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July 15, 2013

7/15/2013

 
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Sunrise was no slouch this morning, either.
"Well it was Gatlinburg in mid-July, and I just hit town and my throat was dry.  I thought I'd stop and have myself a brew.  At an old saloon on a street of mud, there at a table, dealing stud, sat the dirty, mangy dog that named me Sue."  -- "A Boy Named Sue" by Shel Silverstein.
Good afternoon to everyone.  Here I sit atop Tennessee, a vertical mile above Gatlinburg, in mid-July and it reminded me of the corresponding lyrics to "A Boy Named Sue."

Lots of lessons to be gleaned from Shel Silverstein's song, but first of all the weather on Mt. LeConte.  On Sunday, a light rain stuck with us most of the day, amounting to 0.31 inches.  The high was 62 with a low of 52, assuredly much chillier than the conditions in Gatlinburg in the song.  We even had guests ask us to turn on the heater in the office, which isn't happening many other spots in the South this summer.

However, you won't find more comfortable temperatures in the state, both for hiking and sleeping weather, than on our fair mountain this time of year.  We've not seen any rain yet today.  There have been a few sun sightings (more than yesterday), but mostly clouds have hovered around us today.

Back to "A Boy Named Sue," set just down the mountain in our neighbor town of Gatlinburg this very time of year, Johnny Cash made the most famous recording of Silverstein's song.  Many people assume Cash wrote the song, but I've heard that although he liked the lyrics, the Man in Black was brand new to the tune when he made his famous recording in front of a captive audience at San Quentin Prison in California.

I've even heard that he was so unfamiliar with the song that he read the lyrics from a "cheat sheet" during his performance for the prisoners.  Reading or no, the inmates at San Quentin must have liked what they heard because they sounded like they were about to rip the walls down.  If I ever get a crowd that sounds like that in the LeConte Lodge dining room, I'm calling some park rangers for backup.

At any rate, should you find yourself in Gatlinburg this mid-July and thirsty, please come up and see us.  Make sure you pack plenty of water for the hike (most people don't hydrate adequately in the summer).  Once at the lodge, we serve lemonade, hot chocolate and coffee for $3 with free refills from noon until 4 p.m. for day hikers.  Overnight lodge guests 21 years and older on LeConte can also order an hour of wine service from 6-7 p.m. during supper.  We also have the best water in Tennessee available for free, treated and ready to drink from the blue-handled spigot next to the office.

A bit of neighborly advice, while there are plenty of fine establishments in Gatlinburg, we would recommend you steer clear of any illicit gambling in saloons on streets of mud.  If you listen to the rest of the song no good will come of it.  Have a fine mid-July and happy trails.
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There are always plenty of beautiful things to see on LeConte, but it's hard for me to keep my eyes off the sky.
Kent
7/15/2013 09:34:58 am

Your last paragraph contained excellent advice, Nathan. One would definitely steer clear of the type of establishment you mentioned, lest one lose a portion of cartilage attached the side of one's head.

Mary F
7/15/2013 11:12:39 am

Just settling back in from my annual visit to the lodge last Friday. Brought along some new visitors and I must say, everyone was really impressed with the dedication of the staff. One person in our party had dietary issues, which you handled with ease, thank you! We met Chris and Allyson above the bluffs on Alum heading down for some time off. We were also pleased that the sunshine we carried in our pockets worked, we were told at breakfast that Friday was the first day in July without rain, yay us!! Pleasure to meet Nathan, Brad and Caroline and of course we learned a lot from Ranger Mark's talks. All in all, another wonderful experience!! I miss the mountain already and look forward to visiting again next year. In the meantime, this blog will keep me happy :-). I may get up for a day hike in the fall, if my old legs will get me there, lol. Happy Trails!

c in Ms.
7/15/2013 11:33:18 am

What has happened to Doug Y????

Rexanna
7/15/2013 11:52:57 am

Hi "c in Ms.". Doug has comments posted under yesterday's date. :)

Debi
7/15/2013 12:45:56 pm

Yah!! No rain, you must've had some big pockets to carry all that sunshine up there with you Mary F lol. Beautiful pics Nathan. And also good stories today.

Paul B
7/15/2013 02:00:25 pm

Another song in my mind is heightened by the photo. "Sovereign" by Chris Tomlin
Sovereign in the mountain air
Sovereign on the ocean floor
With me in the the calm
With me in the storm
Sovereign in my greatest joy
Sovereign in my deepest cry
With me in the dark
With me in the dawn

Tom
7/15/2013 03:07:22 pm

To Brian N bama; your note yesterday about a hike from Davenport to LeConte in 3 days. Unless you love long up hills, be prepared for a long 5 mile hike up to Mt Cammerer. My favorite shelter on this section is Tri-Corner Knob. It's right on the trail with an excellent water source 20 ft in front of the shelter. Pecks corner as I remember is about a half mile off trail downhill, with the water source further down hill. If you can plan it, do Tri-Corner over Pecks. If you can't get a reservation at lodge, the shelter on LeConte is an OK shelter to consider. If you hike in October, pack warm gear - it can and does snow at times at that elevation that time of year

Brian N bama
7/16/2013 02:20:10 am

Tom, I think we may be stretching to be at icewater in 2 days but that is the goal. The whole trip hinges on an opening at the lodge. My days are flexible so any will work. I am actually hoping fo some snow fall. Have hiked up alum twice in the snow and fell in love with it. Thanks for all the info, maybe we can narrow it down soon.

doug y
7/16/2013 04:06:07 am

Brian N bama: I wish I could add some worthwhile ideas to Tom's and others, but I believe they've said it adequately. One can reach Icewater from Davenport Gap in two days of hiking, and your ability to do so appears to exceed mine, but, my age exceeds yours !! These days some call me "Slowwalker" and I wish I knew how to say that in the language of the Cherokee !! It's approximately 28.5 mi from Davenport Gap to Icewater according to my maps and experiences. Yes, Tricorner Knob is a good shelter 15.8 mi out and I, too, would recommend it. An alternative to the Icewater Spring shelter might be Kephart which, however, is about 3.8 mi one way off the A.T. so that may not be a viable alternate. Being about 5.5 mi from the A.T. out to the Lodge area makes almost for a full day's hike. As I've said and others readily have agreed, the Icewater shelter is definitely one to avoid during peak tourist seasons. Regardless, I believe you'll have a great trip. Be sure to give us all a report on it later. Good hiking.

Raz Theo, Nashville
7/16/2013 03:08:33 am

Nathan,
Thanks for your enlightening and very entertaining kick-starts to my daily grind. With your expressive talents combined with Allyson's and JP's, we could have the beginnings of a LeConte's "Fugitives" club; in the 1920's a group of likeminded, destined for fame, young writers formed an exclusive club here at Vanderbilt which went by that now revered handle. Talk about elevating the craft; heck, you're already at 6,500 ft. Lofty? High-minded? By all means.
Keep up the really nice work.
Thanks.

doug y
7/16/2013 03:35:20 am

Rick & Jane A. : Where are you !? I know you're reading this.............

J&R
7/16/2013 04:02:12 am

Doug we are home. I responded to your post yesterday.
I told you I was new to this! Have a great day.

doug y
7/16/2013 04:34:35 am

I somehow managed to miss your reply for yesterday, and I made a reply to it on yesterday's page. Keep in touch here. G'day.


Comments are closed.
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