I often find myself in town, stopping to check out sunset. If it is a good one, I will say, " I bet they are getting an amazing show tonight." I always think about what the guests are getting to witness at Cliff Tops. I hope you all take the time to stop what you are doing in your summer schedules and enjoy the beauty that comes your way. I don't think there has to be a mountain in the backdrop for the colors and view to be amazing.
Summer is plugging along. We are one week away from our mid season point. Not that I count or anything. The time is flying by. Even the daily rain showers have not brought our spirits down. The crew still hangs out at night playing games and having fun. The flowers should be in full swing in the next couple of weeks. It is always a beautiful time on the mountain. I realized that most of the time I am writing about the beauty and joy of mountain living. As much as we love being up on this mountain, you can't help but miss a few things about being down below. I polled the crew to find out what creature comforts they missed when they were on the mountain for weeks at a time. Here were the responses.
Chrissy: constant communication and interaction with friends and family. Laurie: internet access and Wikipedia Walt: a good mattress Meredith: sushi Scott: steak John: tv and access to watching sports all day Bonnie: swimming Allyson: having a garden and growing fresh veggies Chris: having The New York Times newspaper readily available. The one creature comfort we could all agree on was indoor plumbing. Every winter I look forward to having the bathroom be in the same building that I live in. Now, with that being said, the pros to mountain life outweigh the comforts we miss. That will be saved for another blog entry. It's that time of year. You can walk outside of your cabin and hear the bzzzz of the bees as they are drinking from the mountain honeysuckle. The flowers are starting to bloom up top. We have the honeysuckle, bee balm, cone flowers, monks hood, and jewel weed. I will start posting pics as soon as they come into full swing. It is one of my favorite seasons on the mountain. I love the color that can be seen all over camp.
It's kind of hard to get upset about all of the rain when you get to see views like the ones below every night. It rained for the better part of the day yesterday. We got over half an inch of rain. It would pour for a few minutes and then stop. About twenty minutes later is would rain again for another few minutes. Yesterday was one of those rainy summer days. Like the last week, the clouds cleared just in time for a great sunset. The days have been chilly. Yesterday was in the mid 60's and the low was in the mid 50's. If you are dayhiking, make sure you bring rain gear and a dry shirt to change into.
Mt. LeConte is a great place for a family get together. The Walden clan decided to spend the night with us. Grandma and Grandpa Walden thought it would be a great Christmas present for their family. I could tell by watching the kids run around camp playing that there were many great memories made. Didn't hurt that they had beautiful weather. We seem to be in a trend of afternoon thundershowers. It clears right up afterwords. If you are going to dayhike up to see us, bring rain gear or a poncho. We have seen some soggy hikers recently.
"One touch of nature makes the whole world kin." -
William Shakespeare The silver lining to afternoon showers are the glorious sunsets we have been enjoying. The clouds light up and put on an incredible display of color. The days have been in the mid sixties to mid seventies and the nights have been in the low fifties. The afternoon showers have kept things nice and cool on the mountain. After having spent a week in Gatlinburg, I can truly appreciate this great weather. The storms came and went yesterday. We had a few good down pours in the afternoon. They helped it clear off so we had a great view of the fireworks. The night air had a bit of a chill to it. Nothing like watching 4th of July festivities while wearing a fleece jacket. Ahhh, our lives on LeConte. Pigeon Forge put on quit a show. We could hear Gatlinburg's fireworks display as our backdrop. I managed to get a few good shots and a video as was requested. The sun came in and out all day yesterday. The sunset summed it up. We had a peak of the sun before it disappeared behind the clouds. Today is starting off to be a great day for a cookout. We usually throw some ribs on the grill and hang out to watch the festivities below. Last night we were treated to Cruz Farm ice cream. The girls from the farm hiked up to bring us frozen treats. The crew was in heaven. We got to try flavors like Buttermilk Lemon Custard, Lime Cardamom, Black Coffee, Chocolate Mint, and Lavender Honey. They were amazing. Cruz Farm Dairy is a local dairy outside of Knoxville. Thanks Cruz Farm for the fun treat. I hope everyone has a wonderful day celebrating down below. Shoot off some fireworks for us. We might be able to see them from up here.
Chris and I arrived back on the mountain yesterday morning. The trail was packed with day hikers. I will say, it was so nice to return to 70 degree weather. I am becoming spoiled with the cool temperatures up top.
I wanted to share another story about how the mountain has touched my life. In the late 90's I owned a store that sold bike equipment. I had a sales rep that I absolutely adored. We called her GT Jane. She would come visit and stay with me while she was in town. She moved on to other jobs and I lost touch with her. I had always wondered where she ended up. One day, while cooking on the mountain, I got a request to bake a wedding cake for a couple who were hiking up to get married on the mountain. I baked the cake and made it look so cute for a mountain wedding. When the bride arrived she came down to speak with the cook. Guess who the bride was? GT Jane! I was so thrilled that I not only found my long lost friend, now I got to see her get married. We stay in touch and I get to see her occasionally. She hiked up with her husband Joe to celebrate their wedding anniversary. This mountain has brought me so many gifts along the way. It will always hold a special place in my heart. I hope everyone enjoys this July 4th weekend. Have fun and be safe. I think everyone is getting very excited about the holiday weekend, especially because of the nice weather we are expecting. i know the crew is excited about the prospective fireworks shows they may be able to see from here. The last few years the weather has not cooperated to be able to watch them, but it is looking good for now!
I know they are calling for hot temperatures below; so, make sure to bring lots of water for your hikes this weekend. We reached 71 yesterday and will probably reach at least that today. It's July in the south. So, it's hot and humid! Have a great sunny weekend! |
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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