 Good morning folks, It’s another clear, calm morning on the mountain. Yesterday’s high reached a warm 38 degrees. The overnight low was only 21 degrees. It was 39 degrees and clear skies at 7am observation. We have 8” of snow still up top. Temperatures are gradually warming up through the weekend all before chances of rain move in Saturday. Traction is needed to safely reach the top. The freeze thaw cycle is sure to have trails a mess! Be smart folks if you are struggling with getting to the top turn around! The ice only gets worse the further you go up the trail. Also, lighting! Can’t stress this enough. Always pack a headlamp when your out hiking. You never know if you might need it as the days are much shorter. US Hwy. 441 (Newfound Gap Road) is open so Alum awaits you!! Have a great day! With the tunes rolling I turned the dial to 425 degrees. It was pizza time on LeConte. Fresh dough made days prior, homemade pizza sauce, shredded mozzarella, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, bacon bits and pepperoni. Wow! These bad boys turned out better than I thought. With the golden brown edges and Olde Virdens crushed red peppers. My evening supper was set.  
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 Good morning folks, It’s a crystal clear morning up top! The high yesterday reached 24 degrees. The overnight low dropped down to 9 degrees. Brrrrr! It was 22 degrees at 7am observation with light winds. We haven’t seen any new precipitation since Monday. Our snow depth still stands at 8”. A warming trend moving into the weekend with chances of rain Saturday and Sunday. Abundant sunshine until Saturday so hope everyone can get out and enjoy the snow before the rains move in. Traction is a must to reach the summit. NPS road crews are working to get Hwy. 441 back open. Alum cave trail has not yet been broken so that will be a great adventure to whom gets on trail first when the road opens. Yesterday was a day to be outdoors. With warm sunshine casting down on the mountain it felt much warmer than mid 20’s. Light winds would blow crystals of snow through the air making a magnificent thing to watch. I had such a great day yesterday roaming around on the mountain. The local ravens have been out catching thermal pockets. Soaring through the high country these majestic birds are a lot of fun to watch. They are very vocal as well as playful with one another. Next time your up look for them around Cliff tops and Myrtle point. Have a great day folks! PNUT   Good morning folks, It’s frosty morning up top. Yesterday’s high reached 22 degrees. The overnight low dipped down to a balmy 8 degrees. It was 9 degrees and clear at 7am observation. We received 0.32” of precipitation. We received 1” of new snow bringing our snow depth to 8” with more in the exposed areas. Weather looks great for the next couple days with sunshine and warmer temps. Heavy fog and mist dominated the day yesterday. Throughout the day sleet turned into snow, then back to sleet. The weather never made its mind up yesterday. Temps hovered in the high teens most of the day before dropping after sunset. The coffee was hot and strong. My legs eager to walk, off I went. The predawn light welcomed me to the morning show. The tangerine glow took over the morning skies with amazing color. What a treat to have the sunrise all to myself. Cheeks red from the blistering cold I headed back to the lodge. Have a great day folks! See you at the top! PNUT   Good morning folks, It’s a calm wintery morning up top. Spurts of snow flakes are falling around camp. We have started the past 2 Monday’s out with snow which is a great way to start the week. Yesterday’s high reached 38 degrees. Our overnight low only dropped down to 23 degrees. It was 23 degrees extremely foggy with snow flurries. We received 0.13” of precipitation with 1” of new snow bringing our snow depth to 7”. Possible snowfall amounts in the higher elevations could see 5” throughout today. Temperatures drop as the day progresses with lows in the teens tonight into tomorrow night. It’s a cold day folks dress accordingly to the mountain. Saw many folks yesterday without traction devices which makes a very unsafe ascent to the mountain. Be safe folks! Hwy 441 (Newfound Gap Road) closed last night at 7pm , unsure when it will open. Couldn’t be happier that winter is showing some LOVE with the snow since my arrival. Have a good day folks. With a fresh blanket of snow covering any tracks around camp winter has struck again. Winds calm, trees cloaked with a blanket of white snow. It’s a great morning on the mountain. Homemade pizza making day on the mountain. Stay tuned. See you at the top! PNUT   Good morning folks, Its a fine morning on top of LeConte. Yesterday’s high reached 29 degrees. The overnight low dipped down to 17 degrees. It was 27 degrees with clear skies at 7am observation. We are still holding on to 6” of snow. Looking ahead possible snow is in the forecast for tonight into Monday morning. (Fingers crossed). Traction devices are a must to reach the top! Temps are a bit warmer today with abundant sunshine. It’s a going to be a glorious Sunday on the best mountain around! Roaming the mountain yesterday, I took down Trillium Gap trail to see the ice wall. What a spectacular sight to see as I approached. Fresh snow lays the trail with large ice spears hanging from the wall. If you haven’t seen this wall in the winter it’s a must see! Moving back up the mountain I wanted to check the drifts on Alum Cave trail. Wow! One section in particular on the upper cables has drifts well over my knee. Cables hidden under the snow I treaded carefully back to LeConte. Watch your step folks and be safe. See you at the top! PNUT   Good morning folks, Well we received a bit more snow. Yesterday’s high was 35 degrees. The overnight low dipped down to 17 degrees. It was 18 degrees with clear skies at 7am observation. We received 1.14” of precipitation. We received another 2” of fresh white snow bringing our snow fall total to 7”. We lost some snow due to yesterday’s rain, but there is still plenty for everyone to enjoy this weekend. Traction devices will be needed to reach the summit. The upper section of Alum will be icy on the exposed rocky areas so tread carefully through those areas. Also, our local Bobcat has been out and about. Wonder if I’ll catch a glimpse of one this year. Excited to see what waited outside. I was eager to wake up well before my alarm went off. Upon opening my cabin door the chill of LeConte struck me with a good morning of cold air and a fresh layer of snow. The familiar crunch of snow under my muck boots as I make my way to the kitchen makes me smile. With the strike of a match kerosene flames light up the early morning. Let see what today brings. Yesterday was a nasty day to be out. Trails have turned into mashed potatoes and there is no escaping getting your feet wet. Rain moved in around noon bringing surges of wind and light rain until turning to snow around 7 pm last night. Today looks to be a much better day to be out. A fresh blanket of snow awaits you up top. Who will be the first the break trail ? See you at the top! PNUT   Good morning folks, Cloudy skies with small bursts of wind are dominating the morning at LeConte. Yesterday’s high was 43 degrees. The overnight low was a warm 30 degrees , which is warm compared to the single digits we have been experiencing. We received 0” of precipitation. The snow depth stands at 10”. Rain is moving into the area with chances of snow for late tonight into tomorrow morning. Remember those traction devices folks the trails are becoming icy. Sun returns just in time for the weekend with warmer temps, so it will be a great weekend to be outdoors. The mornings are some of my favorite times on LeConte. The kitchen is illuminated from the oil lamps. The kettle is purring and ready for that first mornings cup of coffee. Valley lights below have faded for now. Life is great on the mountain. See you at the top! PNUT   Good morning folks, Its a calm morning up top. The high yesterday was 31 degrees. The overnight low was 11 degrees. It is 31 degrees which is like a heat wave compared to the arctic temps we were having. The snow total still stands at 11”. The sun melted most of the trees but nothing on the ground. Rain is in the forecast for tomorrow with chances of more snow late Friday into Saturday. With the freeze/thaw cycle we will encounter and more people on the trails traction will be needed. US HWY 441. (Newfound Gap) road remains closed due to snow/ice. So all access would be from the Cherokee Orchard side via Rainbow Falls,Trillium Gap, and Bullhead. Alum cave trail has not been broken for snow yet so that should be fun. Going to be a great day at 6593’. Yesterday was a great day spent outside. The mountain provided many blessing of beauty. Winter shows a totally different perspective of this mountain. All seasons are unique but winter is my favorite season at LeConte. I will cherish these moments forever! See you at the top! PNUT     Good morning folks, Its a fine morning on LeConte. Yesterday’s high only reached 12 degrees. The overnight low bottomed out at 4 degrees. It was 11 degrees and crystal clear skies at 7 am observation. We received 0.05” of precipitation. 0” of new snow since yesterday. Our snow fall total still stands at 11” but much higher in places. Temps are going to warm up a bit but will still be a cold day up top so get your best puffy jacket out folks! Wind chills up here make it even colder so remember to have extra layers once reaching the summit. Wow! What a great day yesterday. Flurries danced through the morning eventually clearing around mid afternoon only to unveil a incredible sunset. Much of the day yesterday was spent roaming around camp taking pictures and soaking it all in. Also, a fresh peach cobbler was made last night after supper. A great winter day it was. See you up top! PNUT  Good morning folks, The high yesterday only reached 30 degrees. Our overnight low bottomed out at 7 degrees. It is 8 degrees and light snow flurries with light winds. We received 1.23” of precipitation. We received 11” of snow with drifts much higher in exposed areas. Traction devices will be needed to reach the summit as well as full winter gear! It’s cold folks! Be safe in these conditions hypothermia can set in fast! Yesterdays snow began falling soon after 7am with temps dropping drastically throughout the day. It quickly began to collect on the grassy areas and roofs of the cabins. The snow tapered off around noon only to start pouring snow around 6pm. Upon waking up and walking to the kitchen I was in store for a great day at LeConte. What will today bring? Sledding? 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
January 2025
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