Cherokee NC is temporarily closed due to high winds NOAA 7-Day Forecast Mountain - Forecast Weather Smokies Road Info -- Wind and rain pummel the mountain. I listened quietly in my warm wood clad cabin. Appreciating an excuse to tuck into a novel, I disappeared into a proper adventure from nearly a century ago. The wind shook my loft, inviting me out into the foray. Politely declining, at first, a change of heart took over. I slid on my boots. Outside, I made a round to see how the lodge was faring. It was thirty-three and raining. I didn’t envy anyone wandering around the mountain in these conditions. Everything was intact, so I made for the kitchen and pulled out a cookbook. A rainy day was made for baking. Onward, Seth P.S. - The photos for today were from a couple days ago. Purple skies and a moon on the move!  "The best thing one can do when it's raining is to let it rain."
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Good Morning,
It’s currently 30 degrees and still socked in up top. Yesterday’s initial rain came as a deluge of snow; then it warmed up and continued as a mix of rain/sleet. We ended up with 2 inches of snow on the ground. We received .32 inches of precipitation. 24 hour temperature range | High: 33 Low: 25 *US Hwy 441/Newfound Gap Rd from Gatlinburg TN to Cherokee NC is temporarily closed due to snow/ice. NOAA 7-Day Forecast Mountain - Forecast Weather Smokies Road Info -- A hazy veil fell over the mountain, LeConte was officially socked in. I poured a hot cup of joe and took to collecting my thoughts. Ideas moved like an inversion from days past. I held tightly to the moment; the heavy silence of a mountain morning is something to behold - something to appreciate in its entirety. Not in a hurry and not looking to pause, I finished the morning tasks and continued pouring my mind out onto the bound pages of my little black notebook. My fingers found a pen to write, letting the mountain do all the talking. Onward, Seth  Good Morning, It’s currently 29 degrees and socked in up top. We still about a half inch of snow on the ground, but it just started snowing heavily. Expect road closures. 24 hour temperature range | High: 32 Low: 21 NOAA 7-Day Forecast Mountain - Forecast Weather -- Wandering back up the Alum Cave Trail, my footsteps carried me upward, toward the sky. Emerging from the cloud, I was above it all. Never have I seen a mountain in so many ways. Golden light poked through cracks in the fir. Continuing across the ice, I soon approached my home. Mount LeConte smiled in the sun. Sitting with a warm cup of coffee I opened my mind and began digging for words. They wouldn’t coming easy. I explored further. My attention fell to the window. What would the mountain decide to do? Rain, snow, or continued inversion? I took a large gulp of coffee. The first snow flake landed on the window pane. A crowd of flakes followed - old man winter was knocking at my door once again. I took another sip, and welcomed him in. Onward, Seth  “Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wildness is a necessity”
― John Muir, Our National Parks  Good Morning, It’s currently 23 degrees and cloudy up top. We still have 1” inch of snow on the ground. We received no new precipitation, but it looks as if that might change. Hard to tell what the mountain will do, today. Expect plenty of ice on the trails up top. 24 hour temperature range | High: 30 Low: 16 NOAA 7-Day Forecast Mountain - Forecast Weather Smokies Road Info -- Wrestling off the weight of yesterday, I drag on my overalls and do what must be done. I begin the day as if it were my last. The weather report harmonizes with the smell of smoldering coffee grounds. The warm lantern light invites me to sit down. Grabbing a book, I oblige. My ice traction creaks loudly up the trail. A dark cap of clouds began to roll in, menacing. I wasn’t deterred. To be honest, I had no choice in the matter. My heart would carry me up the dark corridor whether the rest of me wanted to or not. Such is loving the mountains - such is loving the light. Like the warm glow of a lantern, the morning light called... I obliged. Onward, Seth  “It is six A.M., and I am working. I am absentminded, reckless, heedless of social obligations, etc. It is as it must be. The tire goes flat, the tooth falls out, there will be a hundred meals without mustard. The poem gets written. I have wrestled with the angel and I am stained with light and I have no shame. Neither do I have guilt. My responsibility is not to the ordinary, or the timely. It does not include mustard, or teeth. It does not extend to the lost button, or the beans in the pot. My loyalty is to the inner vision, whenever and howsoever it may arrive. If I have a meeting with you at three o’clock, rejoice if I am late. Rejoice even more if I do not arrive at all.”
- Mary Oliver  Good Morning, It’s currently 19 degrees with 1” inch of snow on the ground. The clouds have sunk down below the horizon, creating a remarkable inversion. Expect plenty of ice on the trails up top. 24 hour temperature range | High: 29 Low: 16 *US Hwy 441/Newfound Gap Rd from Gatlinburg TN to Cherokee NC is temporarily closed due to snow/ice. Stay up to date on road conditions here: https://goo.gl/HikrMr NOAA 7-Day Forecast Mountain - Forecast Weather -- Legs moving slowly, I listened to the mountain. Frozen solid, the forest creaked and wailed into the heavy silence. My feet crunched up the trail. Hints of light began illuminating the horizon. Maybe I’d misinterpreted the sounds of the forest - they were, in fact, cheering. It was a celebration. The sun was going to make an appearance once again! Looking out into the ocean of clouds, I danced with excitement. Oh, how the mountains have their way with my soul. An island paradise in the sky, Clingmans Dome smiled. Predawn pastels brushed the atmosphere. I released the camera’s shutter…. I was living the dream. Onward, Seth  "You’ve got to dance like there’s nobody watching. You’ve got to love like you’ll never get hurt. You’ve got to come from the heart if you want it to work."
Susanna Clarke  Good Morning, It’s currently 26 degrees with 1” inch of snow on the ground. Light is beginning to trickle through the cloud cover. Overall, the mountain is very calm. 24 hour temperature range | High: 31 Low: 25 *US Hwy 441/Newfound Gap Rd from Gatlinburg TN to Cherokee NC is temporarily closed due to snow/ice. Stay up to date on road conditions here: https://goo.gl/HikrMr NOAA 7-Day Forecast Mountain - Forecast Weather -- Old blue dangled quietly at my side, illuminating the path away from the lodge. The cloud covered ceiling overhead displayed gentle hues of blue. It was enough to inspire a walk around the mountain. I slowly disappeared into the haze. On the cliff tops I admired an armor-clad fir tree. I found myself inspired, yet again. The steadfast resilience of nature was like nothing else I’d seen. The wind picked up slightly; a nearby evergreen creaked in agreement. I blew out the old lantern and made for home. Onward, Seth  "Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for mankind.”
Horace Mann  Good Morning, It’s currently 31 degrees and snowing intermittently. The .47” inches of precipitation we received resulted in a .2” inch layer of ice/sleet on the trails up top. As of right now, the mountain has a thin layer of snow covering the ice. 24 hour temperature range | High: 32 Low: 23 *US Hwy 441/Newfound Gap Rd from Gatlinburg TN to Cherokee NC is temporarily closed due to snow/ice. Stay up to date on road conditions here: https://goo.gl/HikrMr NOAA 7-Day Forecast Mountain - Forecast Weather -- The mountain was in transition - it could be felt before it could be seen. An invisible shower of rain coated Mount LeConte, encasing the mountain in a shield of ice. Too cold to be wet and too warm to make snow - my home balanced in limbo. A silent mist began creeping through camp. The sky began to spit sleet. Heeding the warning, I found shelter in a warm familiar corner. Feeling the warmth - I lingered longer than expect. Onward, Seth P.S. - Today has been a battle with the internet, but a battle I will happily lose day in and day out for the beauty offered by Mount LeConte. Thank you for your patience. Have a restful Sunday!  "No man is free who is not a master of himself."
Epictetus (A.D. 60-110)  Good Morning, It’s currently 28 degrees up top with a large storm on the cusp of overtaking the mountain. There hasn’t been any snow accumulation on the mountain, but the winds are building and I’ve seen a few flakes swirling around the mountain. 24 hour temperature range | High: 36 Low: 14 *US Hwy 441/Newfound Gap Rd from Gatlinburg TN to Cherokee NC is temporarily closed due to snow/ice. Stay up to date on road conditions here: https://goo.gl/HikrMr NOAA 7-Day Forecast Mountain - Forecast Weather -- Wishful thinking led me down the trail. Above, the clouds continued to roll in, carrying wishes of their own. Maybe they would part and provide a sunrise to write about, maybe the sunset would merely remain a wish. I sat - I waited. The crows laughed in the distance. Feeling chilled, I couldn’t help but laugh back at my flying friends. Maybe they saw something I didn’t. I continued to wait. Patience always pays, or so I’ve heard. The sun crawled out from under the covers … proving me right. Onward, Seth  “We don’t remember days; we remember moments.”
Cesare Pavese |
LeConte LodgeWelcome to the official blog of LeConte Lodge. We hope you find the information provided here both helpful and enjoyable. Thank you for visiting the site, and we hope to see you on the mountain! Archives
August 2023
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