 The mountain laurel was at its peak when Chris and I hiked down on Saturday. Inspirations Point was painted in pink and white flowers. Yesterdays hike was a little wet so I did not stop much to check it out. The high yesterday was 71. It is getting warmer up top.   The Lodge at Mt. LeConte LeConte Lodge is proud to offer the only authorized painting of the lodge by famed artist Robert A. Tino.
Robert brings the beauty of the Lodge and surroundings to life in “The Lodge at Mt. LeConte.” A limited edition of only 195 Giclees on canvas will be produced. A portion of every sale is being donated to the Friends of the Smokies to benefit the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in honor of their 75th Anniversary that occured last year. There are three sizes available, 22"x10", 36"x16", and 48"x22". The prints are shipped unframed in a protective tube. Please check the LeConte webiste at www.lecontelodge.com to order yours today!  It is that time of the year where we get to witness the new wildlife on the mountain. It is always fun to watch the fawns run across camp. Yesterday was a great day. The temperature was in the mid sixties. It is currently socked in and spitting rain. Chris and I are heading off the mountain for a few days and will be back on Tuesday. I hope I can handle the heat down below. I may have to escape back to the coolness of Mt. LeConte. This is your new blog post. Click here and start typing, or drag in elements from the top bar.
 After 3 days of rain and fog, the sun was a welcomed sight on the mountain. We had almost an inch of rain over the last day and a half. Today is looking good. Amazing sunrise this morning and blue skies presently.
 For the past month we have a had a problem with a bear coming in and out of camp. He would come in for a couple of days and then disappear for two or three days. He always seemed to disappear when the rangers came up to try and catch him. This time he was not so lucky, or maybe he was. The rangers came up and set snares to try and and catch him. When I say snares, I am talking about a cable that wraps around his foot. It does not hurt the bear in any way. It simply keeps him in one location so the ranger can dart him. The next step is to dart him with a tranquilizer so he will be under for a few hours. The ranger then proceeds to pull a tooth, tag him, weigh him, and several other procedures. The idea is to give the bear a horrible experience so it does not like people. When the bear wakes up from this ordeal it will want to stay as far away from us as possible. Hopefully, it will help save a bears life. To finish the story, the bear fell for the bait and was caught in the snare. While the ranger was getting the dart ready, the bear got loose. The ranger who caught him has been working with bears for over 22 years. He said in all his years he has never had a bear get out of one of the snares. We knew this bear was smart. So, the saga continues. We are hoping it was such a devastating experience that he will disappear and move on to another mountain top. I will keep you posted.  It was a chilly day yesterday, but the sun was out and the skies were blue. We went for a run to Myrtle Point. The dwarf rhododendron are getting ready for an awesome display. The high yesterday was 55 with a low of 44. The cool temperatures brought an amazing sunset.   Now this is the way you want to see a bear, his back side walking away from you. This bear has been keeping us busy for the past few weeks. He likes to disappear as soon as the Rangers get to the lodge. As soon as they leave he comes back out. Chris and I chased him around camp for a good two hours yesterday. I am hoping he will learn that he can not get any food here and there is no reason for him to stick around. In the mean time, I am sure getting my exercise and my aim is getting pretty good as well.
We have been in the clouds for the past few days. It rained on and off yesterday and it appears that is going to be the trend for today.  We managed to get out for a little while yesterday and hike around the mountain. The rain held off just long enough for us to get some fresh air. The temperatures were in the 60's again with clouds and rain moving in for the evening. It looking like the same for today. June seems to always bring rain to the mountain. I guess we should appreciate how it will help the wild flowers in July.
 Sevierville and Pigeon Forge from Mt. LeConte. One of the benefits of staying on LeConte is watching the night sky. We have seen some incredible meteor showers, the Space Station flying over head, the Shuttle separating from the Space Station, and some great star gazing. I can even claim to have seen the Northern Lights from the back porch of the dining room.
 Chris Virden is not only the resident manager, he is also the breakfast cook. He figures he flips over 24,000 pancakes a year. Now, that is a lot of pancakes. As many of you know, if you stay with us over night you get an amazing breakfast consisting of pancakes, eggs, biscuits, canadian bacon, grits, Tang, hot chocolate, and coffee. Plenty of calories to get you down the mountain.
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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
February 2026
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