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Wicked Night Sky

9/30/2013

 
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It was a crazy sky last night with a just a hint of pink peeping out at us. The high yesterday was 51º with a low of 39º. The mountain was fairly quiet. There were a few day hikers milling around. We never got the nice weekend that they kept saying we were going to see. The sun did not care what the forecast was.

Chris and I have packed our packs. We are heading down the mountain for some days off. I know you all love Nathan's stories so he will be taking over starting tomorrow. Don't forget tomorrow is the day that 2014 reservations go on sale.  You can call our reservation office at 865-429-5704. Do not attempt to make reservations through this page. We have nothing to do with the process. Good luck to all of you tomorrow. I hope we see you all in 2014.

A Little Bit of Rain

9/29/2013

 
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There seems to be a little moisture in the air. Looking at the weather forecasts, I am not sure where the rain came from. It was another nice day on the mountain yesterday. There were a lot of folks enjoying the scenery. The high was 57º with a low of 40º. We are currently socked in and looking at some pretty dark clouds. If I had to predict today's weather from looking at the sky, I would say we are in for some rain. September is coming to close. Only 60 more days of our season left. I hope you all are exercising your dialing fingers and getting for the 2014 reservations to go on sale at 8 a.m. on Tuesday. I know the staff in our office is getting ready. They will pleasantly awaiting your calls early Tuesday morning. I hope everyone has a great Sunday. Happy Hiking.

Fall Air Surrounds Us

9/28/2013

 
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Good Morning!!! It is a great day on the mountain. It may be socked in at the moment, but I can see bits of blue peeking through. I know we have a good one in store for us today. The high yesterday was 54º and there were a lot of folks on the mountain enjoying the amazing weather. The low reached 35º. Hopefully today will be a repeat. The mountain ash berries are a vibrant red that paints the mountainside. It is a beautiful sight to see, so grab your backpack and come on up. It is fall on the mountain.

Great Day For Being in the Mountains

9/27/2013

 
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Here is another picture from a couple of days ago. I am hoping we get a repeat today. The clouds are gone and the sun is making its presence known. Yesterday was a grey day as we sat in the clouds all day. The high was only 53º with a low of 38º. It is looking like the weekend has potential to be a stellar one. It would be a great time to join us up top for a cup of hot chocolate and a rest in the rocking chairs on our back porch. I hope we see you on the mountain. Happy Hiking

Cold Rain

9/26/2013

 
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There are trees out there? You forget when you have been staring at a wall of clouds all day. Someone described it as being "boxed in" even though you are on top of a mountain. It is a strange feeling to know there are thousands of acres around but you feel as though you are confined to one area. Normally, the fog does not affect me that way, but I will say, after a whole summer of fog, it now makes me a little claustrophobic. I am sure some of you are going to think I am silly. How could it affect me this way? I live in one of the most beautiful places in the world. What is the saying? I liked this version, " Walk a mile in someone else's shoes before you judge their journey." The good news is the forecast is calling for more sunshine today. Bring it on.

The high yesterday was 56º with a low of 41º. We received 1.56" of rain over the 24 hour period. Chris hiked came back from his days off and he looked like a drenched puppy. I am sure he will be thrilled when he reads my description. Time to go light the lamps so we can see this morning.

Rain is Moving In

9/25/2013

 
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Nathan figured out that we have had more nice days in September than all of June, July, and August put together. Does not surprise me. It was another beauty yesterday. The high was 66º with a low of 44º. The rain has moved in and we have already received almost a half of an inch over night. It is looking like it is going to be a wet day on the mountain.

The days are getting shorter and the nights colder. Make sure if you are day hiking up the mountain, you bring plenty of warm clothing and a good light source. It is always better to prepared and not need the items then to get caught off guard and not have the proper equipment to keep you safe. With that being said, Happy Hiking.

The Countdown is On

9/24/2013

 
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I am happy to report we had another gorgeous day on top of the mountain. The high was 52º with a low of 36º. I knew September was going to be amazing, it was just a matter of getting through the rainy months. We noticed, on our season countdown, we only have 65 more days. You can feel the crew's excitement as they figure out their winter plans. The first thing Chris and I are going to do is pull out our bathing suits and run for a beach. If all goes according to plan, that beach will be on Kauai. I can feel the sand between my toes as I am typing. I am a mountain girl who knows how to appreciate a good beach every now and again.

Just Another Day Above the Clouds

9/23/2013

 
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It was a beautiful day for a stroll around the mountain top. The high was 66º which made for a perfect day. The low dipped down to 33º. We hung out on top of the clouds for the entire day. Those are rare days for us, but well worth the wait.
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Answers About the Reservation Process

9/22/2013

 
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I apologize for the lack of a post yesterday. My bat signal was not strong enough to break through the layer of clouds that hung out on top the whole day. It was a rainy, dreary, cold day on the mountain. The high was 54º with a low of 37º. We received 1.7 inches of rain for the day. It is a good thing the rain has moved out or we might see snow soon. The temperature is dropping. It is currently 33º and getting colder. I think the fall equinox brought old man winter with it. We did get a a small break in the rain around dinner time. I managed to get a couple of good pics before the clouds swallowed us again.
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I would like to take a minute to address the reservation questions. As to the reservations that certain guests have had for over a decade, back in the day people were able to have "priority reservations". Basically, this was a standing reservation which gave them the same date year after year as long as they continued to pay for it. In 1998 that system changed. The Park Service asked the concession to stop any new "priority reservations" and to phase the current ones out by 2018. The guests who have a "priority reservation" will have that certain date until the new contract comes out in 2018. There are several guidelines in place that they must adhere to in order to keep their date year after year. I will say that these "priority reservations" are fewer and farther between. They make up a small percentage of our available dates.

As to making your reservations for 2014. On October 1st the reservations will go on sale. You have a couple of options. The first one is to get on the phone and keep pushing redial. You will want to call our reservation office at 865-429-5704. When you get through, make sure you have a list of possible dates. You do not want to get through to discover the only date you want is taken. The second option is to fill out a reservation request form on our website. Go to www.lecontelodge.com. As we are answering the phones, we have a team of individuals going through the forms as well. It is a lottery system. The forms are randomly pulled and fulfilled. Make sure you put down several dates on the form as well.

Reservations are not as hard to get as people think. Now, with that being said, if you only want a weekend in July, you are going to have a difficult time getting that. The summer dates go fast due to families taking their vacations during this time. If you are good with the spring or fall time frame, you will have a better chance. If you are good with a week day, you will increase your chances. I hope this answers some of your questions. Good luck and I hope to see you all on the mountain next season.


Fall Equinox and Harvest Moon 

9/20/2013

 
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The flowers are turning to seed and the nights are cold. It is hard to believe this weekend brings the fall equinox. We have also been lucky enough to see that beautiful harvest moon. Fall is in full force on the mountain. The high yesterday was 61º with a low of 50º. So far, today is looking good. We hope to soak up some of the sun before the rain moves in for the weekend. I hope everyone has a great weekend. Come on up and see us. We will have some hot chocolate waiting for you.
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    LeConte Lodge

    Welcome 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!

    For information regarding GSMNP's new paid parking tag requirements, please visit their website.

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