Tour Times Three

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 de Le Conte.

Starting at 5:20 a.m., they climbed Brushy Mountain, descended Alum Cave, shuttled to Newfound Gap, went up Boulevard and down Bullhead, and finished via Trillium and Rainbow, reaching Cherokee Orchard just 20 minutes after midnight.

That's 45.9 miles in 19 hours and 10 minutes.

Only two men have reported more tours: Scott Anderson with five and John Northrup with four.

More milestones:

John Northrup, the manager of LeConte Lodge, set a record with 15 climbs in seven days, including three round trips the same day that Gibson and Hammack were doing their Tour. Back in June 1999, Tillroe Smith recorded 13 climbs in a week. John has made 82 ascents trips this year and 534 lifetime.

Holly Bryant completed the vertical mile on Oct. 18, completing 22.1 miles in 9:16 and climbing 5,322 feet from the riverside in Gatlinburg. It was her 14th ascent this year.