Aug. 30, 2014

Frequently you're presented with the juxtaposition of the modern and old on LeConte. We begin to take it for granted, but it's not every corner in America you see an old, weather-beaten, wood-shingled shed next to a solar panel.

Good afternoon from the top of LeConte.  We've been in a nice weather pattern as of late.  Friday was dry and beautiful most of the day with a high of 71 and low of 54.  We've had a few more clouds today, but are still enjoying some afternoon sun.

While Labor Day is a bit of an exception with most schools taking a breather, we notice fewer children staying overnight on the mountain.  The army of youngsters on leave during the summer has been drafted back into school, their backpacks repurposed to tote textbooks rather than trail mix.

The crew noted an exception to that lack of children today during lunch when a girl stopped by to visit.  It proved a pretty interesting conversation, as many up here turn out, and I learned a lot.  Donning a Tinkerbell shirt (of Peter Pan fame), she has been exploring around the lodge grounds with an omnipresent magnifying glass--"looking for clues."

She told us she hiked up to LeConte Lodge to stay last year, but she was only two-feet tall then.  I mentioned that she must be eating right because she had apparently doubled in height this year.  I continued that she better watch out because she may show up at the lodge next year at eight-feet tall if she continued to double--and that would present problems for ducking through all our doors.  I think that prospect perplexed her a bit.

Further, I learned that she and her family had explored Myrtle Point earlier in the day.  I told her that was a pretty nice hike, but it would be easy for Tinkerbell, who could just flitter about anywhere she wanted on LeConte.  The little girl countered, "Yes, but not if she got her wings wet."  I agreed that was wise planning because wet wings are always a possibility on LeConte and could slow down even the fittest fairy.

You meet all sorts of nice and interesting people on the mountain, and today was no exception.  I hope you're one of those nice and interesting folks who get to come up and see us.  Happy trails.