Architect's rendering of the newest building on Mount Le Conte Decades of guests at LeConte Lodge have looked forward to sharing songs, rocking chairs, shopping for souvenirs, and checking the temperatures in "the office," a long log cabin built by Herrick Brown in the 1970s. The cantilevered cabin was weakened by winter weather, and has been closed for the past two seasons. On Wednesday, July 8, the Lodge and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park announced that a new recre

Mount LeConte hiking records, compiled by Tom Layton (LeConteLog@gmail.com)

T.J. Melinn and Philip Elswick prepare to head up Cherokee Orchard Road. The vertical mile is a hiking challenge that involves climbing Mount Le Conte from the riverside in Gatlinburg. Hikers start by dipping a toe in the Little Pigeon RIver near Ripley's aquarium (elevation 1,313 or less) and then climb 5,280 feet to High Top. The typical route follows the Cherokee Orchard Road up to Rainbow Falls Trail. Bullhead and Trillium Gap offer alternative routes. Depending on the ro

Recent completions of the Tour de Le Conte.

LeContest is seeking a programmer to help repair and upgrade this website. In particular, we want to improve the display on mobile devices, and our Records Page has crashed. Once those concerns are addressed, I have a wishlist of other functions I'd like help developing. We are running on Wix, but I'm open to other platforms. If you have the appropriate skills, I'd like to discuss details with you. Email LeConteLog@gmail.com.

RIri Morphine, Holly Bryant, and Rachel Mitchell Looking back on 2025, ladies led the parade of hikers on Mount Le Conte. Lodge manager John Northrup was the annual champion with 86 ascents, but four of the top seven were female: Riri Morphine with 70, Rachel Mitchell with 50, Holly Bryant 40, and Bonnie Northrup 37. Larry Russell, Le Conte's busiest hiker the past three years, set a record for 82-year-olds with 59 ascents in 2025. Dewey Slusher made three round-trips on New

Trent Eidemiller and John Smith climbed Le Conte three times on October 5 The government shutdown didn't halt foot traffic on Mount Le Conte this past weekend. Trent Eidemiller, 56, and John Smith, 47, climbed the mountain three times on Oct. 5 to complete the Tour de Le Conte. Starting at 4:04 a.m., they climbed Rainbow Falls, descended Boulevard, and shuttled down to the Alum Cave trailhead. Then they climbed Alum, descended Trillium Gap, climbed Bullhead, and descended Bru

Smoky Jack with Paul Adams By Tom Layton It was my honor to participate in the 100th anniversary celebration for LeConte Lodge. July...

As LeConte Lodge prepares for its 100th birthday celebration, here's a 1923 adventure by the Chicago professor who became the lodge's first paying guest back on July 16, 1925. This is a story we were seeking when we wrote LeConte Lodge / A Centennial History of a Smoky Mountain Landmark . Guide Wiley Oakley and soggy Chicagoans Gertrude Schwass, Frank Freels, and Jennie Russ camped on Mount Le Conte in 1923 (Orpheus Schantz photo, Appalachian State University archives)

Myrtle and Herrick Brown in the 1960s (Brown family photo) When Myrtle Brown was growing up in the Blue Ridge mountains of North Carolina, her grandmother taught her how to build a fire and maintain kerosene lamps. Those old-fashioned skills served her well, as she and her husband Herrick Brown operated LeConte Lodge from 1960 to 1976. When they retired, they expected the lodge lamps and wood-burning stoves to be snuffed out, as the lodge was threatened by the implementation

Professor Orpheus Schantz (fourth from left) on a 1927 field trip to the Smokies with stylish University of Chicago students (University of Chicago archives). When Mike Hembree and I published our centennial history of LeConte Lodge, we had to leave some chapters unwritten. At that time, we were unable to find accounts from Professor Orpheus Schantz, who was the first paying guest at the mountaintop camp opened by Paul Adams in 1925. Now, we've finally gained a glimpse of tha

Bonnie Northrup led the llama train on her 400th climb. That's Denny, eager for his pancake lunch. John and Bonnie Northrup have been...

Holly Bryant at High Top: A climb of 5,390 feet from Gatlinburg A year ago, Holly Bryant did not consider herself a hiker. Now, she has 28 ascents of Mount Le Conte, including four vertical miles. On March 30, she hiked 20.2 miles in 7:20:42 (an average of 21:51 per mile), climbing 5,390 feet from the Gatlinburg Aquarium. That's the sixth vertical mile reported since Christmas. Louisiana resident Nathaniel Klumb has hiked the Tour de Le Conte three times, in 2019, 2020, and 2

The Mount Rushmore of Mount Le Conte: Sebnem Pervar (32 ascents), Dewey Slusher (500), Tim Massey (134), Dana Schroeder (42), Gavin...

Dewey is famous for hiking in shorts, even in wintry weather. Dewey Slusher climbed Mount Le Conte 14 times February after 12 in January, breaking Ed Wright's records for the winter months. Wright made 11 February hikes in 1991--on his way to an annual record of 230--and 10 the following January. LeContest.com has been tracking hiking records for more than a decade and has the logbooks for Wright as well as Ron Valentine, Paul Dinwiddie, and Margaret Stevenson. NOTE: Our rec

This photo by Seth O'Shields shows Dave Landreth climbing the Roaring Fork branch, which leads from Grotto Falls to Basin Spring at LeConte Lodge. Dave Landreth was one of the foremost explorers of of Mount Le Conte and the Smokies. He climbed dozens of off-trail routes on Mount Le Conte, and LeContest has him on our honor roll based on his statement that he came down Alum Cave Trail hundreds of times in 40-plus years he spent in the Smokies. As he approached 70, Landreth set

LeConte Lodge's centennial season has been marked by some monumental hiking accomplishments. For the first time in 33 years, two men...

Dewey Slusher with John Northrup (hauling a backload of T-shirts). As of Nov. 19, the leading active hikers on Mount Le Conte are Larry Russell, 586 ascents; Northrup, 552, Ed Jones 541, and Slusher, 465. The centennial season at LeConte Lodge continues to produce hiking records. On Wednesday, Nov. 13, Lodge manager John Northrup joined Larry Russell with 100 ascents in 2024 This is only the second time in the history of the lodge that two hikers have recorded 100 hikes in a

Sales of LeConte's Holy Grail have kept John Northrup on the trails. Congratulations to John Northrup for breaking one of Ed Wright's hiking records. The manager of LeConte Lodge, John climbed Mount Le Conte 30 times in October--the most anyone has reported in a single month. Wright had 28 in a month three times in 1991, when he set the annual record of 230 ascents. Wright climbed 8 times in January, 11 in February, 12 in March, 10 in April, 28 in May, 27 in June, 16 in July,

Brad Gibson and Charlie Hammack hiked all six Mount Le Conte trails on Saturday, Oct. 19--the third time they've teamed up for the Tour...