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

Margaret Stevenson: 78 ascents at age 79 in 1991 Here are a few of the hiking records I've compiled for Mount Le Conte. These were originally posted on a page that's beyond my ability to repair. So I am regenerating the records here. If you'd like to help with web programming (currently platformed on Wix, looking toward MAMP), let me know. Email Tom Layton at LeConteLog@gmail.com . Bear with me as I add updates from the past two seasons. HIKING YOUR AGE: Green shading highl

Trent Eidemiller and John Smith climbed Le Conte three times on October 5 The government shutdown didn't halt foot traffic on Mount Le...

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...

Myrtle and Herrick Brown in the 1960s (Brown family photo) When Myrtle Brown was growing up in the Blue Ridge mountains of North...

Professor Orpheus Schantz (fourth from left) on a 1927 field trip to the Smokies with stylish University of Chicago students (University...

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...

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,...

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'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...

Sales of LeConte's Holy Grail have kept John Northrup on the trails. Congratulations to John Northrup for breaking one of Ed Wright's...

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...

Notable signees ahead of Larry Russell: Bonnie Northrup 370, Sandy Martin 159 Only three men have climbed Mount Le Conte 100 times in a...

Congratulations to Adam Gravett, who made his 100th climb of Mount Le Conte with a day hike on his 57th birthday on Saturday, Sept. 21....

Conquering the darkness to complete the third ascent By Lauren Hughes When I first began thinking about attempting the Tour De Le Conte,...

Bonnie Northrup of the LeConte Lodge crew completed the vertical mile on Sept. 6. Starting from the riverside at the Gatlinburg Aquarium,...