Warm Wool Blankets

6/2/2013

This photo is for those of you who frequent the site and have not had a chance to visit this amazing mountain. The photograph was taken of one of the rooms in one of our three bedroom lodges. All of the cabins and lodges have bunkbeds with three wool blankets on them. They also have propane heaters in each room. Today is going to be a good day to enjoy the heaters and wool blankets. It is so dark and rainy I had to light my oil lamp to see. It feels like it is dusk. I think this morning is going to be a three cups of coffee kind of morning. So, I am predicting rain for the rest of the day. It is very different from yesterday. We had beautiful blue skies with a high of 67º during the day and a low of 51º last night. If you are hiking up today, please remember to bring dry clothing with you. You will want a change of clothes when you get to the top.

As for my lovely picture from yesterday, those of you who thought it was human scat, it is not. The scat is bear

Ryan--La

6/2/2013 12:33:21 am

Morning all , Looks like you have some weather to tend with today. Those bunk beds sure do look inviting though. I would still rather be hiking in the rain to the lodge, stepping in that bear scat from yesterday than in the 97% humidity at the mouth of the Mississippi River. Don't forget the rain gear.

Julie V

6/2/2013 12:34:37 am

So lovely! We need to get up for a visit! Got to exercise our lungs down here in the lowlands so we can make it up the mountain. ;)

doug y

6/2/2013 02:08:19 am

Thanks for the photo showing a typical room with those great wool blankets. When I describe the lodge experience to others I can show them another photo. For the life of me I cannot recall the name of those blankets or where someone said they can be obtained; I'm sure I'll find that info back in the past blogs. I suppose that any day now there'll be a bear sightng up there. G'day.

Mandie F

6/2/2013 02:17:05 am

They are Whitney blankets. How cool that the rooms have them! So beautiful. And so cozy! :-)

Connie

6/2/2013 02:38:20 am

Doug,
I was the one who posted the info. about the "Hudson Bay" blankets.They can be purchased at L.L. Bean or at Cabella's. They're shown on both websites. If you know where there is a Woolrich store or outlet you can find them there. When the Woolrich store was in the Five Oaks Outlet center in Sevierville several years ago, they carried them. We have owned the white candy stripe Queen size for over 30 yrs. Can't wait for cold weather to come so we can use it again. Very heavy and warm. Ours has a label on it that says original Hudson Bay blanket made in England. I don't know if the blankets manufactured now are still made in England. I suspect that Woolrich makes them now.
On another note, we love your posts. Keep it up

6/2/2013 01:29:02 pm

Thanks Connie. I hadn't yet gone back through the posts top find yours, so you saved me a wee bit of time. "Whitney" or "Hudson Bay", I'm going to get a couple for next winter. Even if a different manufacturer is producing them I think they'll be great to have. I have always like the Woolrich products, too. I know this, I've stayed at the lodge during some pretty cold temperatures and I needed little else to sleep in beneath those blankets !

Nathan

6/2/2013 03:19:51 am

I believe they are Whitney wool blankets.

Glenn OH

6/2/2013 03:04:50 am

Good morning all, Doug y Two bears were at the shelter Thursday nite and one of them was responsible for the picture, i think the ranger saw them Friday afternoon so he was telling everyone at the lodge Friday nite to beware that they were in the area, again we had a great hike and time at the Lodge,we're heading home it's pouring in the Smokies

Jenny B. link

6/2/2013 07:06:22 am

Responsible for the picture of the comfy beds with the nice blankets. Of course. Bears do like to curl up in a comfortable spot.

jean d

6/2/2013 03:47:40 am

Just looked up both Whitney Wool Blankets and Hudson Bay Wool blankets on line. Both look a lot like the picture above. They are both well made, comfy and warm and cost anywhere from about $300 to almost $600.

The difference may be that the Hudson Bay Wool Blankets have several black lines several inches long woven into the fabric on one side edge. The original Hudson Bay Blankets were sold by Hudson Bay Company and the black lines indicated how many skins a hunter, trapper, homesteader, etc. could pay as the price for a blanket.

6/2/2013 01:33:29 pm

jean d: good piece of information; thanks

tomk in SC

6/2/2013 01:59:06 pm

I was curious about the blankets as well. Now I am thinking about the beds. Witney, no h. A town in England that made them until around 1980. One of the pieces of info on the website was about the wool content v synthetic. There are plenty of things that might LOOK like the blankets at the top, but if the ones at the top are in fact pure wool, it might be harder to find the real thing.
As for the beds, what wood did they use? When were they built? Who built them? Were they all built at once? Were they built at the top or hauled up? Do they ever need maintenance/repair? Were they stained and varnished or is everything we see patina. (By the way, Allyson, the color balance in that shot is perfect) It would appear they were all shaped with a spoke shave, but I have no idea how the joints were done. They creak a bit but are solid. I'll look a bit more next time up.

Renate S

6/2/2013 05:03:23 am

Good morning Allyson, thank you so much for sharing the picture of one of the rooms. I've always wondered what the rooms look like. I cannot wait for they day when I can climb to the top! I read your blog every day, thank you for all you do! God Bless you and the crew!

Mike

6/2/2013 05:16:43 am

Thanks for the picture; it brings back good memories. I was lucky enough to stay overnight in Cabin #9 in June 2011 and June 2012. Alas, I wasn't lucky enough to get a reservation for this June. It looks like it will be an up and down trip this year to get my tee shirt.

Eileen R

6/2/2013 08:51:30 am

That looks exactly like the cabin I stayed in a few years ago when I hiked up! Unfortunately I have no pictures because I was trying to carry as little weight as possible. (I did have a phone but it must have been before camera phones.) The only pic I have is from a fellow hiker who was kind enough to email it to me. Anyway, love this one; thanks for posting!

Debi

6/2/2013 09:46:09 am

They look pretty cozy! Cold here in Michigan today too. Crazy weather!

Jim H

6/2/2013 09:51:21 am

I was hiking with a friend from Newfound Gap to Davenport Gap and spent a night at Tricorner shelter. The next morning when we left right in the middle of the trail was bear scat. My comment to my friend was, I guess we know what that bear thinks of us. We still had a great hike and had hamburgers at a place called mountain moma,s. Probabley is not there anymore.

6/2/2013 01:43:54 pm

Jim H: About every five years I hike the A.T. and I begin at Davenport Gap, ending at Fontana Dam. I usually stay at Tricorner shelter about two or three days along, depending upon my pace. This summer will make me two years overdue for that hike, but, anyway, I was wondering what kind of shape that shelter is in, and any others you may have noticed ? Good section of trail regardless.

6/3/2013 02:23:02 pm

Doug I wish I had some recent info to give you but it has been a number of years since I was there. I think that all of the shelters have been redone and I am sure it is in decent shape, if I hear anything different I will let yoy know.

ric

6/2/2013 01:01:06 pm

hiked up and down Saturday on alum cave, saw a pile that looks like a Xerox copy of the picture. was a really great day out Saturday, had one daughter and a granddaughter - shes leaving for navy in September so we got to enjoy the summer. hey, a question on the shirts, if yo get one home and its waaaay too small, can we swap 'em next time up? coming back in a few eeks with other daughter and another graddaughter.

Brian N bama

6/3/2013 06:33:58 am

Hey, I have stayed in that room twice with the family. : )
I think, that is the one on the left facing the dining hall isn't it?

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