 Good morning folks, Its another fine morning on everyone’s favorite mountain. The high yesterday was 33 degrees. The overnight low dropped down to 12 degrees. It is currently 25 with crystal clear skies and valley lights twinkling below. Winds are calm which makes for a pleasant morning when it’s bitter cold. Our snow depth stands at 3”. The trails were very icy yesterday when I went down Alum. Traction will be needed to reach the summit. Also, the lodge is not the backcountry shelter. The backcountry shelter is located past the lodge grounds on the way to Myrtle point. Looking ahead we could see zero degree temperatures here on Christmas as well as a snowfall! Today will be a gorgeous day to be out on the trails. The morning tunes jamming. It was clear to be a great morning on the mountain. The stars above welcome me outside to enjoy my coffee. The morning is slow and steady. I savor every moment like this. LeConte has taken over! See you at the top! Pnut 
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 US Highway 441 (Newfound gap road) is open to all vehicles watch for snow and ice! Alum awaits your arrival.
 Good morning folks, It’s a bitter cold morning on the mountain. The high yesterday was 25 degrees. The overnight low was a bone chilling 9 degrees. It is currently 11 degrees with gusts of cold wind rushing through camp. We didn’t receive any precipitation or any new snow so our snow depth is 3”. The majority of the snow lingering around camp is from the snow we received 3 weeks ago. With the bitter cold temps last night trails are sure to be icy so tread carefully. It’s cold up top so prepare for winter conditions when reaching the summit. My body has its own alarm clock. 5am. My feet on the cold hardwood floor of my cabin told me it was a cold morning outside! Ice has formed on the inside of my windows of my door. Upon opening my vacuum sealed warm cabin I made my way to the kitchen. Oil lamps illuminating the early morning hours on LeConte. This is my favorite time of the day. I will soak it all in! See you at the top! PNUT   Good morning folks, Crunch.Crunch.Crunch. That’s the sound of the fresh snow that fell over the last 24hrs. We accumulated 2” of snow coating the mountain making it all new again. Yesterday’s high was 34 degrees. The overnight low was a balmy 17 degrees. It was 18 degrees and crystal clear skies at 7am observation. We received 0.48” of precipitation. We received 2” of new snow bring our snow total back to 3”. It’s going to be a wonderful day to be out on the trails. If you plan on coming up traction, warm layers, snacks and a headlamp. US Hwy 441 Newfound Gap remains closed until further notice. Rainbow, Bullhead are your options. Looks like we will have great weather up until Christmas. Enjoy the night photos from around the lodge folks. Yesterday was a nasty day. The weather shifted from drizzling rain to sleet then snow all before switching back to rain. With the nasty weather I caught up on some chores around camp and read I bit. It was a very relaxing day on the mountain. The predawn light is throwing orange colors to the East and welcoming me to the new day! See you at the top! PNUT   Good morning folks, The misty mountain returns. Winds gusting from the south sound like a train rumbling through camp. The high yesterday was 37 degrees. The overnight low was 24 degrees. It is currently 29 degrees with light freezing rain falling. We have t received any new precipitation so our snow total stands at 1”. Looks like today will be a soaker of a day. With widespread rain through East Tennessee I wouldn’t recommend hiking in these conditions! Trails are sure to be wet. Plan your trip accordingly if you plan to reach the summit.Us Hwy 441 remains closed due to the threat of snow/ice. Be safe. Have a great day. Yesterdays run down Alum was a very exhilarating one. I haven’t had the trail in good condition long enough to do some trail running . I took off and stretch the legs. It felt great to work up a sweat and get some conditioning in on the mountain. Today will be a relaxing day with some good coffee and a book. All is well up top folks. Possible homemade biscuits?Would like to thank the KNIGHTS. For the Christmas card it was very appreciated. Happy Holidays! See you up top. PNUT   Good morning folks, Its a clear, calm morning on everyone’s favorite mountain. The high yesterday only reached 36 degrees. The overnight low dipped down to 18 degrees. It was 29 degrees at 7am observation. We received 1” of new snow yesterday. We could’ve seen more but the rain outran the cold temperatures. Skies cleared around noon revealing a fresh coating of white on the mountain. Very bright without sunglasses! Today looks to be a great day to get outside. Traction is a must with the freeze/thaw cycle. Weather looks great after Wednesday with chances of snow later in the day. Amounts unclear at this time so stay tuned! Have a great day.  Yesterday’s bread making revealed some of the best loafs of whole wheat I’ve ever created. With corn meal dusted over the tops this made for a very crispy outside. I couldn’t resist the warm bread once pulled from the oven. Cutting a slice, adding a thin layer of butter. Mmmmm! My evening was set! See you at the top!   Good morning folks, It’s a soggy, wet morning up top! The high yesterday was a warm 48 degrees. The overnight low dipped down to 28 degrees. It was 34 degrees at 7am observation. The mountain received 1.78” of precipitation. Much of the snow has melted with the heavy rains, but there are still pockets of snow lingering around the mountain. Trails are sure to be a wet mess today. The upper cable section on Alum still has some deeper parts of snow but not an issue. Today looks to be a very nasty day to be out hiking so if you venture out plan for wet conditions. Be safe and smart! Lots of people out yesterday without proper gear. Headlamps are a huge piece of gear that weighs nothing. These hollers get darker way before the sunsets. Also, traction! It is still icy on parts of the mountain. These are a valuable piece of gear that will safely get you up/down the mountain. Have fun and be safe folks! Snow is in the forecast for the higher elevations today. Snowfall amounts unknown so stay tuned! My supper meal consisted of a hearty Butternut Squash, sautéed chicken with fresh sweet peppers and onions. Roasted red pepper Quinoa and rice was mixed into a huge seasoned cast iron skillet and set on low heat. 20 minutes later I hade one delicious, fresh meal. I’m glad I hiked all this up. It makes it worth the heavy pack to see your supper creation.  Good morning folks, Its a clear, calm morning up top. The high yesterday was 41 degrees. The overnight low only dropped down to 31 degrees. It was 32 degrees and clear skies at 7am observation. We received 0.10” of precipitation. Our snow depth is now at 2” with the recent rains. Looks to be a great day to spend on your favorite mountain. Have a good day! In such a vast space like Leconte, it’s easy to stare off at the distant, awesome views. Though, I enjoy how my camera lures me to appreciate the tiny life forms from another thoughtful perspective. The misty setting yesterday allowed me to pursue some inside interests like baking this cobbler with fresh fruit...delicious! See you at the top! PNUT  Good morning folks, It’s a mild morning with gusts of wind swaying the Fir trees around the mountain. The high yesterday was a warm 50 degrees. The low only dipped down to 31 degrees. It was 35 degrees and partly cloudy at 7am observation. The warming tend continues today with chances of rain mid morning into the afternoon. Trails around the mountain are very packed down with recent foot traffic making it like a hard packed layer of ice. Snow is in the forecast for tomorrow night into Monday. Snowfall amounts are unsure at this time but I will keep you posted. Much colder air moves into the area pushing this warm weather out and back to the normal winter we all know at LeConte. Have a great day! Looking from the window of my cabin the mountain was socked in. Surges of wind coming from the south bring a thick fog that have settled in on LeConte. Today looks to be a day to huddle up with a cup of a coffee, turn some tunes on and get the bread making started! It will be a very relaxing day on the mountain. One must rest up before the snow returns for more adventures. On my morning rounds checking camp, I noticed a neighboring Junco (bird) slip on the ice at cabin 6 all before catching himself and taking flight. Good save! See you at the top! PNUT   Good morning folks, It’s another fine morning on everyone’s favorite mountain. Yesterday’s high reached a whopping 51 degrees. The overnight low only dropped to a measly 35 degrees. It was 40 degrees and clear skies at 7am observation. We are still holding on to 6” of snow after yesterday’s warm trend. Today looks like a great day to be on trails. Saturday’s forecast is calling for rain midday then clearing after sunset. It’s going to be a great day on the mountain. Yesterday’s hike down Alum was an eventful one. The upper cable section had drifts up to your hips. One should be very careful in these sections with the cables hidden. The hike back up revealed tons of foot traffic and the cables were visible. Today will be much warmer and will definitely melt much more snow. Traction was needed more so at the top section of Alum. Be smart and safe folks! Ok let me tell you this the hike back up Alum was one of the hardest, heaviest packs I’ve ever carried up this mountain. One could wonder what are you carrying? Well, it was grocery day folks. Ever wonder how the caretaker gets his fresh supplies? On your back. With a 40lb. pack off I went. The hike up was slow and steady with one thing on my mind a fresh garden salad with leftover homemade pizza. The night was set. I’m back home! See you at the top! PNUT  |
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
June 2024
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