Good Afternoon, It's the beginning of an exquisite weekend on the mountain. Despite the light and fluffy cumulus clouds lingering, the temperatures are comfortable and the sun seems to be taking the upper hand. Yesterday's high temp came in at 62 degrees, and our overnight low was a moderate 45. We're enjoying 60 at the moment, and the llamas have already come and gone. Now is as good a time as any to throw in a Friday Flashback - kitchen edition. Our Head Cook, Miss Heather, spoiled today's crew with some delicious pizzas for lunch, a personal favorite. We can be a bit limited in what kinds of food we can prepare up here, on account of resources and space, but those charged with feeding the masses have come up with plenty of creative creations over the years utilizing a propane heated stove. Heather, and our Assistant Cook, Matt, are always satisfying the crew's taste buds, and they are well versed in cranking out the famous guest supper that our visitors have come to know and love. I don't stray far from cooking meals outside of guest breakfast, and depending on my availability, Ryn, Tim, or Henry may step in to that roll to make sure our guests are well fed before departing from the lodge in the morning. The crew, of course, rotates the afternoon kitchen shift in which they'll prepare the drinks and baked goods for visitors. So in some fashion, everyone has to get familiar with our propane Vulcan stove. The above photo, courtesy of LeConte Lodge Historian and Crew Emeritus, Al Bedinger, shows the late Hardwick Speedi Baker once in service for the lodge. According to Al, it would take a great deal of wood to keep that stove constantly burning for crew and guest meals. The stove pictured also had a twin, in which both were hauled up the mountain on a mule-led sled via The Boulevard. And you thought your hike was rough? The large, shiny cylinder in the corner of the kitchen was the hot water tank. Water would circulate from the tank to the wood stove's fire box by means of thermo-siphon action. As many of you know, today we can access hot water on-demand ever since the installment of propane at the lodge.
I hope you enjoyed today's historical tidbit. We'll try and get some more throwbacks out as the season progresses. In the meantime, have a great weekend and enjoy the sunshine!
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Good Morning, Happy first day of June. It is here and in sunny, beautiful fashion. Today looks to be a great opportunity to spend some time outside doing projects, in which I hope everyone else is able to enjoy some time in the woods. Yesterday's high tabbed 62 degrees, and our overnight low was 46. Guests were treated to a fabulous sunset last night, and there was no new precipitation. Oh yeah, it's that time again. Our next llama to garner some special attention is a youngin'...RAINBOW REUBEN!!! Just look at that cute face. Now surely some of you are wondering how on earth this particular packer earned such a name. Generally, our boys receive shorter, one to two syllable average American male type names. It helps if you're needing to get said llama's attention that you don't have to spend more time and energy just trying to pronounce his name. But sometimes, it's fun to step outside the lines and assist in giving one of these critters some character.
Reuben came to the farm at a young age, donning a pink halter - unusual for a LeConte llama - and an obvious white patch on the forehead. I was presented the opportunity of naming this little guy, an honorary first, so I wanted to make it a unique one. I wanted to try and tie his name in with the mountain in some manner, much like Clifford Cliff Tops. Given his physical appearance, the spot on the forehead represented where a unicorn horn could have been, and then to include that pink halter, it seemed like all that was missing was a rainbow to complete the ensemble. Well, that solved part of the naming process, why not incorporate Rainbow Falls? I also felt it was important for him to have a surname, but one that would roll off the tongue and accompany the first name effectively. Somewhere in my thinking process I turned to the subject of food. I narrowed it down to a favorite sandwich, one that would also use some alliteration, which of course led me to Reuben. Thus, a new adorable llama gained a proper identity...Rainbow Reuben. Fortunately for me, Chrissy, Alan, and Bonnie were accepting of this submission and it stuck. They were less thrilled with my second choice...Myrtle Meatloaf. Maybe we'll try that one again in the future! This is just one example of the naming process when it comes to our famous fuzzy friends. Reuben is small in stature, much like Kramer was, but he's already completed his training and is catching on to the packing routine quite well. We're so proud of his progress. He's still a little skiddish around new people, so if you have the pleasure of seeing him on the trail, please admire him and the rest of the team from a safe place along the path. Thanks for stopping by the site and have a great afternoon! |
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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