 I have been circling around God, that primordial tower. I've been circling for thousands of years and still I don't know: am I a falcon, a storm, or a great song? Rilke Morning, The mountain is in a cloud at the moment, but it looks as if it will clear as soon as the sun rises. The high yesterday reached 46 degrees and the overnight low was 40 degrees. It was 42 degrees and mostly cloudy at 7am observation. The mountain received no new precipitation yesterday. The trails are still quite soggy, so be prepared for that. It looks like it'll turn into a nice day for a hike. Enjoy!   "I'm seeing the spin of the foliage," said Joudry, who has spent 41 years living in a mountaintop cabin with his wife, Jeanne. "From a bird's-eye view, you can see the growth of the foliage and the inception of a new season. You are still, and nature is in motion." Morning,
It looks like it will be another cloudy day, at least up top. The high yesterday reached 40 degrees and the overnight low was 38 degrees. It was 40 degrees and mostly cloudy at observation. The mountain received no new rain yesterday, but it is very damp and humid out. Be sure to pack some layers for the top, as it's generally 20 degrees colder up top than in Gatlinburg. Happy hiking!  Every moment is a golden one for him who has the vision to recognize it as such. Henry Miller Morning,
It looks like it'll be another damp day, as the mountain is still in a cloud. The forecast is calling for some clearing over the next few days. The high yesterday reached 42 degrees. The overnight low was 38 degrees and it was 38 degrees and cloudy at observation. The mountain received .08" of rain yesterday. The trails are very soggy right now. Be prepared for wet socks! Although the mountain was in a cloud all day yesterday, a hike down to Alum got me out of the gray for a few hours. The dense fog rising off the ridges as my friend & I descended was ominous as always. A fine mist was hovering throughout our hike, a veil carefully hiding the landscapes' nuances that I'm getting to know so well. We saw a small opossum on the way down. It was my first wildlife sighting of the year, not counting red squirrels and moles. It was a pleasant afternoon for my hike back up the mountain, I was exhausted after a hearty meal and took naps at Inspiration Point and the Alum Cave Bluffs. I treasure these socked in days, as they are continually reminding me to be aware of my surroundings, appreciative of the sun when it shines, as well as the rain when it comes down from above.  Master of beauty, craftsman of the snowflake, inimitable contriver, endower of Earth so gorgeous & different from the boring Moon, thank you for such as it is my gift. John Berryman Morning, The mountain is currently in a cloud, though the forecast is calling for some clearing soon. The high yesterday reached 44 degrees. The overnight low dipped to 30 degrees and it was 38 degrees and drizzly at 7am observation. The mountain received .15" of rain yesterday. The trails are very soggy right now. Be sure to plan accordingly! Check out this short article, with some good winter hiking tips written by my GMC field supervisor in Vermont. It turned into an incredible evening after a cloudy start yesterday. There was some 'great sky', as my friend Jack would say. The shafts of golden light were shining through the scraggly evergreens with a special kind of radiance. It was so incredibly beautiful, words are obviously insufficient ... it's as if all my life has been leading me to these moments. It felt preordained in a way, intentional as a movie scene. I watched sunset from Cliff Tops with a rejuvenated appreciation for the beauty around me at all moments. It's such a thrilling prospect to me that all I have to do is walk out my cabin door and I will find something to marvel at in minutes. I can't believe people ask me if I get bored up here.  
It would be merciful for people not to come calling and disturb the loneliness of the mountains, to which I have returned from the sorrows of the world. Muso Soseki
Morning, It was a nice day yesterday, but it looks like the weather has finally turned. The mountain is in a cloud. The high yesterday reached 44 degrees and the overnight low was 36 degrees. It was 43 degrees and drizzling lightly at 7am observation. The forecast is calling for rain up top all day. I wish it was 20 degrees colder so I could curl up with a book and watch the snow fall... soon enough, hopefully. Be sure to pack some rain gear if you'll be venturing out! Alum is already soggy with all the recent snowmelt, the rain today should make it positively sloppy. I had a pleasant hike down Alum yesterday afternoon. The AM clouds were clearing a bit and I only saw about 10 people on the trail. Much thanks to all the kind folks who've brought me tea, stamps, jam, cheese and crackers over the past few days! It's the little things that mean a lot up here! 
Top photo: I got bored and took some macro shots yesterday. Above: Plenty of clouds to keep me company.
I don't feel like I've really seen a place until I've been walking there. Mamaw B
Morning,
It was yet another great day to be out yesterday. The high reached 53 (!!!) degrees and the low was 38 degrees. It was 39 degrees and clear at 7am observation. The ice on Alum has almost completely melted away, save for two tricky spots that don't see much sun. I've heard the weather is supposed to cloud up this afternoon, leading to overnight rains. I'm thinking that it'll snow on the 15th. Just a hunch. I had the great pleasure of being surprised by a friend on the trail on Sunday afternoon. As I was making my way down Alum, I saw a familiar face from my past season caretaking in Vermont - Mamaw B! I met her back in July as she was thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail, becoming the young lady with the most life experience (looking for the most gentle way to say this!) who has thru-hiked the trail! I offered her some coffee at my tent site at Little Rock Pond and she was kind enough to repay the favor by bringing me some treats atop LeConte! One of the most beloved aspects about my outdoor jobs is having the opportunity to meet so many incredible people. I often think about people like Mamaw in times of weakness, they are my patron saints of hiking. By meditating upon the strength and resolve they display in the pursuit of their dreams, I get a boost of courage as I face my next challenge. Thanks for being an inspiration, Mamaw! I hope to see you again soon! 
Do you have the patience to wait till your mud settles and the water is clear? Can you remain unmoving till the right action arises by itself? Lao Tzu
Morning,
It was another beautiful day on the trail yesterday. The high reached 46 degrees and the overnight low was a pleasant 36 degrees. It was 41 degrees and hazy at observation. The trails are in great shape. It looks like it'll be another gorgeous day for a hike. These colours possess me. It's as if the stardust within me and the cosmos without are seamless, and stripped bare, looking one another face to face. These invisible barriers dissolve and all is one. The sacred puts her hand upon my shoulder and I exist outside myself, peek over my shoulder and laugh at the absurdity of all my worldly concerns. They simply dissolve in this sublimity. Jim Harrison wrote that 'what cannot be said will be wept'. It's all too much sometimes. 
Nature is slow, Harrison told me. “That’s how I saw so much—because I was out there all the time. When it’s slow you don’t, of course, always see something. You just see what’s there that day, and sometimes it’s quite extraordinary.”
Morning,
I feel like I've been on repeat lately with the weather... it was another gorgeous day! The sky clouded up a bit at sunset and continued to do so overnight, but it was a pleasant day to be out. The high reached 48 degrees and the overnight low dipped to 34 degrees. It was 36 degrees and cloudy at 7am observation. It looks as though Mother Nature decided to switch it up today, as the mountain is currently in a cloud. This kind of weather is impossible for me to predict. It seems like no matter how many days I've seen start out like this, they all end up differently. All I know is that I know nothing! Except that it's a great day to be out hiking. Because it's a day. ohmigod, i'm sinkin'. it's breakin' my heart, but i'm working hard to seperate war from beauty.12/1/2012
Reflecting thus, I walked on and on. Yes, even without the chamber music and friend. How foolish to wear oneself out in vain longing for warmth! Solitude is independence. It had been my wish and with the years I had attained it. It was cold. Oh, cold enough! But it was also still, wonderfully still and vast like the cold stillness of space in which the stars revolve. Hermann Hesse
Happy December!
It was yet another ridiculously nice day yesterday. I'm getting a little too used to sandals-and-no-shirt hiking lately. It feels like I'm back in Vermont... in September. The high reached 47 degrees. The overnight low was 33 degrees and it was 34 degrees and clear at 7am observation. It looks like it'll be another great day on the trails. I had a pleasant walk down to Arch Rock yesterday. I spent an hour soaking in the rays at Alum Cave. I can't emphasize it enough - it really has been absurdly pleasant lately. I was working on my tan for my January visit to San Diego. If this weather keeps up, I should be set. Good luck to all my friends running the Tecumseh Trail Marathon this year! It's one of the few events that makes me wish I weren't on the mountain. Next year... |
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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