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Most Ascents, Lifetime

Estimates for Valentine, Huff, and Line are based on their comments in interviews. Among those with documented hiking records, Ed Wright leads with 1,310, and Margaret Stevenson holds the women’s record with 718.
ASCENTS
NAME
YEAR
AGE
230
Ed Wright
1991
66
130
Ed Wright
1997
72
115
Larry Russell
2023
80
113
Ron Valentine
111
Ed Wright
1998
73
109
Ron Valentine
107
Ed Wright
1993
68
104
Ed Wright
1994
69
103
Ed Wright
1995
70
102
Paul Dinwiddle
1991
66

Most Ascents, Year

Yearly and monthly records are based largely on the logbooks of Wright, Dinwiddie, and Stevenson. I am adding others as I find them. If you or someone you know should be added, email LeConteLog@gmail.com. Click here to see the year-by-year leaders.
ASCENTS
NAME
YEAR
AGE
ASCENTS
230
Ed Wright
1991
66
230
130
Ed Wright
1997
72
130
115
Larry Russell
2023
80
115
113
Ron Valentine
113
111
Ed Wright
1998
73
111
109
Ron Valentine
109
107
Ed Wright
1993
68
107
104
Ed Wright
1994
69
104
103
Ed Wright
1995
70
103
102
Paul Dinwiddle
1991
66
102

RECORDS

I have compiled these unofficial records from published accounts, the Lodge logbooks, and personal hiking journals, including those of Ed Wright (1,310 ascents), Paul Dinwiddie (750), and Margaret Stevenson (718). I am always on the lookout for other journals and yet-to-be-documented accomplishments.

If you or someone you know should be added to these records, email LeConteLog@gmail.com.

Most Ascents, Month

Records for each individual month can be found below.
ASCENTS
NAME
MONTH
18
Margaret Stevenson
Sept.1991
23
Ed Wright
Nov. 1991
26
Ed Wright
Aug. 1991
27
Ed Wright
June 1991
28
Ed Wright
May 1991, Sept 1991, Oct 1991

Most Ascents, Week

In June 1999, Tillroe Smith climbed once on Sunday, June 13, and then twice daily June 14-20. In June 1991, Ed Wright made 8 ascents in a span of 7 days: 2 round trips each on Monday the 24th, Wednesday the 26th, Friday the 28th, and Sunday the 30th. Wright also made 7 climbs in a span of 5 days twice: June 10-14, 1988; and Oct. 7-11, 1991. Also see the record below for consecutive days (Paul Dinwiddie’s 11 consecutive hikes spanned 2 calendar weeks).
NAME
DATES
ASCENTS
Ed Wright
June 24-30, 1991
8
Tillroe Smith
Oct. 2002
7
John Northrup
Sept. 28, 2012
7
Dewey Slusher
May 17-24, 2021
4
Tillroe Smith
June 13-19, 1999
13

Most Ascents, Day
 

All Tour de Le Conte completers also have 3 ascents in a day.
ASCENTS
NAME
MILES
DATE
NOTABLE
7
Stan Wullschleger
50
Sept. 28, 2007
6
David Worth
55
2011
5
Zach Andrews
78.2
Oct. 14, 2020
5
Bill Sharp
41.6
June 1, 1992
4
Bill Sharp
30
Aug. 11, 1993
3
Ed Wright
33
June 25, 1988
14:50 for 3 trips
3
Ed Wright
33
June 10, 1991
11:45 for 3 trips
3
Ed Wright
33
Oct. 11, 1991
11:32 for 3 trips
*John Northrup
65
Sept. 28, 2012

Eldest Climber

James “Pop” Hollandsworth (1915-2013) of Asheville NC may rank highly on this list. The alumni magazine at Asheville School says he made the climb in his mid-80s in 12 hours through chest-deep snowdrifts. This was part of the annual memorial hike for Dr. Charles Lindsley, who died in a fall from Alum Cave Bluff trail in January 1971. See comments on this blog. It’s unclear when Hollandsworth made his final climb. At age 95, he was the base manager for the 2011 memorial hike. When C.L. Baum of Knoxville TN climbed Le Conte on June 6, 1922, Wiley Oakley declared him to be the oldest man to reach the summit. Baum said he was 61, but according to the dates on his gravestone (1863-1944), he was 59 that year. In 1928, Will Ramsey called Samuel Simcox, 80, the oldest man to climb Le Conte.

AGE
NAME
ASCENT
BORN
DETAILS
+DAYS
92
Gracie McNicol
1983-10-01
1891-10-01
#244 on her 92nd birthday
93
Rev. Rufus Morgan
1978-10-15
1885-10-15
#174 on his 93rd birthday
90
Lenore Costello
2016-11-12?
1926-11-12
celebrating her 90th birthday
90
Dr. Kip Miller
2022-05-18
1932-03-03
#255
66
90
George R. Fritz Jr.
2022-05-12
1932-03-28
#25
45
88
Henrietta Huff
1994-08
1906-08-28
widow of Jim Huff Sr., #25
87
Anne Springs Close
2013-07-12
1925-11-15
#42, 50th anniversary of #1 in 1963. With 5 great-grandchildren.
240
87
Jean Ann Miller
2022-05-18
1934-10-03
#255
197
85
Carole Kistler Fritz
2022-05-12
1937-04-02
#42
40
85
Dick McAliley
2013-08-09
1928-08-05
died 2014-03-25
4
85
Bob Pappel
2001?
1926-12-10
age 85 hike mentioned in obituary 2022-02-10
85
Pop Hollandsworth
2001?
1915-10-04
In his mid-80s, per published report
85
Leland Straw
1997
1912
climbed at 85, per his obituary
85
Bill Watkins
2012-05-21
1927?
#5, from Gretna LA
84
Creyl Burns
1999-08-05
1914-08-11
Week before he turned 85
359
84
Ron Valentine
2017-04-30
1933?
This is his last reported ascent. He may have made more.
84
Margaret Stevenson
1991-05-21
1912-07-17
#718
309
84
Ed Wright
2008-10-25
1925-09-01
#1,310
55
82
Billy Bryant
2017-06-01
1933-09
270
81
Donald Ernst
1991
1910-04-10
Obit says he climbed at age 81
81
Jan Bradford
2017-06-01
1935-10
210
81
Myrtle Brown
2007-08
1926-09-04
80
Julie Sexton
2022-02-15
1941-05-17
#23
274
80
Tom McLain
2022-08-03
1942-06-29
Hiked on 80th birthday
36
80
Samuel Simcox
1927-summer
1847-05-21
Will Ramsey called him oldest climber
80
Ula Rae Mynatt
2011-09-21
1931-09-21
celebrating her 80th birthday
80
Jim Giffen
2022-11-05
1942-11-05
#41
79
Mickey Kilpatrick
2015
1935
Month before turning 80, per Asheville clipping
330
79
Mary Ann Holliday
2017-05-21
1937-07-04
early celebration of her 80th birthday
321
79
Phil Moore
2021-08-21
1942-07-21
Despite congestive heart failure
31
79
Ralph Egli
2003-11
1923-11-28
days before his 80th birthday
79
Joann Sims Purdue
2009
1930-10-30
Obit says she climbed at age 79
79
Margaret Jefferies
1995?
1916-12-26
Obit says she climbed at 79
78
Linda Love Farrant
2021-09-30
1942-11-02
One month before 79th birthday
332
78
Paul Dinwiddie
1993-09-29
1915-09-15
#750 lifetime
16
78
Larry Russell
2022-11-05
1944-11-02
#348 (4th vertical mile)
3
93
Rev. Rufus Morgan
1978-10-15
1885-10-15
#174 on his 93rd birthday

Youngest Climber

Please don’t turn this into an unhealthy competition. I am aware of 2-year-old Kira Mayhew who walked up the Alum Cave Bluff Trail in 2014; as well as several 3-year-olds, including Sophia Height in 2021, Ed Wright’s grandson Austin in 2002, Herrick Brown’s daughter Barbara in 1966, and ranger John Ogden Morrell’s daughter Mary Jeanne in 1938:
Web capture_16-3-2023_23155_lecontest.com.jpeg

Age Thresholds

Ron Valentine told Ed Wright in 2009 that he had made 798 climbs since January 1, 2000, when he would have been 67. Based on the pace he continued until 2017, we estimate he had at least 1,000 hikes after he turned 65.
AGE
ASCENTS
NAME
YEARS
81 and older
100
Rev. Rufus Mogan
1967-1983
70 and older
489
Ed Wright
1995-2008
70 and older
472
Paul Dinwiddie
1985-1993
65 and older
1114
Ed Wright
1990-2009
65 and older
~1000
Ron Valentine
1998-2017
65 and older
707
Paul Dinwiddie
1980-1993
89 and older
22
Rev. Rufus Morgan
1979-1983

Most Days With Multiple Ascents

Ed Wright frequently made two or three ascents in a day, especially during 1991 when he was intent on setting his one-year-record of 230 climbs.
CATEGORY
RECORD
NAME
DETAILS
Lifetime
128
Ed Wright
3×3, 125×2
One year
103
Ed Wright
1991: 2×3, 101×2

Consecutive Days Climbed

The first person to climb Le Conte on consecutive days apparently was S.H. Essary, botany professor at the University of Tennessee, in August 1912, according to a 1928 story in the Knoxville News-Sentinel.

Most Miles In 24 Hours

In April 1930, J.N. “Nick” Robinson, 22, hiked 51.5 miles from the Andrew Johnson Hotel in Knoxville via Sevierville, Gatlinburg, and Cherokee Orchard, reaching the top of Mount Le Conte in 13:51.
DAYS
NAME
DATES
11
Paul Dinwiddie
July 16-26, 1991
8
Tillroe Smith
March 13-20, 1999
7
Shirley Henry
Sept. 5-11, 1991
5
Margaret Stevenson
Sept. 19-23, 1991
5
Mick Meister
July 2012 (training for Kilimanjaro)
15
Tillroe Smith
October 2002

Consecutive Months Climbed

MILES
NAME
DATE
65
*John Northrup
Sept. 28, 2012
55.6
Scott Anderson
Oct. 16, 2022
55
David Worth
2011
51.7
Nathaniel Klumb
Oct. 14, 2019
51.1
Ash Walsh
June 26, 2020, July 20, 2021
51.1
Matt Johnson
July 20, 2021
78.2
Zach Andrews
Oct. 14-15, 2020

Hiking Your Age In A Year

Consecutive Years Climbed

MONTHS
NAME
SPAN
160
Ed Wright
Aug. 1986-Nov. 2000
135
Paul Dinwiddie
Apr. 1981-June 1992
100
*John Northrup
Jan. 2016-April 2024
ASCENTS
NAME
YEAR
130
Ed Wright
1997 as he turned 72
111
Ed Wright
1998 as he turned 73
107
Ed Wright
1993 as he turned 68
104
Ed Wright
1994 as he turned 69
103
Ed Wright
1995 as he turned 70
102
Paul Dinwiddie
1991 as he turned 76
81
Paul Dinwiddie
1990 as he turned 75
80
Ed Wright
1992 as he turned 67
78
Paul Dinwiddie
1984 as he turned 69
78
Margaret Stevenson
1991 as she turned 79
56
Dewey Slusher
2012 as he turned 53
55
*Austin Funderburg
2021 as he turned 24
230
Ed Wright
1991 as he turned 66
YEARS
NAME
YEARS
15
Paul Dinwiddie
1979-1993
72
Ron Valentine
1946-2017
53
Steve Oliphant
1971-2023
51
Rev. Rufus Morgan
1928-1978
48
Robert L. Morrison
1973-2020
42
*Tim & Lisa Line
1977-2018
41
Charles Engelbracht
1979-2019
41
*Jack Huff
1920-1960
38
Pop Hollandsworth
1971-2008
36
David Overbay
1984-2020
34
Bill Yeager
1987-2020
30
Richard Northrup
1992-2021
30
Charlie Brady
1991-2020
31
*John Northrup
1994-2024
28
Amy Slifko
1994-2021
26
Ed Wright
1983-2008
28
Tim Webb
1997-2024
24
Steve Gamble
1997-2020
23
Barbara Ann & Don Grove
August each year
22
Howie Peebles
2001-2022
20
Larry Mefford
2003-2022

Tour De LeConte

The Tour de Le Conte involves completing all six trails on Mount Le Conte in a span of 24 hours. Click on the link to see a list of completers.
CATEGORY
RECORD
NAMES
DETAILS
Most tours
4
Scott Anderson
2020, 2022, 2023x2
Longest route
78.2 miles
Zach Andrews
Oct. 14-15, 2020 (23:38)
Age: Eldest
68
Lane DeCost
Oct. 4, 2022
Age: Youngest
15
Samuel Runyan
Aug. 23, 2021
Most tours
4
*John Northrup
2010, 2013, 2014, 2015
Fastest
8:03:38
Anthony & Elias Groft
Nov. 27, 2020 (45.3 miles)

Off-Trail Ascents

Dave Landreth probably would lead this list if he kept count of his hikes. In a 2015 interview, he called Alum Cave Bluff “the trail that I use most often when I’m returning from some of my favorite off-trail rambles, so I’ve hiked it at least one way hundreds of times over the 40 something years that I’ve been hiking the Smokies.” Click here for a map of off-trail routes by Dr. E.C. Jones. Paul Dinwiddie’s 750 climbs included 25 routes, 19 of them off-trail. The late Jenny Bennett also climbed all 12 creek drainages on Le Conte.
Title
OFF-TRAIL ASCENTS
NAME
DATES
85
Dr. E.C. Jones
1980-2020

SPEED RECORDS

* Indicates Lodge crew

Speed Records

Fastest Ascent via
Alum Cave Bluff Trail  
(trailhead to Le Conte Lodge staircase)

Fastest Ascent via AT/Boulevard
(from Newfound Gap to High Top)

Fastest Descent via
Alum Cave Bluff Trail

2021-TIME
NAME
DATE
DETAILS
0:49:26
Seth Orme
2018
0:54
*John Northrup
2012-08-27
0:54:06
David Riddle
2021-04-21
per Strava
0:54:59
Taylor Scarbrough
2017-07-22
per Strava
0:55:06
Danny Kratzer
2017-10-15
per Strava
0:58:20
Jakob Mueller
2021-03-14
per Strava
0:57:25
Matt Johnson
2020-10-24
0:59:36
Zachary Andrews
2020-08-11
per Strava
1:0036
Mike Walwro
2021-05-23
per Strava
1:01:48
Brian Williams
2015-09-05
per Strava
1:03:45
Bobby Herrington
2020-07-10
per Strava
1:04:49
Michael Glaser
2020-07-11
1:05:22
Brian Vermillion
2022-06-23
per FKT
1:05:59
Mary Sketch
2020-11-07
per Strava
1:06:00
Bill Kenyon
1948
Knoxville Sentinel 1948-10-18
1:06:00
Ryan Anderson
2020-07-02
1:08
Ash Walsh
2021-01-24
1:12
Philip “P-Nut” Clarkson
2021-04-23
1:15
Adam Gravett
2018-06-09
1:15:21
Sarah Hansel
2019-10-13
Round trip 2:06:33
1:21
Adam Ozment
2019-09-30
1:25
Timothy Massey
2020-08-31
1:25:53
Benjamin Gans
2020-09-22
1:26:03
Steve Matthews
2019-09-22
Turned at Trillium TH
1:30
Joe Cagley
2019-05-31
Round trip 2:35
1:32
Ed Wright
1991-10-18
Round trip 2:49
1:37:24
Larry Russell
2021-07-03
PR at age 77
1:39:57
Karen & Randy Hatfield
2021-07-25
1:40
Bill Yeadon
2020-07-04
1:43:71
Chris Dover
2022-09-24
1:45
John McHugh
2021-05-26
1:46
Melissa Coatney
2020-03-18
1:47
*Scott Leslie
2021-07-03
1:52 to High Top
1:54
Paul Dinwiddie
1983-07-10
1:55
Mary Therese Jardina
2022-09-02
1:58
Allyson Virden
2010-06-15
0:45
Stan Wullschleger
pre-2014
per High On LeConte blog

Vertical Mile

Gatlinburg riverfront to High Top and back

For a list of all completers, click here.

TIME
NAME
ROUTE
MILES
DATE
3:30:00
Joe Miller
Rainbow, 19.7
2021-03-27
3:11:51
Luke Bollschweiler
Rainbow, 20.5
2021-05-08

Fastest Round Trip via Alum Cave

TIME
NAME
DATE
TURNING POINT
1:27:23
Alex Garcia
2017-03-24
9.9 miles via Lodge steps
1:49:03
Brian Vermillion
2021-11-21
2:06:31
Cass Lynch
2021-08-30
2:06:32
Kara Molitor
2020-11-29
all the way to High Top
2:06:33
Sarah Hansel
2019-10-13
10.6 miles via High Top
2:17
Adam Ozment
2019-09-30
2:35
Joe Cagley
2019-05-31
2:49
Ed Wright
1991-10-18
all the way to High Top
1:26:03
Steve Matthews
2019-09-22
turned at Trillium TH
TIME
NAME
DATE
DATE
1:57:18
Timothy Massey
2021-07-17
7.87 miles
2:00:00
Pauline Huff
pre-1940
1:39:00
Ash Walsh
2022-09-16
TIME
NAME
DATE
DETAILS
0:33
*Tim Line
pre-2012
0:50:33
*Philip “P-Nut” Clarkson
2020-03-02
0:56
Adam Ozment
2019-09-30
0:56
*Austin Funderburg
2021-04-19
0:57:28
*Scott Leslie
2021-07-03
1:05
Joe Cagley
2019-05-31
1:17
Ed Wright
2019-10-18
0:26
*John Northrup
2012-08-27

Beer Mile

(Lodge to Gatlinburg and back with a 6-pack)

TIME
NAME
DATE
2:50
*Tim Line
1:54:48
*John Northrup
2012-08-27

WEATHER RECORDS

Weather Records
Note that the turnaround ;point varies. Some went all the way to the summit, while others turned in the vicinity of the Lodge.

Record Snowfall

OFFICIAL
UNOFFICIAL
DATE
EVENT
60
March 1960
60-inch drifts
48
April 1997
36
March 13, 2010
56
63
March 12-15, 1993
Storm of the Century

Extreme Weather

DATE
DETAILS
SOURCE
2021-04-22
7F low at the Lodge with snow
1996-07-04
July 4: 39F high at the Lodge (49 at Alum trailhead)
Ed Wright’s journal

Most Snow In A Winter

SNOWFALL INCHES
WINTER SEASON
133 inches
1977-1978
120 inches
1980-1981
106 inches
1978-1979 and 1986-1987
101 inches
1991-1992
143 inches
2009-2010

Low Temperature

High Temperature

Earliest Snow

Latest Snow

TEMP
DATE
81.4
June 29, 2012
80.0
July 1, 2012
81.5
June 30, 2012
EVENT
DATE
3 inches
Oct. 4, 2010
Flurries
Sept. 27, 1985
TEMP F
DATE
-32
Jan. 21, 1985
-22
Feb. 4, 2009
-37
Dec. 31, 1925 (per Paul Adams’ book, Smoky Jack)
EVENT
DATE
Flurries
June 1, 1983
0.5 inches
May 22, 1993
0.5 inches
May 16, 2014
Flurries
June 2, 1958
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