May 7, 2024

Good Afternoon,

The mountain sure got lit up last night. A thunderhead decided to set up shop right over the heart of the Smokies around supper time, its booms reverberating across Mt. LeConte and the nearby peaks. That left trails plenty wet and still draining out this morning. Thankfully it’s been a bit calmer today, mostly a mix of sun and clouds at all elevations. We’ve been hovering in the mid 50s and near 60° much of the day. A slight chance for pop-up showers exists late this afternoon, but nothing that should be overly dramatic. That’s all expected tomorrow and Thursday according to the forecast. Day hikers were wise to take advantage of the break in the action today to get that nature fix. You know it’s the right day to hike when “Larry Legend” is on the trail!

At this moment, Wednesday and Thursday are both calling for steady rain with some storms being severe. Winds could gust up to 30mph. Temps will remain in the 50s most of the time. Depending on how these storms strike and just how heavily they decide to unload, it should come as no surprise that creeks could swell quickly, or that roads get temporarily closed. So aside from packing the appropriate gear for dealing with the rain, have a backup plan ready in case your first trail of choice becomes inaccessible due to adverse conditions. And use extra care at unbridged crossings if water levels happen to rise enough to obscure stepping stones. It just takes one cloudburst in the right spot, and places like the upper crossing or LeConte Creek on Rainbow Falls, or the lower mile and a half of Alum Cave from the trailhead to Styx Branch, get reeeeal dicey. Heads on a swivel…turn around don’t drown…all that stuff makes for good advice when the storms of spring and summer find their way to the mountains.

Have a great rest of the day.