High On LeConte
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June 3, 2014

6/3/2014

 
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Hello again to all of you.  This is Nathan, patching in on High on LeConte for Allyson during her June off days.  We've been welcoming lots of interesting guests since I last wrote, including more than a few nice folks last night.

We hosted folks celebrating a birthday and anniversary.  In addition, there was a gentleman spending last night with us who has made a trip to LeConte Lodge for 41 consecutive years.  More than four decades without a miss puts him in some lofty company.  Additionally, we welcomed two nice ladies from Ireland as overnight guests.  We did our best to be hospitable, going so far as to order up 40 shades of green and a heaping helping of gray to embrace them.

That brings us to the weather.  We topped out at 62 degrees with an overnight low of 49.  We've been bathed in a cloud for most of the last two days.  Late last night the ceiling raised enough for us to look into the valley, but most of the time we've not been able to see across camp.

I know from some conversations I've had with hikers and those living down below that the cloud doesn't extend all the way to the valley.  Some told me yesterday that they had decent skies until the last couple of miles of hiking before they reached the lodge.  The cloud seems to be clutching the top of LeConte like a kindergartener afraid to leave his parents on the first day of school.

I call our current crown of clouds the "LeConte sombrero."  Last week I saw firsthand the ring of clouds suffocating the top of the mountain as I drove through Pigeon Forge under clear skies on my way back to work.  It appears the LeConte sombrero has been donned the last couple of days.  Sometimes when we're lucky enough to be clear for sunset on Cliff Tops, I notice the same effect on Clingman's Dome.

In some ways LeConte's thick crown of clouds fits perfectly with summer on the mountain.  The vegetation closes in and impedes visibility into the woods.  You certainly can't see very far off the trail.  Perhaps summer is the most secretive of seasons, always hiding something that would be in plain sight the rest of the year.  The sleeves get shorter and we swap jeans for swim trunks, but summer holds onto whispers as the woods become less revealing.  Autumn will come soon enough, blowing off the cloak of secrecy and opening up the mountains to honest scrutiny.

There's still plenty of beauty to behold even on a cloudy day hiking up LeConte.  I noticed the Catawba rhododendron blooming last week, impressively framing Inspiration Point on the Alum Cave Bluff Trail.  The colors of the rhododendron blooms pretty near matched the dress of my date for my senior prom during the Clinton administration.

Thanks for reading.  I'll try to sniff out some more LeConte stories for you during the next week.  Happy trails.
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norman the airborne rebel
6/3/2014 09:26:50 am

glad to here from you on the mountain, you never know what you're going toget for weather there; but it is always GOOD! wish i could be there..

Janet
6/3/2014 10:03:14 am

A Sombrero... I've never heard the cloud cover described that way! Ole'!!! I like it! Except now, I can't get the picture of the mountain wearing a big hat out of my head! I like being on trails when summer is in force. Well, I like being on the trails in spring, winter and fall too. But when things are thick, and the clouds are close, it's kind of mystical. The forest takes on a whole new persona. I've only gotten to experience it a few times down there, but I love it!

norman
6/3/2014 11:45:17 am

Janet--- where is up younder? Ga. & LeConte is down there! Dixie Land!

Janet
6/4/2014 12:57:12 am

Norman- I'm from Ohio, so those beautiful mountains are "down there" to me!

Glenn Oh
6/4/2014 01:00:31 am

Hello Leconte crew, does anyone know if Rainbow Falls trail goes thru the recent forest fire area, i'm curious as to how it looks and may go up that way Friday, thanks !!!

High on LeConte
6/5/2014 03:00:53 pm

Glenn,

I've checked with the crew, and I don't think any of us has hiked all the way up or down Rainbow Falls Trail since the fire. I know you can see some of the burned area below the Rocky Spur area of the trail, but I haven't walked through it myself. I do know the trail crew worked hard to get it open and allow for safe passage. Sorry I don't have first-hand information, but for some reason most of the crew avoids hiking Rainbow Falls Trail below Rocky Spur. Have a good hike whatever route you choose.

Nathan

norman
6/4/2014 05:34:58 am

Janet- you are so right; from where i am at (north of Atlanta), the mountains are up there.

doug y link
6/4/2014 07:19:02 am

Janet, Norman: You are BOTH right with your directional descriptions of where the Lodge and the Smokies are located, from your individual standpoint. It's purely a subjective discussion. For me, as you Janet, the Park is "down" and to the south. Actually, it truly doesn't really matter, just how we all love those mountains. I am planning another trip to Elkmont next week and hope to witness what a lot of folks have been talking about which are the "synchronous" fireflies. I have about a twenty-five acre hayfield below my house here and I see a very nice firefly display in most clear evenings. So I'm looking forward to the event(s) "down" there !
Nathan: as always, your narratives are enjoyable; I want to return to the lodge this season and just talk with you about your adventures, comparing them to some of mine perhaps, but I fear that my bad knees are going to interfere with any trips up the mountains, but do continue your enlightening commentaries. Thanks.

doug y link
6/4/2014 07:55:57 am

I meant to write above a wee bit about a topic that was thoroughly delightful on this site several months ago, that being the very pleasant exchange of ideas and experiences regarding various restaurants in Gatlinburg. Of course, there is, for most of us who frequent this site, there's nothing better usually than dinner and breakfast at Leconte Lodge !! Those are experiences in a class by themselves ! But I was also wondering about other places people on here enjoyed staying when not up on the mountain, but rather than address that here right now, I'll leave it as just a nice thought. I made a short narrative about one of my favorite inns in town on my own site. I just realized that my comments today are on yesterday's page ! G'day all.

Rich D
6/4/2014 10:11:14 am

We stayed the night of June 2 and got some pictures of the bear as we got down towards the Grotto Falls parking lot. Thanks for the great time and hopefully we will be back.


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