It has been a cold and dreary day up top today...yesterdays high was 46 with the low at 33. Today it has been rainy and windy with the temperature just above freezing. Kind of miserable weather to be outside in, so we've been staying busy oiling furniture inside where is it warm and dry.
Now, as promised, the 2015 Shirt design! A dollar from every shirt sold will be donated to Trails Forever while they are working on Alum Cave Trail and we will start selling them Monday! It feels a little chilly on the mountain today, last night the low reached 27 and the high yesterday was 51. Today has settled in the lower 50's but the sun keeps teasing us and then dipping back behind the clouds.
We will have a new llama packing schedule this season! They will be coming up on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays this season to accommodate a schedule change, so if you want to see them in action, those will be the days to head up Trillium! The crew has been working all day on the office and the cabins, getting them ready for the season. It is much quieter on the mountain now that the airlift crew has hiked down...although it's hard not to miss them! Usually when the blog misses an update it is because something has gone wrong....I am happy to say that yesterday's missing blog post was due to everything involved with the airlift going impossibly well! The weather was beautiful, highs reaching 57 degrees and the low over night at only 45. There was no wind and the sunshine stayed on us all day. We got 95 percent of everything up the mountain at record speeds and camp is really coming together beautifully! I will admit that there were a few times yesterday, particularly while hauling in 50 pound bags of flour to food storage, that I almost used the "I have to write the blog" excuse to take a break, but I couldn't abandon my hard working crew of airlift workers...everyone did a great job!
Today the weather hasn't been quite as cooperative as we are stuck in a cloud. The temperature has been dropping all afternoon and is hovering around 40 now. Hopefully this will clear out later this afternoon so we can finish our last 5 loads! But for now the crew is hard at work in the office, organizing games, cleaning rocking chairs and folding this years shirts (which I will post a picture of tomorrow!). We are all so excited for next week to start the season! While the crew are finishing up the airlift, just a reminder that about road and trail closures that will affect hikers to the Lodge this season.
Roaring Fork Motor Nature trail, access road to Grotto Falls/Trillium Gap trail will be closed for bridge replacement until May 1. You may still get to Trillium Gap trail starting at Rainbow Falls parking area (adds about 2 miles to hike). The llamas will still have access to the road to make their normal Monday, Wednesday and Friday pack trips to the Lodge. Cherokee Orchard Road, access road to Rainbow Falls and Bullhead trailheads will still be open. Also, Alum Cave Bluff Trail will be closed Monday through Thursday for major trail restoration starting May 4 until late November. This is a two year project funded by Trails Forever in partnership with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Friends of the Smokies. For additional information regarding the closure see: http://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/alum-cave-closure-faqs.htm. The Lodge will be notifying guests scheduled to stay at the Lodge during this time period with additional information on parking. The reservation office may be contacted at 865-429-5704 or email at: reservations@lecontelodge.com . If the start/finish dates change for these projects, we will post as soon as possible. Our first sunny day on the mountain! Sometime in the night all the rain and gloom blew off and left us with a beautiful day to enjoy. Our low last night was 27 with a high yesterday of 45. Today we are hovering around 40 degrees, but the sunshine makes it feel much warmer.
Today for the crew is the dreaded "kitchen day". We've taken EVERYTHING out of the kitchen, scrubbed down every surface, scoured all the pots and pans, washed every dish, wipe every bottle and returned it to its rightful place. All before lunch! Yesterday I updated the "Meet the Crew" section of the website, so be sure to go and check it out so you can say hello to all of us next time you visit. Enjoy the sunshine! Another misty day on the mountain today. Yesterday's high was 42 with a low of 33. Still patches of ice on the trails higher up, but they are easy to navigate, just watch your step if your up today!
Camp, however, has no ice but plenty of mud! We have been hard at work all day cleaning, fixing, shaking and grooving- with the weather on the warmer side for March, we'll take mud over snow and ice any day of the week! Good evening from the top! Well, the mountain welcomed us back up today with wind and rain, but I'm happy to report that everyone is here and warm and dry. It has been a lovely winter and while I know we are in for more up here, it is nice to be back in my mountain home to await spring's arrival. There is a lot to do this week to get ready for the lodge to open, so I'll keep everyone updated as much as possible while introducing you to this year's crew as they settle in! Everyone is in high spirits and excited to be here, and with a lovely mix of both old and new crew members we are sure to have a great season in front of us!
Posting from the office. The crew will hike up Friday, March 13 to start the season. The airlift, weather permitting will take place on Monday. We appreciate the offers to help but due to liability you must be an employee of the company. So far Tim and Alan have enough helpers.
Besides, Tim, Alan and Chrissy, three crew from last year will be returning: Ruthie as manager, Nicholette as main cook and Brad as crew. Also two employees from previous seasons will return; Walt Andrews and Brian Mogren. Brian will be the assistant manager. There are also six new crew that will be on staff this season. It will be a busy few days getting settled and ready for the airlift. Ruthie and/or Brian will try to post as time permits. I don't know how fast she will get the crew photos posted. Morning y'all, It's a beautiful, snowy morning up top! The high yesterday reached 43 degrees and the overnight low was 27 degrees. It was 28 degrees and snowing lightly at 7am observation. The mountain received an inch of overnight snow and it is absolutely stunning. The trails are still pretty slick in sections (I was able to dance up Alum yesterday evening without spikes), but I wouldn't take my chances with a coating of snow over some of that black ice. As always, I'd recommend MicroSpikes. They are available at the NOC, the wonderful outfitter located just outside the edge of the park boundary in Gatlinburg. It seems like the mountain is saying goodbye, sending me some surprise snow before I take off on my hike. The blog will resume whenever the crew gets up here and is settled in... until then, thanks for reading and enjoy the Smokies for me while I make my way north! Morning y'all, It's another beautiful, clear day up top. The high yesterday reached 36 degrees. The low yesterday evening reached 20 degrees. It was 29 degrees and clear at 7am observation. The mountain received no new precipitation and the trails still have some snow and ice in sections. I would still recommend Microspikes if you want to reach the summit. It's due to be a beautiful day, get out and enjoy it! |
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
April 2024
|