 WIND & RAIN
I heard wind last night and woke up to gusts this morning. Yesterday’s high temperature finally made 60 degrees. Then it dropped to 48 degrees at 6:00 AM this morning. Light rain is expected this afternoon and tomorrow. Today is Saturday so I anticipate heavy hiker traffic today. And since it is Saturday, don’t forget to set your alarm forward before you go to sleep tonight! It’s not quite spring yet, but it’s getting closer. I was able to see another good sunset. With the way that the weather changes so quickly up here and the way that the clouds come and go it’s difficult to predict what the sunset will look like on any given night! Stay dry (this may be an opportunity to try an umbrella!) and be safe! HAPPY TRAILS!! WILDCAT/Bert
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 MT LECONTE ASTRONOMY It seems as though most of the time the skies over Mt LeConte are cloudy. The moon was full last Tuesday but I couldn’t see it because of the clouds. This morning there were just a few clouds in the sky and I could see the moon. I always enjoy seeing the moon set in the west. This morning I could observe the moon setting and turn around and at the same time watch the sunrise in the east. Pretty cool! We finally passed the 50 degree mark here at the lodge! Yesterday’s high temperature was 57 degrees—and that was with a cloudy, foggy morning! I’m hoping that we can do better today. In any case it should be a pleasant day on the trails. I hope that you have a fabulous Friday. HAPPY TRAILS!! WILDCAT/Bert   DO YOU SEE BEARS UP THERE? One of the most frequently asked questions that I have from day hikers is about bears. In the four winters that I’ve spent at LeConte Lodge I haven’t seen a single bear! I tell the hikers that bears are smart so they prefer Gatlinburg where food is readily available. I mostly see squirrels and an occasional deer. I’ve seen Bobcat tracks in the snow, but have not actually seen a Bobcat up here. A friend of mine who works for the Park Service saw a fox at Cliff Tops last week. The crew who work at the Lodge in the warmer months occasionally see a bear around the lodge. This makes it very important to store any food that you may have so that bears and other animals do not have access to it! This includes trash that smells like food. The rule is: PACK IT IN—PACK IT OUT! HAPPY TRAILS!! WILDCAT/Bert   SPRING?
This morning I started receiving text messages about “spring”. My answer would be not quite yet, but it’s coming. Yesterday started with a 37 degree temperature at the lodge with clouds, fog, rain and wind. But we did have a high temperature of 47 degrees in the afternoon when the sun began shining thru the clouds at about 3:30 PM. Later in the day we were able to see a nice sunset from Cliff Tops. This morning started at 44 degrees, with clouds and fog. Four hours later the temperature has risen to yesterday’s high and the sun is shining. So today does feel rather spring like! But please remember that the Smokies normally still receive snow and experience real winter weather in March and April. So enjoy the warmer weather and the sunshine, but continue to keep your rain gear, winter coats, caps and gloves, and traction devices close at hand because we aren’t quite finished with winter just yet! Be prepared! HAPPY TRAILS!! WILDCAT/Bert  A CLOUDY MORNING ON MT LECONTE
This morning is cloudy with a 37 degree temperature. The Lodge received one tenth of an inch precipitation last night. I’m hoping that the skies will clear as the day progresses—the solar panels need sunshine! There were more day hikers on Mt LeConte yesterday than I expected. It seemed that the majority were college students from Michigan! I hope that you have a great day. HAPPY TRAILS!! WILDCAT/Bert  HELLO FROM LECONTE LODGE
The weather conditions here are not as exciting as they have been recently—cloudy with light rain and mist today. The past few days had clear blue skies and bright warm sunshine. I think that today is probably the perfect day to promote hiking umbrellas. The umbrellas are lighter in weight than most raincoats. They are usually less expensive. Umbrellas can be easily carried on the outside of your pack, making them readily accessible whenever a sudden shower catches you off guard. When relying entirely upon the raincoat you must take the pack off and unpack your raincoat and then reassemble everything—by the time you accomplish this often you and your gear are soaked by the rain! Just an idea—try it sometime and see what you think. Anything that you can do to stay dry will help to make you a happy hiker! HAPPY TRAILS!! WILDCAT/Bert  SPRING BREAK!
Mt LeConte enjoyed good weather on Saturday—and so did multitudes of college-aged day hikers! This is always a sign that it’s time for Spring Breaks to begin. The temperature yesterday afternoon finally reached 49 degrees—I hope that it exceeds 50 degrees today. The casual observer can tell that the hikers are college students by the way that they dress—or fail to do so! One young man arrived at the Lodge going barefoot and wearing shorts. Leconte receives visitors every year from all parts of the world. Today’s surprise was a group of four gentlemen from Nepal. Of course they asked about seeing bears—I told them that they would have to settle for a WILDCAT! I guess that I’ll go outside and enjoy the sunshine and play Mt LeConte ambassador for the multitudes of spring breakers! HAPPY TRAILS!! WILDCAT/Bert  SUPER SATURDAY
There was no precipitation at LeConte Lodge yesterday! Zero rain and zero snow. I was able to sit outside at the picnic tables in the warm sunshine and visit with the dayhikers. The temperature yesterday afternoon made it up to 48 degrees. I was greeted by clear skies this morning. Breakfast this morning was sausage and scrambled eggs and pancakes. I would like to thank the hiker friends who carried the eggs and pork sausage up the mountain for me to enjoy. Their thoughtfulness helps to make this a super Saturday indeed! I’m cautiously optimistic that we will be able to enjoy a glorious sunset this evening! HAPPY TRAILS!! WILDCAT/Bert  SUNSHINE!
The skies were partly cloudy at 6:00 AM this morning. The Lodge received 0.95 inches of precipitation yesterday and last night. But three hours later the sky above the Lodge is clear and the sun is shining. The valley below us appears to have heavy cloud cover. The weather is so unpredictable and changes so quickly! If you are planning to hike up LeConte today you should anticipate wet trail conditions. Our recent weather conditions have turned most of the snow into history, but an inch of rain each day for the last two days is causing some flooding at some spots on the trails. Plan accordingly—carry at least one extra pair of clean, dry wool socks. Please join our solar panels in enjoying the sunshine! HAPPY TRAILS!! WILDCAT/Bert How many of you readers remember Roy Rogers? HAPPY TRAILS was his theme song! Another Roy Rogers helped to save my life—at least my toes—on the Continental Divide Trail.  RAIN!
I was awakened by gusts of wind several times during the night but promptly went back to sleep. This morning there was 1.2 inches of rain in the gauge at our weather station and the temperature was above freezing—36 degrees. This combination of wind, rain, and warmer air took care of the remaining snow. The few remaining patches are mostly slush. Park roads are open this morning. The solar panels here would benefit from having sunshine again to recharge the batteries. Patience! I guess that we’ll just have to wait. Have a great day! HAPPY TRAILS!! WILDCAT/Bert |
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
February 2026
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