RIP Our Dear Friend

John and Bonnie Northrup, Chris Virden, David Scanlon, Nathan Kirkham, Alan Householder

This is one of the toughest posts I will have had to write during my stint on this blog. It is with great sadness we learned of the passing of our dear friend David Scanlon. He graced us with his smiling face and gentle soul almost every week. He hated to miss a Monday due to holidays or weather, so he would hike up another day during the week. He enjoyed bringing us the paper and catching up on the weeks news. David was a true advocate for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. He served as an officer on the boards of the Great Smoky Mountains Association and Discover Life in America. He was an avid hiker and completed all 900 miles of trail in the park. David was a long time member of the Smoky Mountain Hiking Club and had the opportunity to lead many hikes for them. His knowledge of this park and its history was abundant. Mt. LeConte was added to his long list of passions in 1966. He told us his first hike up was a memorable one. He was excited to have met Harvey Broome at the lodge. Mr. Broome and then lodge operator, Herrick Brown, entertained the guests with stories of this beloved mountain. Twelve years on this mountain has provided many memories of sitting across the lunch table with David and discussing the latest current affairs, what flowers were blooming in the lower elevations, what hikes he went on over the week, and what trips he had taken recently. He was a wealth of knowledge and we are better people for having had him in our lives. September 30th, 2014 was David's last hike up his favorite mountain. He had close to 1000 trips to the lodge. David Scanlon will be dearly missed. May his soul rest in peace.