Whenever the jewelweed starts blooming on the mountain it brings back a childhood memory that I will always cherish. My family used to take our family vacations to western North Carolina and east Tennessee. I spent many days on the Nantahala River, tubing Deep Creek, and hiking in the Smokies. My dad was particularly interested in geology and the geodes that could be found in the mountains in the area. He would take us to Franklin to the Franklin Gem and Mineral Museum. While there, he struck up a conversation with a real mountain man named Mr. Gormley. It didn't take long before our family was loaded in our in 1971 orange VW bus and following Mr. Gormley to his favorite geode hunting grounds. After tramping around the woods and finding some great geode specimens, he started pointing out wild flowers. He proceeded to tell us, in his true southern/mountain man accent, about "tach- me- nawt", or as we call it touch-me-not. He explained how the mountain folks would use it to ease a reaction to poison ivy or any other skin irritations. Poultices and salves were made from the clear liquid from the stem and the leaves and spread over the affected area. I can tell you from personal experience, it works wonders. So, every time I see a beautiful jewelweed plant blooming, I think of Mr. Gormley and the things he taught us in years to come. Of course, we stayed in touch and visited him often. I like to think there are children out there who will one day have a memory of their trips up LeConte the interesting people they met while staying at the Lodge. Maybe one day, they will write a blog post about their favorite memory while visiting this glorious mountain top.
We are starting out with another splendid day. The high yesterday was 66º with a low of 53º. The days have been a little humid, but the evenings cool off a bit. This weekend is going to be the perfect weekend to escape the madness in the low lands and take a hike. Who knows what kind of wonderful memories you will create while sipping hot chocolate and swapping tales of your hike. 
"Creativity involves breaking out of established patterns in order to look at things in a different way."- Edward de Bono 
Good morning, and what a great morning it is. The clouds have provided an amazing canvas for the sun to paint. It is hard to be in a bad mood with the September weather in full glory. The high yesterday was 70º with a low of 52º. The days are glorious and worthy of a hike up the mountain.
We are planning on introducing Ruthie to the blog over the next couple of days. It is time to get her acquainted with the blog family. I have a favor to ask of you all. High On LeConte has several different contributors. We all have different styles and gifts to bring to the blog. It is perfectly normal that you will each have your desired blogger. With this being said, please be aware that the bloggers read the comments. This blog is a part of our job and we are trying to perform our duties the best that we can. Please be kind and understanding that each and everyone of us is different and we hope to offer you a different experience. I thank you in advance for your kindness and understanding. One last thing to address. This blog is designed to share the everyday happenings around the lodge and to let people know any issues that have been reported to us. Our number one priority is hiker safety. The advice we give is for the novice hiker and anyone looking for trail information. Three quarters of our visitors to the mountain would fall under these definitions. We are the ones putting our lives on the line when someone needs to be rescued. Please remember, what you consider to not be dangerous, may be dangerous for others. If we can keep one person from being injured because we shared information that was passed on to us, then it was worth it. It is up to each person to use this information as they see fit. I hope everyone has a great day and is able to get out and enjoy this amazing weather. Happy Hiking. 
Chris and I made it back up the mountain to a warm day up top. The high yesterday was 70º with a low of 52º. We did see some rain off and on through out the night. The rain gauge read .83" for the day. Today looks as though it will be a repeat of yesterday.
I am going to try and get Ruthie started on the blog in the next couple of days. I know you will enjoy reading her tales of training and learning the ropes. She is a quick learner and seems to have the basics down. As she will learn, there are always little things that need to fixed around the lodge. Chris has already taught her how to use a drill. That is a step in the right direction. She will have her own tool belt before she knows it. 
Pat at Cliff Tops earlier this season.
Good afternoon to all of you. Allyson has returned from off days, so I'll be taking leave of writing High on LeConte for a while. First, though, I have the pleasure of introducing you to Pat Lawley in our continuation of LeConte Lodge crew profiles. Pat completes the group of new crew member biographies, as he rounds out his first season on the mountain. However, I'll pass along the weather update first. Labor Day on LeConte turned out right pleasant, which makes it a little easier to celebrate Labor Day by laboring. We had a high of 69 and low of 54 with a mixture of sunshine and clouds but no precipitation. Today's been much the same. We're currently sitting under bright sunshine, but we did have a brief shower earlier this afternoon. Now I'll turn the update over to Pat, who has penned the following profile. ---------- "Hallelujah!" "Wow!" "We made it!" "We are here!" Those are just a few of the comments I hear people say upon arriving at Mt. LeConte Lodge. Hi, I'm Pat, one of the crew members at Mt. LeConte Lodge. I was introduced to the lodge in 1998 by a friend. I can call him that now, but about half way up on that first trip I was not so sure. I did not think we would make it to the lodge. Well, we did and, after a cup or two of the best hot chocolate in the world, we fell in love with this place. On about the third year's visit Jeanie (my wife) and I started talking about working here when we retired. Well, it happened. We both retired this year--me Jan. 10 and Jeanie March 3. We started work up here March 14. It has been said, "Be careful what you ask for." It has been a great year. We have met people from all over the world. People want to know what it's like working here. Well, it's great. However, the phrase "the grass is greener on the other side of the fence, but the grass still needs cutting," is true. It is hard to imagine all that goes into giving a guest a first-class Smoky Mountain experience. Oh, well, a little about me. I am 61 years old, married to my crewmate Jeanie 41 years. We have a wonderful son and daughter-in-law back home in Mt. Olive, Ala. This is only the third place of employment I have had. I worked at Sears after school and weekends while attending Gardendale High School. Two weeks after graduation I started a 42-year, 7-month career with Alabama Power. It's ironic to work for a company supplying electric service to people for 42-plus years only to now work at a place that has no electricity. I enjoy camping, backpacking and day hikes. I enjoy working with stained glass in my spare time. I encourage you to get out and visit the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. One last thought, spend your time wisely. It is a non-renewable resource. Not one of us can gain one second back after it's gone. Well, that just about does it. Come see us! ---------- Thanks to Pat for sharing his story. Thank you all for reading. Happy trails. 
Stained glass, one of Pat's favorite hobbies back home.
Congratulations to Bethany Houghton, a 2013 LeConte Lodge crew member, who completed the Appalachian Trail Friday.
Hello. I have lots of good news to share this afternoon, which is always preferred. First of all, I'll dispense with some regular weather business. We saw a high of 68 with a low of 54 Sunday and accumulated 0.4 inches of rain. We've been living under a mixture of sun and clouds thus far today with the tiniest sprinkle once in a while. Also, as today is Sept. 1, it would be a good idea to give the folks in the LeConte Lodge Sevierville office a call this month to inquire about reservations procedure. They begin assigning next year's spots on Oct. 1, but the phone will likely be tied up most of that week. If you have questions about reservations, feel free to give the nice folks in the office a call at 865-429-5704 (they're taking Labor Day off). Often people hike up and ask us for a secret to secure a reservation, but the mountain staff is not involved in that process at all. We'd all like to congratulate Bethany Houghton, a 2013 LeConte Lodge crew member, for finishing the Appalachian Trail. Bethany completed her journey in Maine on Friday. She finished with her father, who hiked the last 120 miles to Mt. Katahdin with her, and two friends she'd been hiking with since Virginia. We last saw her in the spring when she dropped by LeConte on her swing through the Smokies. Many people say they're going to hike the Appalachian Trail. Not a great many actually do it. I hear some people with questionable grit tell me how they plan to through-hike the trail from Georgia to Maine, and I think to myself, "You can't even find your car in the Kroger parking lot." Not Bethany, however. I knew if she stayed healthy, she would complete her task. She did a fine job on the LeConte crew last year and is a tough nut to crack. We're all happy for her. I'd like to announce another bit of good news the LeConte crew is celebrating. One of our favorite mountain critters, a junco with only one functioning leg, has made its return to the lodge. Several years ago, the crew started calling all the many juncos we see "Jerry." Similarly, all the ravens become "Edgar," as I think the Marylander Chris came up with that nod to Poe. At any rate, we noticed late this spring that one of the juncos that liked to hang around the outside of the dining room and kitchen hopped on only one leg. At first, we thought the bird had lost its leg in a nasty Gatlinburg bar fight, but we came to see that the leg was tucked up against its body--folded and twisted in an unusable fashion. Life on LeConte is tough for any critter with only one leg, so we all took a liking and respect to this particular "Hopalong Jerry." Although, Hopalong Jerry makes him sound like he's a clever sidekick in a John Wayne black-and-white Western movie. Someone else said that "Jerry" may make a good pirate. However, I'm not certain if a pirate junco would have to carry a much larger parrot on its shoulder or not. All of the sudden, Hopalong Jerry turns up missing, and no one's seen him around the lodge grounds for all of August. One crew member said he saw him up the trail near the backcountry shelter. On one hand, that kind of sounds like a rumor of an Elvis sighting. On the other hand, Hopalong Jerry must still be alive and strong if he's up at the shelter. However, two days ago and again yesterday, we had a confirmed sighting of Hopalong Jerry outside the dining room. He stopped by our Sunday crew picnic out on the deck and looks fit as a fiddle, much to the delight of the lodge staff. Perhaps, Hopalong Jerry is no Western sidekick at all, but European and just took August off on "holiday." Always good to share happy news. Happy trails to Bethany and Hopalong Jerry. 
Hopalong Jerry lives.
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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
July 2026
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