August 18th, 2017

Red sky at morning was an interesting event

Good Morning,

We were treated to sun, rain, and clouds yesterday. Sporadic showers pelted hikers and crew members alike who were enjoying the sunshine moments earlier. The rain amounted to .10” over the course of the day and we expect to see much more today.

It is noticeably humid up here on the mountain with 71 degrees during the day and an even more humid 56 over the course of the night. We expect rain most of today.

Llamas are coming up today and Sunday, so keep your eyes out for them and listen to the wrangler’s instructions if you happen to chance upon them on the trail.

Eclipse forecast.

As of tomorrow morning we should have a nice, sunny, weekend that will carry over into Monday. There is a 20% chance of rain, which, if you're familiar with the Smokies weather, means anything could happen. To those overnight guests staying with us on Sunday the 20th, please know that you are welcome to stay on the mountain as long as you desire, since the Eclipse will take place in the middle of the afternoon. On the other hand, you won't be able to occupy the guest cabins past the usual morning checkout time (camp cleanup starts at 9:30 AM), as the crew will still have to ready them for Monday's next arrivals as normal.
​ On the flip side of that, even though we and the NPS are encouraging folks to get to the trailheads as early as possible to beat traffic congestion, please understand that this won't mean overnight guests on Monday the 21st will be able to check-in to their cabins earlier than normal (before noon). We anticipate having a very busy day on the mountain, and we greatly appreciate everyone's patience in advance as we strive to cater to all of our visitors' needs during this rare solar event. Folks curious about staying at the shelter will need to confer with the NPS Backcountry Office. If the shelter is full, there is no other camping permitted on the mountain.


Have a a wonderful Friday!