September 10, 2021

Good Morning,

Bring on the sunshine and clear skies! It’s a fabulous time of year to be living life on top of Ole Smoky. Low temps are in the bottom 40s this morning, and we should ascend into the upper 50s later on. Winds will be light which could add a bit of a chill to the air for some. But these conditions are perfect for hiking in, especially with the humidity having been dialed back. Going to be like this through the weekend, so get out and enjoy it if you can. Reminder that this weekend is one of the auto-cruises in Pigeon Forge, so congestion will be heavy in the area. Especially when you consider that school zones will be letting students out early today, and places like the Cades Cove loop are closed to visitors for the month, so folks coming to the park will be congregating in the remaining accessible popular areas.

Want to take a moment to share our condolences to the family and friends of Charles Williams who passed away recently. For many decades, lodge enthusiasts have taken pride in donning their “I Hiked It” shirts. We have an outstanding team of folks at American Graffitee who work with our artists to craft a unique shirt that lodge visitors can wear with pride. For many years, Charles has helped take what our artists design on paper and transform it into a beautiful piece of art worthy of printing on a shirt. We thank Charles for his contributions to a popular piece of apparel these many years that can be seen round the world, year after year.

​Have a great weekend.