 Good Morning, It was a beautiful Friday up top, and this Saturday is starting out just as nicely. Yesterday’s high temp came in at 44° and our overnight low dipped to 22°. It’s currently 34° under thin and wispy clouds high above. There is still a decent amount of ice and hard-packed snow closer to the top of the mountain, so proper hiking boots and traction devices are highly recommended. Clouds are expected to thicken later today giving way to what could be a wet, then frigid, Sunday. Just as much of the snow we received last week has gradually melted away, it looks like we have another round incoming. Several more inches of the fluffy stuff is expected, so don’t be surprised if some park roads get closed again due to worsening travel conditions. Have a great weekend and be safe in the mountains! 
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FRIDAY, JANUARY 20th, 2023 Good Morning, Y’all! It looks like a beautiful day on the mountain! The temperature is only 23 degrees—20 degrees cooler than yesterday, so yesterday’s slush is now turned to ice. Traction devices are highly recommended! The roads are open—it looks like a great day to get out and enjoy the sunshine! Stay warm and safe. HAPPY TRAILS!! WILDCAT  THURSDAY, Jan 19th, 2023 Good Morning, Folks , Actually it’s not that pretty up here today—I just didn’t have any “good “ pictures of crudy weather! We’re currently experiencing high winds (wind advisory) , light rain, fog and clouds. The temperature is 43 degrees . All of this is resulting in soft four inch slush! The good news is that the roads are still open! I couldn’t help but notice this morning when I called in the weather that the rangers are starting to recognize my voice and call me “WILDCAT “. It makes me feel like I have been accepted as part of the team! I hope that you have a terrific Thursday! From High On LeConte, WILDCAT/Bert  WEDNESDAY, JAN 18th, 2023 Good Morning, Folks! It looks like it will be another gorgeous day here on Mt LeConte! First the news that I’m sure that everyone wants to hear—the roads are now open to the LeConte trail heads! Four to six inches of snow remaining, 35 degrees. So the snow left on the ground will be slick on top. Traction devices are highly recommended! With the sunshine that we enjoyed yesterday afternoon life is more “normal “ here at the lodge. I’m enjoying my morning coffee and listening to my morning blue grass music and watching the sun come up over the trees in the East. I hope that y’all have a great day! HAPPY TRAILS!! WILDCAT/Bert  TUESDAY, JANUARY 17th, 2023 Howdy! This morning when I woke up the almost one and one-half inches of rain received during the night had reduced 16 inches of snow to 8 inches of slush! The morning temperature was 38 degrees. Rain has continued to fall all morning. The roads which access Mt LeConte trailheads continue to remain closed. If you are ambitious enough to attempt a hike I would recommend that you take extra pairs of dry wool hiking socks. Your feet are almost guaranteed to get wet while you are “post holing “ through 8 inches of slush. Have fun! Try to stay warm and dry! HAPPY TRAILS!! WILDCAT/Bert  MONDAY, JANUARY 16, 2023 Good Morning, Everyone! It looks like another beautiful day on Mt LeConte! The temperature when I got up was 32 degrees—that’s a heck of a lot better than those negative numbers that I was seeing a couple of weeks ago! The snow has compacted to 14 inches. It would be a good idea to at least carry traction devices if you come up for a hike! I spent some time yesterday shoveling snow and taking care of lanterns. At least now you can get the doors of the privies open! The road to Newfound Gap is still closed. Sorry ‘bout that! We’ll try to keep you posted! I hope that you have a great day! WILDCAT  SUNDAY, JANUARY 15th, 2023 Good Morning! The sky is clear and blue and the sun is shining on top of Mt LeConte today! It looks like today will be a good one! 18 degrees and 16 inches of dry powder snow at 7:00 AM this morning. Of course Highway 441 is still closed this morning. With all of the clouds and snow the past few days I had a little trouble with keeping my phone charged with the solar panels. I attempted to send a post to you yesterday, but I’m not sure that I had enough power to get it out to you. I only saw two day hikers yesterday. I was in the process of breaking trail to Cliff Tops when I saw them. The sunset last night was awesome, with an inversion of clouds below me! Friendly reminder that the lodge is closed and there are no services provided. No warm beverages being sold, and no cabins to step inside, and no bribes accepted. Should you choose to visit the mountain in these snowy and cold conditions, you are outside in the elements for the duration. Please plan your adventure accordingly and responsibly so as not to put yourself or others at unnecessary risk. Stay warm, stay safe!! WILDCAT/Bert  FRIDAY, JANUARY 13th, 2023 Good Afternoon, Everyone, Well, the weather man was right on target yesterday! We had an inch of rain yesterday between noon and 4:00 PM! Then enough sleet to turn the ground white! Then high winds—the ranger told me this morning that wind gusts up to 77 mph were reported! Then at about midnight the snow started falling! LeConte had about four inches on the ground at 7:00 AM, and it’s still falling. Naturally, with all of this weather all of the roads are closed today. The park service did tell me this morning that they still plan to reopen the Cherokee Orchard road on Saturday morning. If you do plan to take a hike this weekend, please be advised that the snow is still falling here at Mt LeConte Lodge and that they were originally predicting as much as twelve inches at the higher elevations! It’s time for me to get back to shoveling more snow! From High On LeConte! WILDCAT/Bert  THURSDAY, JAN 12th, 2023 Howdy, Folks! We’re starting out the day relatively warmer than we have been experiencing at a balmy 42 degrees at the lodge! But when I reported the current weather conditions to the rangers at the park headquarters they warned me to “batten down the hatches “ and prepare for some “real” weather! They are predicting 100 percent chance of rain this afternoon, high wind “advisory “ for this afternoon and possibly a “warning “ for this evening. A forecast of up to a foot of snow tonight on the mountain. I decided that it would be prudent to get the laundry done before the weather got really bad. At least I got all of the water that I needed hauled up the hill from the spring while the trail was still relatively dry! I can always hang clothes on the line inside over the stove after the rain begins. Breakfast today was “leftovers “ from yesterday’s spectacular breakfast—leftover cathead biscuits covered with gravy made with grease leftover from yesterday’s sausage . I think that I’ll have another cup of fresh hot black coffee and listen to bluegrass music and watch the rain begin. Gotta go and batten the hatches! Stay Dry!! WILDCAT/Bert  WED., JANUARY 11th, 2023 Good Morning, Everyone! It’s another foggy morning on Mt LeConte—currently 36 degrees, so at least it’s above freezing. However, snow is forecast for tomorrow and Friday! Carry your traction devices to be safe. Yesterday I tried baking cinnamon rolls—please see the picture above!). I think that they turned out fairly well! Special credit goes to a former winter caretaker who is also a chef. After we finished the baking project we cleaned the kitchen floor, so we had a busy day! After all of that was completed we found a little time to sit on the porch in the sunshine. I hope that you had a great day! WILDCAT  |
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