Good morning folks,
Its another fine morning on everyone’s favorite mountain. The high yesterday reached 28 degrees. Our overnight low dipped down to 9 degrees. It’s currently 25 degrees with light winds. We received 0.07” of precipitation and 1” of new snow. The current snow depth is 12” with much deeper areas from winds racing through camp. Traction is most certainly needed in the lower sections of trails due to the freeze/thaw cycle as well as the amount of foot traffic on trail. US Hwy. 441 still remains closed which is day 9 of being not accessible. Remember, today is the start of the Alum Cave foot log projects. The trail remains closed with no access Monday-Thursday from February 8-25. Presidents Day is next Monday and the trail will remain open. Trails crews will be working to replace the foot logs that stretch across the creeks at Arch Rock and at Styx Branch. The parking area for Alum will be completely coned off and the bridge at the beginning of Alum Cave trail will be barricaded so there shouldn’t be anyone accessing the trail. These foot logs are staples to the Smokies trails. With fine craftsmanship from our local trail crew these projects are a true work of art! If you see your Smokies Trail Crew out working remember to give them a huge Thank You for the hard work they put in on the trails. Looking ahead into the forecast. Warmer temperatures with abundant sunshine before rain chances move in on Thursday. There is still plenty of snow up top folks. Come on up and enjoy the beauty that I witness and admire each day. . Have a great day folks. See you at the top! The morning began with heavy snowfall amounting to quite a bit very fast. With 8” of snow already on the ground we ended up with a total of 12” once the snow stopped falling in camp. Heavy foot prints were covered by daylight as well as the LeConte Tubing lane. Mid afternoon skies cleared with bright blue skies and heavily frosted Firs. The back drop with blue and fresh snow is a spectacular day for pictures. The day progressed with warmer temps but drastically dropped on the trek to Cliff Tops for sunset. The golden light casting through the Firs with a heavy glow on the trunks coated in white made me stop and admire the evening. The blue and green hues towards Thunderhead and Gregory’s Bald in the Cades Cove section seemed so far away. The sunset had rich tangerine color after it went down. The walk back to camp High Top looked like it had a cotton candy backdrop. And who doesn’t like cotton candy...? It was a fantastic day spent on the mountain folks. What’s in store in for today. Stay tuned. PNUT
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Good morning folks,
Welp, it snowed a bit. Heavy clouds and fog surround camp with heavy snow falling on camp. The high yesterday was 28 degrees. The overnight low dipped down to 14 degrees. It’s currently 19 degrees. We received 0.41”of precipitation and a total of 3” from the system that moved in. We have a total snow depth of 11”. US Hwy. 441 (Newfound Gap Road) is closed for snow/ice. This marks a solid week it has been closed. The Winter Storm Warning ends at noon today. Be safe folks it’s cold and a snowy day up top. Have a great day! Good morning folks,
Another fine morning on the mountain. The high yesterday reached 25 degrees. The overnight low only dropped down to 12 degrees. It’s currently 14 degrees with calm winds. We haven’t received any new precipitation making our snow depth around 8”. Traction is definitely needed to safely reach the summit. Warmer temperatures again today with increasing clouds and chances of snow tonight into Sunday morning. We are under a “ Winter Storm Warning” from 7pm tonight until Sunday at noon. Be safe folks and have a good day! 5am wake up! Yesterday’s hike for sunrise we broke trail from Apollo overlook to Myrtle Point. Knee deep drifts made the trek slow. Every step you take you would punch through the top layer of crust all before sinking down to your knees in fresh powder. Once we arrived we were greeted with one of the most spectacular shows I’ve witnessed on the mountain. High level clouds hovered over Mt. Guyot to the east. Rich colors brightened the morning skies and welcomed a new day. Calm winds made it very enjoyable to bare the colder temperatures. When the wind picks up on the mountain it will cut right through you. It was hard to leave to morning show but breakfast was calling my name. So I set off. Back at camp it was sledding day. The long steps are ideal for sliding through camp. Today looks to be much of the same. Well folks, French Toast is calling my name. See you at the top! PNUT Good morning folks,
Well as you can see it’s a fine morning up top. Sunrise from Myrtle Point was one for the books. Knee deep drifts from High Top made the trek difficult at 6:15am to catch the morning show. The high yesterday reached 32 degrees. The overnight low only dropped down to 22 degrees which is much warmer than past mornings. It’s currently 23 degrees and high level clouds floating around camp. We received 0.42” of precipitation and dropping our snow depth down to 8”. We received trace amounts of snow overnight. US Hwy. 441 (Newfound Gap Road) is closed for snow/ice. Cherokee Orchard remains open so Rainbow and Bullhead await your arrival. Plenty of snow still remaining for everyone at camp. See you at the top. Breaking trail down Rainbow was tough with knee deep snow. Slow and steady wins the race. In no time I was greeted at Rainbow with heavy ice below the falls. It’s was a wonderful day to be out enjoying some of the trails around the mountain. Much of today will be the same. Alum is sure to have some waist deep drifts on the upper section of trail. Whomever gets on Alum will have a tough time getting to the top. Be safe and be smart! Allow enough time to get down the mountain folks! Have a great day! PNUT Good morning folks, Its a fine morning on the frosted mountain top. The high yesterday 23 degrees. The overnight low was a cool 8 degrees. It’s currently 24 degrees with calm winds and clear skies above. We haven’t received any new precipitation. Our snow depth stands at 16”. There is still tons of snow on the mountain folks. Looking later into today, increasing clouds with high winds late tonight. We have a slight chance of snow overnight so, we will see how much we receive. Cherokee Orchard just opened. Hwy. 441 remains closed for snow/ice. The deep snow is waiting on you... Have a great day! Breaking trail to Cliff tops was no easy task at hand. Leaving the snowshoes behind I immediately wished those were strapped to my muck boots. Well, I pushed on. Slow and steady with over the knee drifts. Frosted Firs coated with rime ice looks like the skies dropped vanilla icing on the trees. Heavy rime ice coats these magnificent species of trees. They withstand some serious weather from winds, rain and snow but, they also have the best seat in the house for sunset in the park. They seem to be happy! The sunrises and sunsets the past two mornings have been incredible. One could describe the rich colors over the mountain tops in North Carolina but, it’s something you need to experience up top! I am blessed! See you at the top! PNUT Make a hound dog hug a stump!
Good morning folks,
Its a fine, crystal clear morning at LeConte. Valley lights twinkle below and the colors are forming over high top. The high yesterday only reached 10 degrees. The overnight low dipped down to 3 degrees. It’s currently 4 degrees with light winds racing through camp. We received 0.10” precipitation and 1” of new snow bringing our snow depth to 17”. All roads leading LeConte are not accessible at this time which means I have the mountain to myself. Sun returns today with warmer temperatures. It’s going to be a great day on the mountain. Have a great day folks. Snow, Snow and more Snow! The drifts around camp are insanely deep. One could be buried up to their waist or more. Winds pushed hard again last night packing more snow in these areas. Trails are in great shape other than just snowy so, traction isn’t needed in these conditions. Skiing and snowshoeing was high on the agenda. It was a great day yesterday to enjoy the abundance of snow. I am happy that I finally got my wish with a big snowfall before the season ends. Well, the mountain is calling. I set off for sunrise. See you at the top! PNUT Good morning folks, Welp, we accumulated a tad bit of snow over the last 24hrs. It’s a very frigid morning on LeConte. Winds push through camp making it well below zero with wind chill factors. Brrrr!! The high yesterday only reached 14 degrees with an overnight low dipping down to 6 degrees. It’s currently 6 degrees and still snowing bands of fat flakes. We received 1.01” of precipitation. We received 11.25” of new snow bringing our snow depth to 16”. There are drifts around the cabins that exceed well over your waist. The upper section of Alum is known for having deep drifts as well as the Boulevard. If you venture up the mountain be prepared for very deep snow. All roads are closed to LeConte. Park staff will be working to get these roads cleared ASAP. Today looks to be a repeat of yesterday. Coffee, Tubing, and Skiing. Have a great day folks! Kaboom! Arctic air slams my face. It’s 5am and I’m like a little kid waiting to hear if school is cancelled for snow. Well, from the looks of outside my cabin, I’d say it’s a Snow Day! Light snow fell all day around camp with very cold temps. The storm system kicked up after dark and that’s when we accumulated our snow. Winds danced through the night pushing snow underneath the crack of my cabin door. This is by far the most snow I’ve ever seen on LeConte. I wonder if Punxsutawney Phil will see his shadow so we have six more weeks of winter. Today marks the day that the furry creature emerges from his hole to let us know if spring is coming or six more weeks of winter. I’m hoping he is wrong. The looks of it around camp I’m in store for more winter. I am happy. Well, coffee is getting cold and the skis are calling my name. See you at the top! PNUT Drifts on Drifts.
Good morning folks, We have light snow falling on the mountain this morning. Calm winds paired with cold temps make it a wonderful start to this day. The high yesterday reached 33 degrees. The overnight low dipped down to 15 degrees. It’s currently 15 degrees with light snow falling. We received 0.47” of precipitation and 1” of new snow bringing our total up to 4.75”. More is on the way and the mountain could receive over a foot of snow out of this winter storm system. The Smokies are under a “Winter Storm Warning” until tomorrow at 1pm. This is the snow storm I’ve been doing my snow dance all season for. US Hwy. 441 is closed for snow/ice. Cherokee Orchard remains open as of now but, could change with the weather moving in. Be safe out there folks. Have a great day! 5am. Excited to open the door to my sealed cabin, I was greeted with a fresh layer of snow coating the firs outside the cold mountain. The familiar crunch is a sound I’ve heard most of this season. This is one of the snowiest season in recent winters on LeConte. I am happy! Today, looks to be a very cold day on the mountain. If you plan to venture up the mountain prepare for bitter cold snowy conditions. There are no day hikers services up top. Also, no camping is allowed on the premises! Well, I’m off to enjoy the mountain and the snow! See you at the top! If you see tracks from skis it’s just me! Even Superman has to sleep!
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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
May 2024
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