August 19, 2023

Good Morning,

​Sunshine and blue skies are in the cards for this weekend. Expect the most visited national park to be bustling with enthusiastic hikers and sightseers today and tomorrow! Especially with the climate giving us autumn temperature teasers in recent days. We should finally shake the persisting cloud cover that has been keeping us from enjoying clear skies during the day like everyone else around us. Yesterday’s clouds were so thick and full of condensation that the trees were dripping so much one might have thought it was raining. The summit will also start getting back to more summer-like temps, reaching the mid 60s this afternoon and near 70° on Sunday. In all likelihood the humidity will ramp back up as well, bringing the return of sticky ascents.

There’s been an uptick in bear activity on various Mt. LeConte trails in recent days. The NPS has posted signage at trailheads detailing as much. With the calendar pushing into late summer, the berries and nuts that bears crave will become more plentiful. Some of the best pickings also happen to be in places routinely congested with human visitors. A few popular hot spots this season have been a mile down Alum Cave Trail from the summit, in Cherokee Orchard, and at the Grotto Falls parking lot along Roaring Fork Road. So please be “bear aware” while visiting those and other areas.

​Have a great day.