Novice hikers frequently ask on social media: "What's the shortest way to Mount Le Conte.?"
Rather than seeking shortcuts, let's recognize those who are willing to go the extra mile.
On Monday, July 29, Dewey Slusher hiked from the Bryson City Courthouse to the lodge, a distance of 33 miles up and 38 including the descent via Alum Cave. He hiked up the Noland Divide Trail from Deep Creek to Clingman's Dome, then followed the Appalachian Trail northbound and the Boulevard to Le Conte. That's 82,000 steps in time of 15 hours and 11 minutes.
On Aug. 6, Dewey hiked even farther, 40.9 miles from Davenport Gap. That's 30 miles on the Appalachian Trail southbound, 5 to Le Conte, and 6.7 down Trillium Gap to his car. That's 88,015 steps.
Those are longest ascent reported to LeContest this year, but not the all-time record.
One of the founders of the Appalachian Trail Conference, Myron Avery, made a 170-mile hike from Mount Oglethorpe, Georgia, to LeConte Lodge en route to the ATC's 1931 convention in Gatlinburg.
As far as we know, the longest one-day hike to Le Conte Lodge was by J.N. "Nick" Robinson in 1930. He started at the Andrew Johnson Hotel in downtown Knoxville, averaged five miles an hour, and made the final climb from Cherokee Orchard in under two hours. This was before the current Rainbow Falls Trail was built, and the path followed Le Conte Creek for four miles.
This Knoxville Sentinel clipping (from April 1930) doesn't specify Robinson's mileage, but it was at least 45 miles.
On Christmas Eve last year, Anthony Groft logged 88.2 miles on Mount Le Conte, as he completed the Le Conte Star by going up and down each trail in 20 hours and 57 minutes.
The six trails on Le Conte range from Alum Cave, 5.5 miles, to Brushy Mountain, 9.1. In recent years, some lodge guests have started their hikes on the Kephart Prong Trail in North Carolina. That's about 12 miles each way.
Those who hike the Tour de Le Conte (all six trails in 24 hours) log more than 45 miles on the mountain.
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