Thursday, January 7, 2010

taking care of LeConte


Did you know that Mt. LeConte has a winter caretaker and he has a blog…

Life on LeConte

Hello, and welcome to the "Life On LeConte" Blog. I'm the Winter Caretaker here at the Lodge. I'm blogging from my cabin on LeConte with a broadband connected laptop powered by solar panels. I hope you enjoy the blog. ~ Doug McFalls


When I first stumbled onto this blog I imagined tales of isolation akin to 'The Shining' but have been surprised at the number of wintertime hikers, of course winter is just starting...

It is very interesting to see the wintertime side of the popular mountaintop lodge, so busy in the other 3 seasons of the year that reservations must be made months to a year in advance. With no road the only way up or down is by hiking, the shortest trail being 5 miles. The big stuff is air-lifted in the spring (check out all those propane tanks) and during the other 3 seasons the llamas bring clean linens and groceries for the guests.

The trail and lodge look a little bit different than when we were there in September of 2006 (here and here), has it been that long ago?

Check out the daily blog from atop Mt. LeConte in the Smokies, the temps, the snow, the beautiful pictures... and here's hoping Doug stays very warm and doesn't see any spirits!



Thanks to Doug McFalls for permission to blog about his blog and read more about him at Life on LeConte.com.


spring