Cold Temperatures on the Mountain

3/23/2014

We awoke to a wintery mix. There is a dusting on the ground and rain and sleet coming down. It is going to be a frigid day up top. The high yesterday was 47º with a low of 29º. It is currently 32º.

I was corrected yesterday about the early helicopter resupply. I was given the information by men who have done extensive research on the early years of LeConte Lodge. I will say, since I have not seen the information myself, I am not positive on the earliest flight to Mt. Leconte. This does make me curious. Maybe that will be homework for the season.

Beckie L

3/23/2014 01:42:50 am

Allyson, do you have this seasons tee shirts up there yet. Hoping it works out for a day hike tomorrow! Looks like trails will be icy. I coming prepared for that & looking forward to being up top, even if its only for a few hours. Who knows, maybe you guys will have a cancellation I can snag as snow is on the way tomorrow night!!! Wish I could hang out to see that!

High On LeConte

3/23/2014 03:13:05 am

We have a limited amount of shirts. We are still waiting to finish the helicopter lift and most of the remaining loads are our t-shirts. If you want a better color selection, you may want to wait.

tomk in SC

3/23/2014 03:15:48 am

I'm not sure what the deal is with helicopters, but the ratio of hype to fact around them is pretty stout. The first usable helicopters didn't emerge until Sikorsky in the forties. I used to work with a bunch of ex-mil folks here in South Carolina who served in Viet Nam. The number of people who claim to have been on the last helicopter out of Saigon would require about a dozen rotors bolted to an A380 which didn't exist then. Helos are amazing contraptions and a lot of mystery and imagination seems to surround them. I put the helo lift on my calendar every year and every year something comes up. This year I was in Queens, NYC. Perhaps next year I can be there and see it all happen.

Andy D link

3/25/2014 02:01:18 am

Allyson, I have done extensive research on the pioneering days of hiking to Le Conte and the time that Paul Adams spent on the mountain during the winter of 1925-26. In his memoirs, Adams recorded what was possibly the first official "air drop" of supplies to his camp/cabin. This occurred on a cold day in March 1926. Lt. Bill Williams of the Army’s Air Division was flying survey trips over the Smokies. He flew over the camp and dropped packages containing a week’s supply of Knoxville newspapers, a 10lb bag of flour, 5 lbs of sliced bacon, a side of sow belly, a dozen t-bone steaks, some round steak, two heads of lettuce, a head of cabbage, fresh fruit, and two pounds of pipe tobacco.

I will be publishing a 4-part series of blog posts to my website over the next 2 weeks that discusses the history of hiking on the mountain. Just keep an eye on my blog at http://twistedridgephotography.com

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Cold Temperatures on the Mountain

LeConte Lodge

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