"Just what future the Designer of the universe has provided for the souls of men I do not know, I cannot prove. But I find that the whole order of Nature confirms my confidence that, if it is not like our noblest hopes and dreams, it will transcend them. " - Henry Norris Russell
It was a beautiful day in the neighborhood yesterday. Chris and I got out of camp for a little while and explored our back yard. I have decided I have the best back yard in the state of Tennessee. The high yesterday was 43 with a cold night that reached 29. It is currently 32 degrees and the sun is shinning bright. Hopefully I can get out of camp again and do a little more exploring. I never seem to get tired of discovering all the nooks and crannies of this mountain. 
To quote Austin, " This is the first time I have ever worn long underwear in May." It is a cold day on the mountain. The current temperature is 34 degrees and it does not seem to be warming up. I guess I put my gloves and hat away a little to soon. On a brighter note, the valley down below is visible. Maybe the cold front will bring some blue skies our way. We will just have to pile on our clothes and make a triple batch of hot cocoa. That will warm everyone up.
I apologize for the late post. We have been socked in and getting rained on all day. My internet access as been temperamental. Such is life when you live at a rustic back country lodge. The temperatures are cooling off. I believe the cold front is moving in. Just another rainy day on the mountain.
John Northrup, Bonnie Scott, Chris Virden, David Scanlon, Nathan Kirkham, and Alan Householder
A dear friend to the lodge, David Scanlon, hiked up to celebrate his 900th trip up the mountain. He was full of enthusiasm as he shared some of the stories of his past trips. The ones that stood out the most were of winter hikes he had done. We asked him about his first trip to this magical mountain. He said he remembered it as if it were yesterday. He hiked up, for the first time ,when he was 30 years old, 1966. He remembers it well because he got to meet Harvey Broome at the lodge. He listened to stories told by Mr. Broome and the then lodge operator Herrick Brown. Dave has no plans of slowing down. He tries to hike up every Monday and bring us a newspaper. Congratulations Dave. I hope you have many more years of climbing Mt. LeConte.
What a difference a few hours can make. The awe-inspiring sunrise we were treated to yesterday morning was soon invaded by these ominous looking clouds. The thunder surrounded us all afternoon, fortunately, the rain held off until the later part of the evening. We measured a little over half an inch for last nights rainfall. Chris and I took a quick stroll out to Myrtle Point to check on the sand myrtle. It is starting to bloom. Another week or so and it will be in full glory. 
"Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So... get on your way." - Dr. Seuss I love waking up to a painted sky. The crevices of the valley below has caught the morning fog. It is a start to a glorious day on my favorite mountain. The high yesterday was 62. It morning air is already warming up nicely. I believe we will be treated to a repeat performance of yesterdays temperatures. 
Gabe Wolverton and his son Cash.
When you work with someone for eight and a half months, you become like family. We love having the crews from past years come back to visit. We especially love it when they bring the next generation LeConte employee to check out the mountain. Gabe worked for us in 2004. We were still new at our job and Gabe helped to get us broken in. He was 18 at the time and excited to be living in the Smokies. He has since gone off to explore the country and have many adventures, including having a child. We were lucky to get to meet his son, Cash, a animated 2 year old who loves to ask "Why?". They have a wet day for a hike down. It is drizzling out side, a repeat of yesterday. The high was 58.
This morning is a two cupper. It is going to take me two cups of coffee to wake up and get this day started. The rain is pounding on the sky light and making it awfully hard to want to get out of bed. Yesterday was completely opposite. It was a great day to hike up to Cliff Tops and check on the sand myrtle. I predict another week and it will be in full glory. The temperature rose to 68 degrees again. I bet it has been hot down in the valley. Our low last night was 47. We had a few thunder showers roll through. That always makes for a great light show. If you are hiking up today, stay dry and be safe.
Yesterday was another beautiful day up top. This billowy cumulonimbus cloud arose from behind high top to check on the mountain. Yesterday's high was 68 with a low of 50. It feels as though summer is fast approaching. I am afraid it is going to be a hot one in the low lands. That makes for a great reason to put your hiking boots on and head for the higher elevations.
Yesterday was a beautiful day for a commute to work. The rain held off long enough for Chris and I to make back up the mountain. I will admit, it was pretty warm, a few sprinkles would have felt nice. The high for yesterday was 68 with a low of 51. Hard to believe a week ago it was in the teens.
It was a pretty quiet day up top. We did get a report from one of the park's bear guys that there is a rather large bear towards the top of Bullhead. If you see this bear on your way up, please report it to the office staff. You will know if it is the same bear by the large yellow paint on his rear end. The park tagged him with the paint so we will know if he continues to hang around. The park employee said the bears are coming around earlier this year. They are in search of food. It was a lean year last year so the bear population is waking up from their winter naps a little on the hungry side. The sky is clearing off this morning. It is looking like another fine day to be hiking in the Smokies. Come on up and see us. |
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
January 2025
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