Yesterday's sky was a canvas painted with pinks, purples, and oranges. It was a breathtaking end to a perfect day. The high reached 57º. After spending the first few weeks in the teens, that temperature filled us with warmth and thoughts of summer. Just to let you know how crazy the temperatures can be, the low was 34º. It was pretty cold last night. This is why it is so important to bring plenty of layers with you when you come up to stay for the night. Today is looking like another gorgeous day up top. Chris and I will hiking down this evening. I am excited to head to Alabama to wish my dad a wonderful 80th birthday. We will be back on Saturday. I know you will enjoy Nathan's knee slapping anecdotes . Happy Hiking and see you on Saturday.
Mark B
4/9/2013 12:42:05 am
Allyson,
Rick Doke
4/9/2013 09:58:46 am
Sorry We missed you tried in the snow but Dad fell and had to turn back-1st time ever. It was wonderful seeing the snow. April trip was wonderful. We will try again end of July. Hope to see you soon. I am still trying to get Stacy to come but I don't think it is working.
Debi
4/9/2013 12:52:04 am
Beautiful picture today. Enjoy your time off.
Gina
4/9/2013 01:12:01 am
Thoroughly enjoyed my three hours on the mountain yesterday!! Sun was shining and we baked in it at Cliff Tops after our nice lunch at the lodge. Got to meet the llamas also, enjoyed awing over them. And oh yeah, got my 2013 T-shirt!!! We took Rainbow, left trailhead at 7:45 and made it up top at noon. Just a little ice at top nothing major. That should be gone very soon with the next two warm days of weather were having here in the mountains.
Pat N.
4/9/2013 02:06:26 am
Enjoy your time off the mountain. Looks like you will be celebrating a very important birthday.
Kathy
4/9/2013 02:09:13 am
Hope you both have a great time celebrating your dads 80th b-day. How great!
Brian N bama
4/9/2013 02:36:50 am
Sweet Home Alabama!! I hope you will be on the mountain mothers day as that is when I will make my next journey to paradise. I will be bringing my sons , my dad and my uncle. They are first timers and are more excited than a kid on Christmas morning.
doug y
4/9/2013 02:45:32 am
I enjoy reading about everyone hiking up any of the trails, "dashing" back off, and so forth. The style of hiking that I follow these days certainly wouldn't qualify as the "dashing" sort ! But I get there. I was scanning through my photo album of my 1985 A.T. hike along the A.T. through the Park ( my 4th such trip) and discovered a short piece that I composed during that week. I should have taken a detour for a couple of days and stayed at the lodge as a break, but I wasn't familar with it then. People experience many different emotions along various trails, and the five, six if you prefer, that take us to the lodge evoke many such feelings:
debnfl
4/9/2013 02:56:18 am
Nice writing Doug!
debnfl
4/9/2013 03:34:54 am
Such a beautiful photo! Can't wait till our May trip. Counting the days! I do wonder if we can refill our water containers after an over night stay at LeConte or do we need to pack all our drinking water for the trip there and back? I tried logging onto the forum but having a problem with it for some reason.
Nash
4/9/2013 04:33:50 am
Yes, you can refill your water bottles. There is a spigot outside of the office just for that. You can't miss it.
chrisy
4/9/2013 04:26:18 am
Safe travels to you and yours to our Sweet Home Alabama. We are supposed to have rough weather blow through on Thursday so be safe.
Kent
4/9/2013 04:47:03 am
I've been back for three days an already I'm ready to go again. Mountains can really get in your blood, I tell ya. It's hard to explain to those who don't feel that connection.
doug y
4/9/2013 08:05:51 am
Thanks Debnfl. That's me. I completely understand, Kent, how you feel. I'll never be satisfied with enough hikes; always planning my next one; I lay in bed most nights going over itinerarys and routes and gear for more hikes, short and long alike. And it certainly is a very difficult task explaining how we feel about being out on a trail; some people will never comprehend those feelings. So, remember: no matter where you go, there you are ! G'day friends..........
Doug Y, I truly appreciate your many interesting comments. I approach LeConte from a different angle than most folks, up all the streams, whether it be Alum Cave Creek, Styx, Trout, Bearpen, Cole, Roaring Fork, Cannon, Lowes, Boulevard, Shutts, etc., etc., But however we get there it is wonderful. This weekend I did a circuit of Bradley Fork (as an NC resident I'm impaired by the roadslide on 441), and as soon as I popped out on the A.T. I saw LeConte looming up, gigantic. Great stuff! May all of us be inspired by it.
doug y
4/10/2013 12:57:07 am
Jenny B.: thank you. I share your perspectives. I don't do much "cross country" hiking these days, but the allure of it still holds me in its grasp. In the next few years my routes will hopefully be more on your side of the mountains; around the Fontana Dam area is a particular favorite of mine. G'day. Comments are closed.
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LeConte LodgeWelcome to the official blog of LeConte Lodge. We hope you find the information provided here both helpful and enjoyable. Thank you for visiting the site, and we hope to see you on the mountain! Archives
March 2024
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