September 27, 2022

Good Morning,

It’s a calm, clear, and cold Tuesday morning on the mountain. The mercury dipped to a frigid low temp of 29°, but there’s only a faint hint of frost in a few places. Even with the sunny skies expected, temps are going to spend the bulk of their time in the 30s and 40s today. The winds will only add to the chill, gusting as much as 25mph at times. We’re down to 12 hours of daylight now, and with the sun slowly arching lower in the southern sky, the shaded portions on this mountain’s northern slopes will grow in coverage and remain cooler longer. So if you’re intending on hiking trails like Rainbow Falls or Trillium Gap, keep that in mind when packing your gear. We have a couple more days of sunny skies lined up until the rain returns in earnest this weekend.

The Smokies are currently in the rapidly intensifying Hurricane Ian’s wide forecast cone, but it’s still a bit too early to know just how impactful it will be here. If it continues to take an easterly track, the bulk of the wind and rain should stay on the North Carolina side of the park and away from Mt. LeConte. We’ll know significantly more in the next day or two, and certainly keep guests and day hikers posted.

We want to give a quick shout out to beloved longtime lodge employee and llama wrangler Chrissy Householder, who on Sunday completed her dream of thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail. She joins a growing list of current and former lodge staff, which includes her husband Alan, who have accomplished the feat of thru or section hiking the famous footpath. We’ve all been following her journey since the spring, admiring her strength and determination along the way, and are incredibly proud of her achievement. This week we raise a glass of LeConte Lodge hot chocolate in her honor!

Have a great day.