 Good Morning, Some toad stranglers finally started hitting their mark late yesterday across East Tennessee. As anticipated, the Flood Watch has been extended into Thursday morning now. Aside from some lingering light rain and patchy clouds over the higher peaks, skies are much less turbulent to begin this Wednesday. But by this afternoon, the stormy action is set to resume with the potential of producing heavy rainfall. Until the next dry stretch appears in the forecast, the ground is going to remain saturated and creeks will be quicker to fill up after any decent rain. This edition of July sure has been a tale of two halves, feast or famine when it comes to the precip. We’ll see how August shakes out, as early indications show the return of the heat. If we happen to get any glimpses of sunshine today, that might coincide with us seeing temps near 70° again. There is a great deal of color around the lodge now. The coneflower blooms have really shown out and the white snakeroot has started to fill in the gaps. The occasional red bee balm really jumps out and catches the eye when panning the landscape. Down the trail, some of the famous late summer flowers are starting to appear. A smattering of purple gentian and even some early grass of parnassus decided they were tired of waiting. Stopping to enjoy these tiny wonders makes for a good excuse to take a break during an ascent in this heat and humidity. Have a great day. 
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 Good Morning, July is trying to squeeze as much rain out of the skies as possible before bidding us all farewell. With having received such steady amounts of precip the back half of this month, the ground remains substantially saturated, so it doesn’t take much for creeks to rise. The region is at a point now where it’s under a Flood Watch, in effect from this morning until early tomorrow. There is also a Severe Thunderstorm Watch in effect for this afternoon and evening. Thankfully conditions are mostly calm in the mountains for the time being, but storms are expected to return around lunchtime and persist through the rest of the day. Some storms have the potential to produce Harvey rainfall, which depending on where and how fast they strike, could send drainages over their edges. Everyone is wise to get up or down the mountain with haste this morning and not leave any hiking to be done this afternoon once the atmospheric action kicks into gear. Air will be plenty humid still with temps near the mid 60s, with winds gusting upwards of 20mph at times. Please come prepared for the conditions. Have a great day.   Good Morning, The flashes and booms held off for much of the day Sunday, giving hikers adequate time to make their ascents and descents safely. By about supper time, the rains slowly graduated from mist to trickle to downpour and persisted through the night. Compared to what the lowlands and parts of Sevier County received, though, there’s not much room for us to complain. Some serious floods moved through the gateway communities last night, proving that water funneled through the hollers of these mountains can swell quickly and unexpectedly. So always keep a watchful eye on the weather forecasts, especially if you have plans of getting out and exploring the wilderness. Conditions at the top are a thick cloudy soup this morning, with the potential for storms this afternoon. Percentages are high for precip tomorrow and Wednesday before easing a bit in the week’s back half. Views will likely be nonexistent from the upper reaches of the mountain today. Temps are also going to rise leading into the start of August, with the return of highs near 70° at the lodge after a couple more days in the mid 60s. Have a great day.   Good Morning, This front half of Sunday will serve as a last hurrah for calm weather before storm chances flare up this afternoon. Once they do, we could be looking at fairly steady rainfall the next several days. So anyone in town still with hopes of scaling Mt. LeConte and staying dry in the process (aside from the humidity of course) best complete the up and down visit with haste this morning. It’ll be a wet finish to July, and the way things are looking, August is going to welcome back the heat as toastier temps return to the region. These clouds will do their part in keeping summit temps in the 50s today, with a few opportunities to tag lower 60s through midweek. But by the new month, highs will likely find their way back into the 70s at the lodge. As we’ve said, summer is far from over, so continue to load up on the nutrition and hydration essentials before and during the hike. And if any of these thunderstorms in the coming days produce heavy rainfall in a short matter of time, use caution at any unbridged creek crossing. Have a great day.   Good Morning, Unless you picked up on the occasional faintest of sprinkles, yesterday was the driest it’s been on the mountain in quite some time. There were even glimpses of blue sky and sunshine attempting to break through. Foot traffic across the mountain was noticeably higher on Friday because of it. Lucky for visitors to the park this weekend, today is shaping up to bring more of the same. Apart from a slight chance of late afternoon showers, hikers can expect decent conditions on trail today. It’ll be a tad warmer for a change as we should see the thermometer near the mid 60s. Tomorrow ought to start out nicely as well, before more significant rain chances return and carry into the week ahead. There’ll be no parting from ponchos or umbrellas just yet. We may have elapsed the official mid-season point, but summer is far from over. Our amazing crew and wranglers continue to tackle each day with an admirable and incalculable enthusiasm. Sometimes powering through those hot and humid days or impressive crowds requires a sweet or salty boost. A big thank you to those folks who so kindly think of the crew by personally hauling up treats and goodies. Your charity and thoughtfulness is appreciated and is great to enjoy in a remote place where so many creature comforts aren’t as easy to come by. Candies, chocolates, fruits, berries, ground coffee…this group loves it all. Shout out to former crew members Pat & Jeanie, who know all about working in the trenches and putting team and guest before self, for sending us a mighty care package that brought warm smiles and jubilation to our crew! Have a great day.   Good Morning, It’s officially the half-way point of the 2024 season! In some ways it seems like it sneaked up on us quickly, but there’s still a big ole chunk of time left for folks to hike on up and partake of the Lodge’s 100th season. Expect plenty of travelers to flock to the Smokies these last few days of the month as families’ summer vacations come to a close. Although traffic numbers to the region might subside some once the calendar jumps into August, the hot and humid temps aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. This mountain is no stranger when it comes to the weather being feast or famine. Take this month for example. Over the first 2.5 weeks of July, the summit barely accounted for 0.6” of rain, leading to earlier than usual drought-like conditions across the mountain after a parched June also. But in the last week, the pendulum swung intensely the other direction, with total rainfall exceeding more than 7”. Soils have reached enough of a saturation point that even yesterday’s light but steady rain kept trails and pathways in a river-like state all day and night. Partly cloudy skies this morning have allowed for those levels to subside, so until the next round rolls in, hikers shouldn’t have to be concerned about soaked feet or sketchy creek crossings. The forecast has turned more favorable for today and tomorrow, which should please the weekend warriors. Not that we’re expecting sun-filled skies, but the possibilities for afternoon rain have lessened substantially until Sunday at least. The trend of temps at the peaks from 50s-60s will persist. Have a great day.   Good Morning, The light pitter-patter of raindrops on rooftops has been the white noise of the night, even carrying into daybreak. Rain showers are going to be steady this morning in the mountains, becoming more intermittent during the afternoon. They aren’t expected to be heavy or torrential, just steady enough that you won’t be able to comfortably part with that poncho or umbrella today. Trails will continue to be slick or squishy in places, so take your time navigating those steps that require a little more thinking or contorting. Temps will be lucky to break the 60s today, likely to hover in the 50s both day and night. Any winds will be weak to nonexistent, but will feel significant if not layered properly to stave off the rain. Not that we’re expecting sunshine tomorrow, but the precip percentages for Friday are leaning toward being the lowest they’ve been all week. Best not get complacent though, as the wet trend remains prevalent throughout the weekend. It’s becoming a salamander’s paradise up here! Have a great day.   Good Morning, Varying layers of clouds streak across the sky this morning, obscuring the distant horizon but far enough removed from the mountain base to offer glimpses into Sevier County. What few colors made themselves known at sunrise were mostly muted, leaving the deep blues and greens of the landscape to fend for themselves against the somber grays of the sky. Thankfully with all this dreary weather of late, the coneflower continue to flourish providing lodge residents with at least something bright and cheerful visually. Of course, anytime a crew member decides to sport a tie-dye shirt on the job that tends to spice up anyone’s day. The summit is expected to see intermittent and light rain showers throughout the day. No deluges but present enough to keep surfaces damp and warrant keeping that poncho or umbrella close by. Temps will maintain their stay between mid 50s and lower 60s. At this rate, the rest of July is going to bring more of the same. A out the only thing that might seem different will be the gradual reduction of daylight hours. Now that we’re more than a month past the summer solstice, the later sunrises and earlier sunsets have a knack for sneaking up on folks. Speaking of sneaking, a rather large bear was spotted near the lodge vicinity last night. No suspicious or malicious activity was reported, nor has this particular near been tagged by NPS Wildlife Management before. So hopefully this newly visiting fur-ball was simply passing through the area and is on its way to forage for berries and nuts. This moment is as good as any to remind folks not to feed wildlife, to not leave personal belongings unattended, or for lodge guests to be away from their cabin with doors and windows left wide open. Animals up here can be crafty, zipping in and out just when you aren’t looking and committing acts of thievery or vandalism. That goes double for squirrels! Have a great day.   Good Afternoon, Little by little, the mountain has been receiving a steady and much needed replenishment of rain. Some has rolled in as we speak and is likely to linger into this evening. Otherwise, today has been rather pleasant and mostly cloudy. This trend is set to continue all week, with calm mornings followed by stormy afternoons. Temps will range from mid 50s to lower 60s until something blows in and clears out this unshakable pattern of clouds and rain. Ponchos for keeping yourselves and your belongings dry will be essential, as are boots for keeping feet dry and providing sturdy grip and support in the muck. Some trails have rocky surfaces that are smooth or angled which can sneak up on unsuspecting hikers causing unfortunate slips and slides. When paths are in a continual state of saturation like they are now, it’s best to be extra diligent with foot placement to avoid any backcountry mishaps. Use of trekking poles are also great for assisting with changing terrain, hazardous crossings, and balance. Have a great day.   Good Morning, Dark and dreary skies are dominating the view sheds this weekend in the Smokies. Enough precip has continued to fall in the previous 24 hours that evidence of flooding creeks and drainages is noticeable. Thick clouds have a stranglehold on the mountain this morning with only intermittent rain showers in the vicinity, which will give the waterways a chance to subside some. As we progress into the afternoon hours, the possibility of stronger storms returns though. The week ahead is calling for more of the same, so be thankful for any sunshine the heavens can muster over the coming days. Temps will maintain their pattern of 50s to 60s at the top. Been wanting to get in on the 100th Season swag but not able to visit the mountain this year? Well have we got an opportunity for you! Our online store has recently been updated, and we have several new merchandise items for lodge enthusiasts to purchase. Chief among them is a special edition 100th Season shirt available in short sleeve, long sleeve, and a hoodie. Although it is similar in design to this season’s most popular LeConte Lodge shirt design ever, this one you don’t have to hike to the summit to acquire. We know, for reasons of scheduling or physical abilities, that visiting the lodge just isn’t in the cards for some folks, but that commemorating the occasion is still something they’d like to do. So these items are especially for you to sport your love of the Lodge with pride! Color and size options are viewable as you shop. Be sure and check the new hats, stickers, magnets, and picture frame along the way after clicking the link above! Please note that if making purchases on your phone from the online store, you’ll need to view the site through a web browser. PayPal does not function properly if opening links to the online store through the Facebook app. Using a separate web browser will allow you to view your shopping cart after selecting items. Stay dry and have a great day.  |
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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