June 27, 2024

Good Morning,

The weather is switching it up today, from sunny and hot to cloudy and wet, although the humidity sure isn’t going anywhere! Scattered storms began rolling into the region overnight and are expected to be on and off all day. Views will also be harder to come by, particularly at the upper elevations, so long as these clouds cling snuggly to the peaks. Odds are that the mountaintop and approach trails will be less busy today, but hopefully everyone that does tempt the climb comes dressed for the soggy conditions. We saw new high temps for the year yesterday and Tuesday, both days tagging 72° at the lodge. There’s plenty of summer to go still, and with how toasty this month has been, one sure figures hotter days are coming in July. That might not seem bad to those folks residing in the lowlands savoring the assistance of A/C, fans, pools, and icy drinks donning lime wedges and tiny umbrellas. Up here we don’t have those things, left simply to rely on the hope of an occasional cool mountain breeze to combat the stagnant air and stickiness. Much of our time will be spent in the 60s now and through the weekend, along with continued rain and storm chances to close out June.

We’re hearing that Bull Head Trail has now been cleared of downed trees by the courageous NPS trail crews. There’s still a decent amount of dense summer overgrowth to contend with, which is the case for a number of Mt. LeConte’s trails. But at least Bull Head can be navigated much more easily now for the average hiker. Given its south and west facing location, just know it gets incredibly hot on that side of the mountain during afternoon hours. And keep a sharp eye and tuned ear out for timber rattle snakes. They especially like the canopy-less areas that got decimated by the fires several years ago along the bottom half of the trail.

Have a great day.