Rain is in the forecast. If it stays as warm as it has been, that will go a long ways to melt this snow. Someone asked me what trails the llamas are going to use? They will come up Bullhead, but we need the ice to melt off the north face of the mountain before they can make it up. Yesterday it reached 67 degrees. Another gorgeous day on the mountain. There were a lot of people in camp. Half of the guests were under the age of 15.
National Park Volunteers I would first like to say thank you to all of our National Park Volunteers. They provide an amazing service to our Parks. The group to the left hikes up every month and checks on the shelter. They clean up any trash that has been left and make sure all of you backpackers have a clean place to stay. They had a stunning day to hike up. Yesterdays high was 63. It was a shorts, t-shirt, and crampons type of day. Chris and I got out for hike around the mountain and enjoyed the incredible views. Today is looking to be an even better day. We have another helicopter flying in today to drop off our clean linens. The hope is the snow melts enough to start bringing the llamas next week. I will keep you posted. Trail Advisory! Please folks, Boulevard trail is still very icy and snowy. The conditions are difficult for even the most experienced hiker. There is one section up top, on the north face of the mountain, that has an extreme amount of ice. It is a very difficult area to pass. Alum Cave trail is melting nicely. The trail is in great condition. I would strongly advise to hike Alum instead of Boulevard. It was a beautiful day for a helicopter resupply. We received all of our supplies and flew out dirty laundry. The day was phenomenal. It was a great day to explore the mountain. The high yesterday was 55 with a low of 34. The snow coverage is decreasing. We are now down to 5". I have been asked a couple of questions that I would like to address: Q: What are the trail conditions? A: A couple of the crew have scouted out some of the trails and reported back on the conditions. Rainbow Falls- the snow is pretty well melted all the way to the falls. Bullhead- the last 1 1/2 still has plenty of snow and ice. You will need crampons for this last section. Trillium Gap- the trail is still closed. Boulevard- This trail has had a little foot traffic on it. There is still quite a bit of snow coverage. The area that is the biggest concern is toward the top of the mountain around the cliffs. These cliffs are north facing and do not see sunlight. They are very icy and extremely dangerous. The hikers that have reported back are experienced hikers and they said they were nervous hiking around these cliffs. Alum Cave Bluffs- This trail is clearing up nicely. The areas up top that had a lot of ice, are all melting. Q: What is the accumulated snow fall for the winter? A: Our winter caretaker has not added his totals, but we have received reports from other sources. The National Weather Service reported 168" for the winter. ( We are not sure what months are included). The Knoxville New Sentinel reported 112" from December thru February. |
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
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