'Grand finale' for grandfathered reservations

The first snow of the season fell Halloween night at LeConte Lodge. That's more than a month later than the record for the earliest snow: Sept. 24 in 1985. This was the 9th time in the last 11 years that the first snow has come in October. (Photo credit: highonleconte.com)

 There have been plenty of nostalgic comments in the LeConte Lodge logbook in recent weeks from hikers who may have been making their last overnight stays at the Lodge.
 Many of these guests have enjoyed standing or "grandfathered" reservations, which allowed those who have been coming since 1998 to carry over the same date from one year to the next, without going through the annual lottery and waiting list. This made it convenient for families and groups to schedule annual trips, but it also meant that a third of the season might fill up even before the general public had an opportunity to request reservations.
 For the past several years, the managers of the Lodge and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park have been working together to phase out the standing reservations, according to this report on WVLT-TV.
 In theory, the end of standing reservations should make it easier for first-time visitors to get a cabin, although the Lodge is already fully booked for 2020. The 2020 season runs eight months, opening March 23 and closing Nov. 24. 

 "Last trip," wrote Rick Hobson of Hilton Head, S.C., as he signed in Oct. 20 on his 36th visit to the Lodge. "Thank you all!"

 "Last year for reservations!" wrote Aaron and David Cain on Oct. 20 as they logged trips #20 and #32. "Been a great run!" 
 Norm Harber signed in Oct. 3 with #32. "Last group hike," he wrote. "Started in 1992. Been amazing!" 
 The Williams family signed in Nov. 9 with #20, "Last of the grandfathered years😞." 
 A group from St. John's Episcopal Church (evidently in South Carolina) signed in Oct. 25 with a note indicating they have been coming since 1964. "End of a wonderful tradition," wrote Margaret Anne Dubose, making her 17th trip. 
 Aimee Bridges of Raleigh, N.C., signed in Oct. 19 with "24 years!" Three days later, Dawn Eipeldauer of Oak Ridge, Tenn., left a note saying, "50 years. Love!" 
 The Fleming family—Dwight, Laura, Barrett, and Margaret—logged in Oct. 12 with #38, and wrote, "The grand finale!"
 Standing reservations date back to the 1980s, according to this 1989 clipping I found in the Raleigh News & Observer. At that time, standing reservations filled one-third of the season. By 1998, according to a story in the Cincinnati Enquirer, half of all guests came with standing reservations.

Following the footsteps of the Tour trailblazers

Katie Baker (right) with a friend who hiked with her up Brushy Mountain Trail

 Katie Baker wasn't going to let rain spoil her 40th birthday parade. That was the day she intended to complete the Tour de Le Conte—hiking all six trails that lead to Mount Le Conte in a span of 24 hours. 
 Accompanied by friends, Katie started up the Brushy Mountain trail at 5:07 a.m. on Oct. 19, then went down Rainbow Falls, up Bullhead, down Boulevard, and up Alum to LeConte Lodge for the third time in 12 hours. The rain intensified as she hiked down the Trillium Gap trail and made her way behind the torrent of Grotto Falls. At 10:02 p.m., after 44 miles and nearly 17 hours of hiking, she reached the Trillium trailhead on Roaring Fork Road. The Trillium Gap trail actually continues another 2.4 miles to Cherokee Orchard, but by that point the storm had made it dangerous to continue, so she and her hiking partners decided to stop there. 
 Does that count as a completed Tour de Le Conte? 
 The question stumped me, since there are no written rules for the Tour de Le Conte. The spirit of the challenge is to hike all six trails that lead to the top of the mountain, which she did. All the other routes start at roadside trailheads, so to me, there's nothing wrong with stopping at the first road you reach coming down.
 I've asked other completers for their perspectives. One of them told me that back in 1993, the original completers of the Tour de Le Conte, Lee Lewis and Mike Povia, also stopped at the same place Katie did. 
 When I initially reported that Katie's completion time of 16:55 was the fastest known time for a female, she emailed me apologetically. "I don't deserve that title," she wrote. "Had we done the last two miles to Cherokee Orchard, I think it would have been the fastest, but I am happy we stopped at Roaring Fork. It was becoming unsafe out there.
 "If this means we didn't 'do' the Tour, I understand. Having traveled so far and crossing the summit three times should count for something. I hope this makes it right in the eyes of the Le Conte family, and I hope a gal comes along soon who crushes the record."
 Her wish came true six days later, when Dr. Nancy East completed her Tour in 16:13, including the extra miles between the Roaring Fork and Cherokee Orchard trailheads.
 I would appreciate opinions from the hiking community on how to define the Tour de Le Conte. For now, I am crediting Katie with finishing the Tour, but I am not posting her time on the list of completers since it would be unfair to compare it to others who went the extra miles. Your comments on this are welcome below. 
 To me, the gap at the end of Katie's hike is similar to the one between Newfound Gap and the Alum Cave trailhead. We accept that most completers will take a car between those trailheads, even though Nathaniel Klumb recently used a bicycle for that section.
 To me, anyone who completes all six trails from the trailheads to the Lodge has earned Tour de Le Conte bragging rights.
 Katie's respect for "the Le Conte family" comes from deep roots in the Smokies. She is the great-granddaughter of Fanny Cable Carringer (1894-1986) of Cades Cove. Katie is a homeschooling mother of three, and a published author who has climbed Mount Le Conte five times.

WHAT SHOULD WE CALL THE TOUR? 

 Tour de Le Conte has become the popular name for the six-hike challenge. Personally, I  prefer it without the "de", since Tour Le Conte has a lyrical cadence that matches Tour de France. Also, I like 24 Hours of Le Conte as a nice parallel for 24 Hours of Le Mans, the French auto race featured in the film, Ford vs. Ferrari. 

THE 5-TRAIL TOUR: A WORTHY ACCOMPLISHMENT

 Some hikers disregard the Brushy Mountain Trail as part of the Le Conte network because it connects to the Trillium Gap trail so far below the summit. Still, the other five trails form a worthy challenge that deserves recognition. 

 In 1999, Ann Marie Otis and one of her students at Christian Academy of Knoxville, Katie Felde, completed the five highest trails in 18:30—then made it to school the following day.
 In 2016, Minta Ray and Taylor Drake successfully hiked the five highest trails, covering 39 miles in 19 hours. At the end, they went up and down Alum. 
 Ed Wright's journal mentions a man named Kent LaVoi and a friend named Brant or Brandon from Sevierville who attempted the tour on Nov. 25, 1997. Kent signed in twice at the Lodge but evidently did not make the third loop.

Putting a Fleur de Lis on the Tour de Le Conte

Nathaniel Klumb at Cliff Tops, early in his 51.7-mile jaunt

 Congratulations to Nathaniel Klumb from Louisiana for completing a jumbo version of the Tour de Le Conte.
 Nathaniel, a computer programmer from Baton Rouge, hiked and biked 51.7 miles in 19 hours and 18 minutes on Oct. 13-14, not only covering all six trails to Mount Le Conte but also including all the spur trails. He even pre-positioned a bike at Newfound Gap and rode it down to the Alum Cave trailhead—a 4.4-mile interval where many hikers catch a car. "Pedaled just once to start rolling," he said. 
 Click here to visualize his route. 
 He started at 3:15 p.m. on Sunday Oct. 13 in Greenbrier, climbed the Brushy Mountain Trail, visited Cliff Tops for sunset, and descended Bullhead as night fell. At Cherokee Orchard, he backtracked for a mile for a Gatorade resupply, climbed Trillium Gap in the dark and descended on the Boulevard, with side trips to Myrtle Point and the Jumpoff. 
 After the bike segment, Nathaniel climbed Alum Cave trail at daybreak and finished the Rainbow Falls trail at 10:33 a.m. on Monday Oct. 14.
 Nathaniel's extra mileage matches the route taken by John Northrup in 2010, who included the side trails on the first of his four successful Tours, completing 50 miles in 16:48. 

Milestones at the mountaintop: 2019 updates

Kilt it! Bill Yeadon's goal was to climb Le Conte 75 times before turning 75. He made it with 5 years to spare.

 Tennessee's Mount Le Conte may be the most addictive peak in the Southeast—if not all of America. When the roll is called up yonder, dozens of hikers can say they have climbed Le Conte more than a hundred times. Six men have made it more than a thousand times.
 Since I launched this project in 2012, I've identified 51 men and 20 women who have climbed Le Conte at least 100 times. I am aware of a few others who are not yet listed, and I encourage them to let me know their totals or estimates. 

 From the Lodge logbooks this summer, I've added Dr. Ed Jones of Knoxville with #413, Larry Russell of Sevierville with #238, Stephen Sidbury of Knoxville with #220, Mae and Roger Snyder of Maryville with #208, Alvin Sanders with 200-plus, Kent Roberts of Maryville with #172, Earl Monger #166, Greg Donahue of Pigeon Forge with #162, Keith and Darla Large of Pigeon Forge with #116, Ben Fitzgerald from Augusta with #109, Jenny Rhyne with #105-plus, Jeff Wadley of Kingsport with #105, Brian Worley of Knoxville with #103, Gary White of Double Springs, Ala., with #102, and Steve Odom of Kingsport with #102. 
 I've added Charles Engelbracht of Waynesville, N.C., who estimates he has climbed Le Conte more than 100 times—as he started about 1978 and has been making the trip three to four times a year for 40 years. 

 Also, I've posted #141 in memory of Ernest LuAllen, who suffered a fatal heart attack on the Alum Cave trail in 1992. I was glad to find his total in Paul Dinwiddie's journal.

2019 Leaders

39 Adam Gravett (58 lifetime)

29 Dr. Ed Jones (416)

24 Larry Russell (238)

19 Adam Ozment (33)

15 Roy Helton (29)

12 Linten Atkins (100)

12 Nelson Eddy (50)

2019 logbook
Listed in alphabetical order:

 MELISSA ADAMSON, Pittsburgh, Pa., #32 on May 6. 
 SCOTT ADKISSON, #17 on Aug. 16. 
 DREW AKIN of Nashville TN, #21 on Aug 29 along with his sister DEMI AKIN, #3. Drew said this is the 17th consecutive year he has climbed Le Conte, starting at age 6. He is carrying on the tradition established by his grandfather BILLY AKIN, who climbed Le Conte 48 times.
 MIKE ALEXANDER, #29 on July 8.
 ADAIR ALLEN of Knoxville TN, #21 on Sept. 11. 
 DAREL ANDERLE, #50 on Aug. 25. 
 SHIRLEY ARGABRIGHT, #14 on July 28.
 AMY E. ARNOLD, #15 on Sept. 2.  
 D.J. ATCHLEY #32 on Sept. 22.
 CLAY ATHERTON, #25 on Oct. 7, with Tracie Atherton #12. 
 LINTEN ATKINS of Newport TN, #100 on Dec. 31 (via Bulhead), #99 on on Dec. 23 (via Alum), #98 on Nov. 24, #97 on Nov. 21, #96 on Oct. 5, #95 on Sept. 20 (with SHANA ATKINS #11), #94 on Sept. 2, #93 on Aug 16, #91 on July 5, #90 on June 14, #88 on May 9 (with CONNER ATKINS #24).

 CLYDE AUSTIN II of Kingston NC, #77 on Oct. 11.
 JULIE BABB, #15 on Sept. 29.
 KARETZA BACKUV of Pigeon Forge TN, #23 on July 29. 
 RANDY BAKER #40 on June 28.
 DAVID BALDWIN #38 & CLAIRE BALDWIN #20 from Brentwood TN., on July 17.
 JAN & DENNY BARKIMER, #22 on Oct. 14. 
 SCOTT BARNES of Harriman, #20 on Oct. 17. 
 PAMELA LEWIS BARRS from Knoxville TN, #53, on Oct. 21. "Going for 100," she wrote in the Logbook after #50 on Sept. 9.
 STEVE BARRS from Knoxville TN, #37 on Oct. 18. 
 KELLY BARRY, #30 on Sept. 1. 
 MARVIN BEARD, #36 on Aug. 15.
 KENT BEDENBAUGH of Columbia SC, #22 on July 21. 
 JOYCE & KARLA BELL, from Aiken, S.C., #33 on Sept. 8. 
 JENNIFER BENNETT, #23 on Aug. 22. 
 TINA INGE BENTRUP, #33 on Sept. 2. 
 TONY BERRY #35 on July 12.
 ED BEST JR. of Maryville TN, #60 on Aug. 31. 
 BRANDI BIVENS of Lenoir City TN, #20 on July 29.
 RACHEL GOETZE BLACK of Knoxville TN, #17 on Dec. 28, #16 on Oct. 13, #15 on Sept. 7.
 SHIRLEY BLACK of Alabama, #18 on July 5.
 J. BLANK of Knoxville, #331 on Oct. 13. 
 GEORGE BOATWRIGHT, Louisville, Ky., #30 on July 20. 
 PARKER BOWLING, #19 on Sept. 21. 
 JANICE BOOTH, #24 on June 1.
 JOEL BOOTH, #24 on June 1.
 TOM BOOTH of Laceys Springs AL, #24 on June 1.
 BRAD BOWERS #40 on July 12. 
 TOM BOWERS #30 on July 12. 
 MISSY BOWERS, #18 on July 12.
 PAUL BOWLEY, #25 on Sept. 1. With LINDSAY BOWLEY, #10.  
 HANK BOWMAN, #21 on July 21. 

 CHARLIE BRADY of Boone NC, #34 on Oct. 30, marking the 29th consecutive year he has climbed Le Conte. 

 GALEN BRADLEY of Sevierville, #30 on Oct. 7. 
 GARY BRIDGES of Raleigh NC, #35 on Oct. 19, with Aimee Bridges, 24 straight years. 
 SCOTT BRISTOW #30 on July 26. 
 PHIL BROOKOVER, #20 on Sept. 29. 
 KENNY BROWN, #50 on June 26. 
 CHARLOTTE M. BURDETTE, Knoxville TN, #58 on Oct. 24, #57 on Oct. 10, #56 on May 25.
 JOE CAGLEY, #26 on Sept. 20. Previously: #25 on July 25; #24 on May 31, hiked up Alum Cave Bluff Trail in 1:30 and jogged down in 1:05.
 CHRIS CALVERT, #19 on June 18. 
 KEITH CAMERON of Mascot TN, #14 on Oct. 18.
 RAY CAMERON, #20 on Aug. 27, his 73rd birthday.
 DOUG CAPEHART of Cincinnati OH, #21 on Oct. 29. 
 HARRY CARLTON of Hendersonville TN, #36 on Oct. 19. 
 BOB CARR, #32.
 JOSH CARR of Pigeon Forge TN, #20 on June 15. 
 SCOTT CARUSO of Huntsville AL, #20 on Oct. 9, with SALVADORE CARUSO #20.
 RIC CHANDLER, #67 on Aug. 19—matching his age. 
 BILL CHATFIELD, #50 on June 9. 
 ARLENE CHERRY #30 & RON CHERRY #30, Knoxville, on June 29.
 BRIAN CHISOM #25 and JANET CHISOM #13, from Virginia, on Aug. 12. 
 JOHN CLAPP of Raleigh NC, #25 on July 12.
 JAMES CLARK #36 & DENISE CLARK #23, on May 20.
 PHILIP "P-NUT" CLARKSON #30, from Maryville, Tenn.
 JOHN CLAYTON of Gatlinburg TN, #18 on Nov. 4, #17 on May 31.
 MELISSA COATNEY, #24 on Dec. 23, #23 on Nov. 11 in 1:40 up Alum Cave, and #22 on Oct. 14 in 2:26 up the 6.6 mile Rainbow Falls trail. She has set a goal of climbing Le Conte 100 times by 2026—the 100th anniversary of Le Conte Lodge. 
 STEVE COX #18 and JUDY COX #17, Oct. 3. 
 ROBERT CULBERTSON #33 & MICHELLE CULBERTSON #27 on Sept. 28. 
 BILLY & KATHY CULWELL of Hayden AL, #17 on Sept. 21. 
 LOLITA D., from Ukraine, #24 on Sept. 11.
 RADD DAIGLE, #31 on Oct. 18. 
 HILARY DAVIDSON #28, MARTIN DAVIDSON #28, GRANT DAVIDSON #28 on Sept. 8.
 BRENDA DAVIS, #41 on Sept. 2. 
 SUSAN DELTON, #30, on Aug. 8. She wrote in the logbook: "30+ years."
 GREG DONAHUE of Pigeon Forge TN, #162 on Dec. 20, #161 on Oct. 11, #160 on Sept. 6, #159 on June 28.
 ELLIE DOUGHTY, #38 on Aug. 13.
 PAUL DOUTHITT #22 and KATHY DOUTHITT #22 on Oct. 3. 
 DENNIS DuBOSE, #36 on Oct. 22, with HOLLY DuBOSE #30. 
 MARGARET ANNE DUBOSE of St. John's Episcopal Church in SC, #17 on Oct. 25. 
 KAREN DUNEGAN, #21 on Aug. 30. 
 AARON DuVALL of Louisville KY, #21 on Oct. 3.
 DR. NANCY EAST, #17, #18, and #19 as she completed the Tour Le Conte on Oct. 25. Previously Oct. 15. 

 NELSON EDDY of Murfreesboro TN, #50 on July 27. Nelson climbed Le Conte 12 straight months to celebrate his 50th birthday, and repeated the feat as he turned 60. He joined a notable club with #50, including Steve Oliphant, Adam Gravett, and David Worth.
 DOUG EDWARDS of Maryville TN, #82 on Sept. 27. 
 NANCY EIKORR, #26 on June 6. 
 DAWN EIPELDAUER of Oak Ridge, 50 consecutive years. 
 JANE EPP of Sylva NC, #20 on June 9.
 ROBERT EMORY, #26 on Oct. 4.
 BOBAK ETEZADI of Knoxville TN, #23 on Sept. 14, with AMIR ETEZADI #15. 
 BILL EVANS of Knoxville TN, #26 on Sept. 11. 
 MIKE & PAULINE FANGUY, #46 on Sept. 19. 
 TONY FITCH of Morristown TN, #15 on Aug. 4. 

 BEN FITZGERALD of Augusta GA, #109 on Oct. 30, #108 on Oct. 28.
 STEVE & HANNAH FRANKLIN of Knoxville TN, #30 on Sept. 14. 
 GARY S. FREE of Tallassee TN, #18 on Sept. 27, #16 on Sept. 14. 
 SUSAN FRICKS of Charleston SC, #22 on Aug. 8. 
 JERRY & BETH GILLEY, Maryville TN, #30 on Sept. 17. 
 SHANE GILLESPIE, #19 on Oct. 3. 
 GEOFF GLIBBERY, #17 on Aug. 16. 
 JENNIFER GOOD, #50 on Nov. 4. 
 DAVE GOODY, #69 on Sept. 5. 
 JACK GOTTING of Louisville KY, #17 on Sept. 16. 
 TIM GRANT, Taylors SC, #27 on Sept. 1. With MADDIE GRANT, #10.
 ADAM GRAVETT, #58 on Dec. 21, #57 on Nov. 24, #50 on July 21. He did #55 on Sept. 21 to celebrate his 52nd birthday with sunrise at Myrtle Point. Three of his summit trips were on May 1, when he completed the Tour de Le Conte with ADAM WILLIAMSON and ADAM OZMENT. 
 MIKE GRAYBEAL of Burlington NC, #28 on Sept. 1. 
 DANA GUMP, #27 on Nov. 2, #23 on June 14.
 ANNA HALTIWANGER #79 & WILL HALTIWANGER #78 from Columbia SC, on Aug. 9.
 CHARLIE & BRANDY HAMMACK, of Morristown, Tenn., #32 on Sept. 27, #31 on Sept. 2. 
 NORM HARBER of Goodlettsville TN, #32 on Oct. 3. He has been leading church group hikes to the Lodge since 1992, and this was probably their last trip because the Lodge no longer allows them to grandfather their annual date. 
 ROBIN HARDIN, Tennessee, #26 on July 21.
 TERRY HARDY, #20 on July 26. 
 LEE HARWELL, #38 on Oct. 11 for sunrise. Previously #37 on Sept. 13.
 FRED HARRISON, IAN HARRISON, and KELLY HARRISON from Lebanon OH and Florence KY, #25 on Aug. 12. 
 LARRY & BETH HARWOOD, #24 on Aug. 30. 

 KAREN HATFIELD #50 & RANDY HATFIELD #50 on Christmas Day (sunrise)

Previously #49 on Nov. 3, #48 on July 27. 
 MIKE HAWK, #69 on Oct. 5. 
 BEV HAWKINS, #15 on Aug. 15.
 TIM HEATH, Clyde, N.C., #31 on July 14. 
 ROY HELTON of Pigeon Forge TN climbed Le Conte 15 times in 2019. HIs lifetime total was about #29 on June 19. 
 CARRIE HENDERSON of Waterloo SC, #15 on July 19. 
 BARRY HILL, #30-plus according to the logbook Sept. 7, est. 25 in March 2020.
 LINDA HILL of Tennessee, #30-plus, on Aug. 8, celebrating her 64th birthday.
 TYKE HILLMER, Knoxville, #31 on June 28.
 DORIS HIPPS, #31 on Sept. 12. 
 RICK HOBSON of Hilton Head SC, #36 on Oct. 20. 
 STEVE HOGG of Lexington KY, #30 on Nov. 11. 
 RONNIE HOLBERT, #63 on Sept. 1—his first summit hike in nearly six years, and his first hike since having knee replacement surgery. 
 GREG HOLDEN, of St. Petersburg FL, #30-something on Aug. 18. 
 ALLAN HOLLADAY #27 & OLIVIA HOLLADAY #22, on July 17. 
 JIM HOLLIS of Rock Hill SC, #45 on Nov. 10, #41 on May 20.
 DEBBIE HOLLIS #12, May 20.
 NATALIE HOUGHTON of Knoxville TN, #20 on Aug. 2.
 JORDAN HOUGHTON of Chattanooga TN, #20+ on Aug. 2. 
 CONNIE HOUK, #41 on Oct. 13.
 JACK HOWARD, #27 on Nov. 19. 
 ANDY HUFF #48 and CYNDI BOWLING #46 led the annual hike by descendants of Lodge founder JACK HUFF, who probably climbed LeConte more than 2,500 times. Also in the Aug. 9 group were PARKER BOWLING #18, HUNTER HUFF #16, and CAIT BOWLING #14.
 BOB IRWIN #36 & JANET IRWIN #34, from Greencastle, Indiana. I met the Irwins on Mount Collins July 29 and we talked about Le Conte, and they shared their lifetime totals. As I described this blog to them, they said they had heard of a preacher who had climbed Le Conte about 1,500 times. The only preacher I know of is the late Rufus Morgan, "Moses of the Mountains", who finished with 174. If you know of a preacher (or anyone else) who is missing from the honor roll, please let me know. Email LeConteLog@gmail.com.
 ROB HUTCHINSON, Atlanta, #24 on Aug. 12.
 JESSICA ISAF, #22 on July 20. 
 LARRY ISRAEL, #46 on June 3. 
 SUZANNE JACKSON #25 & ROBERT JACKSON #25 on July 4.

 DRU JAMES #30 & ENNIS JAMES #30 on Oct. 29. "Trip #30, birthday #70," they wrote in the logbook. "Hope to have more of both."
 DANNY JANSEN, #20 on July 7. 

 JOHN & MARY SUE JENKINS, #39 on Oct. 9. 
 MIKE JENNINGS, Chattanooga TN, #55 on Aug. 8.
 NITA & JIM JOHNSTON, #32 on June 28.
 DR. ED JONES of Knoxville TN, signed in with #413 on Nov. 16, his 26th summit hike of the year, giving him 584 miles hiked in 2019. Also Dec. 28, Dec. 21, and Dec. 7. He hit the 400 milestone on June 16.
 BRYANT JONES of Atlanta, #25 on Oct. 13. 
 JIM JONES, #35 on Oct. 13. 
 DAVID JONES, #33 on Oct. 10. 
 CONNIE KEEBLER, #45 on July 12.
 FRANK KEHREN of Knoxville TN, #17, and GEORG KEHREN of Erkelenz, Germany, #5 on Sept. 16. 
 LESLIE KEPLER of South Charleston OH, #28 on Sept. 21. 

 LIDDA KING #22 & TED KING #22, from Knoxville TN, June 19.
 BOB KIRCHE of Maryville, TN, #40 on July 3.
 MATTHEW W. KOLLSTEDT, #25 on June 3. 

 JILL & PAUL KONTZ, of Greenville SC, #28 each on Sept. 15. 
 MIKE LANCASTER, Ellijay, Ga., #22 on July 18.

 FRANK LAMONS of Atlanta, #45 on Oct. 11. 
 JOCELYN LANE, of Newport TN, #19 on Aug. 13. 
 DARLA LARGE & KEITH LARGE of Pigeon Forge TN, #116 on Oct. 27, #113 on Aug. 11, #111 on July 4 (with ALEX LARGE #30, LEE LARGE #21, and EMILY LARGE #3.)
 CODY LARGE, Gatlinburg TN, #45 on June 16. 
 HOLLIS LATHAN, Knoxville TN, #14 on July 4. 
 DAVE LINDSAY, Clemson SC, #22 on July 5. 
 DREW LISICKI, #29 on July 5. 
 BETH LOFQUIST #21 & VICTOR LOFQUIST #21, on Nov. 19. 

 GREG LUNNY of Jacksonville Beach FL, #23 on June 9.

 JERRY LUTH of Findlay OH, #160 on April 15. He didn't start climbing Le Conte after he turned 60.

 JUDY MAHONE of Nashville TN, #42 on July 25. 
 SANDY MAIO, Massachusetts, #22 on Aug. 12. 
 CASEY MAJNI, from Knoxville, #27 on Oct. 12, #26 on Aug. 10. 
 BRIAN MANESS, #50 on June 15. 

 FRANK MARCH of Wears Valley TN, #38 on July 29. 
 JUSTIN MARTIN, #30 on Aug. 30. 
 GRAYSON MARTIN, JAY MARTIN, & DAMON MARTIN, #27 on Aug. 30. 
 TIMOTHY MASSEY, Tallahassee TN, #52 on Nov. 24, #51 on Nov. 8, #50 on Oct. 19. 
 THOMAS McADIREY, #16 on Aug. 27. 
 JOHN R. McALILEY VI, #25 on Aug. 8, accompanied by 3-year-old JOHN R. McALILEY V #1. 
 WALT McFALLS, #36 on Oct. 7.
 ERIN McINALLY, Atlanta GA, #14 on July 5.
 CATHY McLEOD, #17 on June 11.
 L.E. McKINNEY, #20 on Sept. 26. 
 SUSAN McLEMORE #30-plus & JIM McCLEMORE #30-plus, on Sept. 29. 
 JEAN McMANN, #30 on June 9. 
 CHRIS MAULDEN of Knoxville TN, #54 on Dec. 21. 
 BRADY MESSER, #27 on Oct. 12, #26 on Aug. 10. He wrote in the logbook: "The streak is still alive."
 JAYDEN MICHAEL, #14 on Oct. 13.
 JOHN MINCEY, #38 on Oct. 11. 
 KEN MOLLER, #50 on June 21. 
 EARL MONGER, #166 on Oct. 4. 

 JIM MOORE of Knoxville TN, #75 on May 25.
 GRIF MORPETH of Columbus GA, #38, led a group including his father up Le Conte on April 15. His father Jim Morpeth posted on Facebook: “In 1978 I began hiking to LeConte Lodge with Herb Cawthorne. For years I went many times—20 to 30, I don’t know. At some point I slacked off and my son Grif picked up the tradition and he’s been coming every year since 1992. Years passed and I decided my back was too bad to carry a pack up the rigorous trails and back down.” Then after three years of training with a physical therapist, Jim was able to return to the mountaintop at age 75. “I can’t begin to tell you what it meant to me—part of my soul is on top of that mountain! Thank you Grif for helping your old dad go looking for his soul!" 

 ROBERT MORRISON of Woodstock GA, #75 on June 21. 
 ROBERT MORRISON, #50 on Oct. 21, with CHRISTY MORRISON #25. 
 SUZANNE MORRISON, 30-plus on Nov. 26. 
 EARL MUNDY, #34 on Sept. 5. 

 HENRY NEEL of Jefferson City TN, in his 20th season working at the Lodge, doesn't keep count of his hikes, but told me on July 31 that he's probably climbed the mountain 500 to 600 times.
 DICK NORTHRUP #42 & PAT NORTHRUP #38, from Tecumseh MI, on Nov. 3. Previously, they climbed the mountain June 21 to celebrate their 39th anniversary and Pat's 65th birthday.
 BERT NORTHRUP, Tecumseh, Mi., #37 on June 28. 
 STEVE ODOM of Kingsport TN, est. 100 on Aug. 20. Steve said he has not kept an exact count but has been climbing the mountain for 40 years, with multiple trips in many of those years. He is among 67 individuals on the honor roll with at least 100 climbs.
 STEVE OLIPHANT, a native of Oak Ridge TN and a resident of Spartanburg SC, has logged annual climbs to Le Conte since 1972 and made #52 on Oct. 20. Steve has collected a wealth of historical information on the Smokies trails and landmarks. Click here to read his detailed report on his 49th trip—including a poem written by one of the CCC stonemasons who built the Bullhead Lookout, now better known as the Pulpit. Previously: #50 on April 16.
 JEFF OSBY, #20 on Aug. 2, hiking in a hailstorm. 
 BRANDON OWENBY of Sevierville TN, #20 on June 2. 
 JESSE OVERBAY, #25 on June 21. 
 ADAM OZMENT of Mascot TN, #33 on Dec. 21, #32 on Nov. 24. Previously #31 on Oct. 24 with his father Nathe, #30 on Oct. 4, his 30th birthday. On hike #28 on Sept. 30, he set a personal speed record of 1:21 up Alum Cave and 0:56 down. Also: Sept. 19, Aug. 25, Aug. 11, July 21, June 29, three on May 1, three on April 16, March 17, March 4, Jan. 6, 
 BEV PARLIER of Brevard, N.C., #36 on Aug. 4. 
 DANA PARISH, #17 and JAMIE PARRISH, #4 on Aug. 27. 
 WENDY RUTH PAXTON, #37 on July 28.
 LIV PAXTON, #23 on July 28. 
 JIM PAYNE, #37 on Sept. 1. 
 ANDY PAYNE, #24 on Sept. 1. 
 HOWIE PEEBLES of Greeneville TN, #19 on June 15.
 MEG PELLEY of Tennessee, #16 on Nov. 16. Previously: #15 on Aug. 25, with daughter Abby Pelley, #11.
 JAN PENDLETON of Friendsville TN, #87 on Oct. 11, #75 on July 25, #74 on July 12.
 CHARLES PETTRIE of Chapel Hill NC, #26 on Sept. 27. 
 LEONARD PILKINGTON, #20 on Nov. 21. 
 LORI PHILLIPS of Wears Valley TN, #20 on Aug. 21. 
 ADAM PITT, #22 on July 20. Also hiking with him: Alex Pitt #15 and Sara Pitt #15. 

 ALAN PORTER of Gainesville GA, #16 on July 25.
 WARING PORTER, #25-plus on Oct. 2.
 MIKE PURYEAR, of Waco TX, #52 on Oct. 15, #51 on Sept. 27, #50 on his 65th birthday Sept. 3 (with CLAIRE PURYEAR #16).
 EDIE & DAVE RACE, #37 on Sept. 30.
 SCOTT RADER, #25 on Aug. 25. 
 JAN RANDLES of Talbott TN, #40 on Oct. 10, #39 on Sept. 19. 
 CLAIRE REAGAN #48 & DAVID REAGAN, #48 on June 28.
 MELISSA REAGAN, #14 on Aug. 8. 
 TERRY REECE #32 & SANDRA REESE #7 on July 29. 
 ROGER C. REEDY, #26 on Oct. 24. 
 PATSY REEVES of Killen AL #18. She wrote on the Lodge facebook page in August that she has made the trip 18 times, including 16 stays at the Lodge. 
 DANNA RENFRO #25 on July 25. Previous: #24 on July 12, #23 on June 1. 

 DOUGLAS RENFRO, #19 on June 1. 
 KEVIN RENFRO, #68 on July 12, #67 on June 1.
 JEANNE RENFROW, #45 on Nov. 2. 

 JERRY RHYNE, Statesville NC, #105-plus on Aug. 23. 

 M.L. RICKER of Chillicothe, Ohio, #29 on Nov. 21.
 JEFF RIDDLE of Mahomet IL, #19 on Sept. 24. 
 KENT ROBERTS of Maryville TN, #172 on Nov. 2, #171 on Sept. 21.
 RICK RODRIGUEZ, #25 on July 5. 
 GUY ROGERS of Tennessee, #99 on Nov. 8, #75 on July 21. 

 MARILYN ROGERS, #30 on Nov. 3. 
 MELISSA ROGERS of Lenoir City TN, #15 on July 27.
 ELIZABETH ROWLAND, of Sevierville TN, #56 on Aug. 21. 
 JESSE ROY, #20 on Oct. 3. 
 ERIC ROYSTER of Atlanta GA, #20 on Aug. 11. 
 PHIL RUMSEY #50 & SANDY RUMSEY #25, from NC on Nov. 13. 
 LARRY RUSSELL of Sevierville TN, #238 on Oct. 23. Previously: #237 on Sept. 30, #236 on Sept. 19, #235 on Aug. 19, #234 on July 15, #233 on July 9, #232 on July 3, #229 on June 21. 
 ALVIN SANDERS, 200-plus on June 15.
 J.P. SARSKOWSKI, Milwaukee, #32 on June 14. 
 VICKIE SAUCEMAN #41 & JESSE SAUCEMAN #30 on Nov. 19. 
 DEBBIE SCALF, #16 on Aug. 30. 
 J.D. SCHLANDT of Clinton TN, #46 on Aug. 17. 
 CHUCK SCHWARE, #29 on June 7.
 SARA PORTER TAMAS SHAMBLIN, #27 in Aug. Her family was a member of the Smoky Mountains Hiking Club, and her first hike was at age 6 in 1966. 
 LAURA SHATTLES, #15 on Aug. 15. 
 PAMELA SHELTON, #25 on Oct. 5. 
 SHELDON SHEPARD, #25 on Aug. 10.
 JOHN SIMON, #20 on Aug. 12. 

 ROGER SIMS, #20 on June 1. 
 AMY SLIFKO of Cleveland TN, #26 on Aug. 23. 

 DEWEY SLUSHER of Blue Ridge GA, has more than 300 lifetime ascents. He has made at least one climb on every week of the calendar year, including the hottest day ever recorded on Le Conte Lodge (81.5 on June 30, 2012) as well as one of the coldest days on record (minus-17 on Jan. 7, 2014). The last official count I had for Dewey was #230 on March 16, 2017. I don't have all his climbs for 2019, but I do have these dates: Jan. 12, Feb. 10 and 17, June 2, Sept. 1, Nov. 2, and Dec. 22.
 STEPHEN SIDBURY, est. #220, Dec. 31. JOE SIMPSON, #70 on Aug. 16. 

 KATHY SIMPSON, #31 on July 7. 
 CHIVONNE SMITH of Cartersville GA, #15 on her birthday, Aug. 24. 
 MINI SMITH of Atlanta GA, #24 on Sept. 11.
 SHANNON SMITH, #23 on Sept. 8. 
 D.W. SNIDER, #14 on Aug. 27.
 DANA SOEHN, #30 on June 2. 
 MAE & ROGER SNYDER of Maryville TN, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with their 208th hike together on Aug. 15. We now have 31 hikers who have climbed Le Conte 200 times. 
 EDD SPENCER, #20 on July 24. 
 JEFF SPLITSTOKER, of Wheaton MD, #19 on June 18. 

 TOMAS STAFFEN, #70 on Nov. 1. 
 DANIEL STAMM, #30 on Sept. 29. 
 JOHN STEINKAMP #14 and son NICK STEINKAMP #13, from Fort Wayne IN, on July 3.
 MITCHELL STEVENS #14 & GLENN STEVENS #10, Oct. 3.
 DAVID STRENDS #40 & GINNY STRENDS #40 on Oct. 25. 
 SARAH STRICKLAND, #17 on Sept. 8. 

 SYLVIA TALLEY, #50-plus on Aug. 15. 
 STEVE TAYLOR of Young Harris GA, #23 on Oct. 10. 
 JAYLAN TEETERS of Knoxville TN, #15 on Aug. 31.
 JOHN TEETERS of Knoxville TN, #15 on Aug. 31. 
 CASSIE TEMPLE of Ohio, #18 on July 19.
 JEFF THOMAS of Knoxville TN, #72 on July 13.
 MARVIN THOMAS of Knoxville, #50 on Oct. 6.
 DOUG TORRANCE of Signal Mountain TN, #50 on Nov. 24. 

 BRAD TRAVIS, #52 on Sept. 26, #51 on July 13.
 HENRY TREXLER #37, BRENT TREXLER #35, and CHARLIE TREXLER #20, from Charlotte, N.C., May 20.
 W. TROWELL, #28 on Sept. 29. 
 BOB TURNEY, #49 on Sept. 12, #48 on his 72nd birthday, Aug. 11. 
 KIM UYAK of Mount Pleasant SC, #20 on Sept. 28. 
 ROBERT VASSEY of Georgia, #77 on Oct. 12. 
 AMY VASSEY of Georgia, #68 on Oct. 12. 
 JUAN VEGEGA, #27 on Sept. 1. 
 BOBBIE VETTRICK #25 & WILL VETTRICK #25 with their 6-month-old son Reg.
 JEFF WADLEY of Kingsport TN, #104 on Sept. 14, #101 on May 16.
 GINA & DAVID WAGNER, #17 on May 25.

 JOE WALDREP, #28 on June 4. 

 MIKE WALKER #30 & ANN WALKER #8, Chattanooga, June 14, the day before their 40th anniversary. Mike previously #26 on July 7.
 DAVID WALLACE of Knoxville TN, #19 on Aug. 25. 

 BRETT WARD of Sweetwater TN, #20 on May 11, climbing the 5-mile Alum Cave Bluff Trail in 1:20 at age 63.
 ROB WARE of Chattanooga TN, #60 on May 15.
 AUDRA WARNER, #18 on Nov. 3. 
 BETH WEAST of Charlotte NC, 30-plus on Nov. 26.
 ANN WEAVER #20 & AARON WEAVER #20, of Lenoir City TN, July 30.
 BOB WEBB of Mooresville, #35 on Sept. 27. 
 TIM WEBB of Double Springs AL, #174 on April 14. That matches the lifetime total of RUFUS MORGAN, who was probably the oldest ever to climb Le Conte. 
 CLAYTON WEBSTER of Decatur GA, #51 on July 25, leading a group of over 30 hikers from the Over the Hill Hiking Club near Atlanta. He recalled that the first night he stayed at the Lodge, it costs $7. (In 2020, it will be $151.50)
 BO WHEATLEY, #25 on Nov. 9. 

 GARY WHITE of Double Springs AL, #101 on Aug. 13. Previously #100 on May 6. We now have an Alabama chapter of the Le Conte Honor roll. Others are TIM WEBB of Double Springs, #174, TILLROE SMITH of Moody AL, #345, and Auburn grad ED WRIGHT, #1,310.
 MICHAEL WHITE of Columbia TN, #25 on Nov. 11. 

 KELLIE WIDNER of Seymour IN, #25 on July 10.
 CINDY WIESNIESKI of Gahanna OH, #46 on Sept. 9. 
 THEUNEY WILLIAMS of Dallas TX, #65 on Sept. 11. 
 BEAL WILLIAMS, #38 on Oct. 21. 
 KEN WILLIAMS, #31 on Nov. 16.
 JOHN D. WILLIAMS, Kingston TN, #36 on Nov. 5, #35 on Oct. 15, #34 on Sept. 17, #33 on Aug. 8, #30 at age 69 on April 23. "Trying for 100 in 2025," he wrote in the logbook. 
 ADAM WILLIAMSON, #41 on Dec. 21, #40 on Nov. 24.
 JIM WILSON, #53 on Nov. 19.
 JACK WILSON #20 & ELIZABETH WILSON #18, on June 3. 
 JENNIFER WILSON, #20 on Aug. 24.
 RANDY WOLFE #30 and ELIZABETH WOLFE #30, from Knoxville, started in the 1960s. 
 ORLIE WOOD of Cosby, #29 on Oct. 9. 
 BRIAN WORLEY of Knoxville, president of the Smoky Mountains Hiking Club, #103 in October, with Ben Cathey of WVLT-TV, who filed this story. 
 CHARLIE WORLEY, #25 on Sept. 13.  
 JOSH WYRICK, #34 on Oct. 10. 
 KRISTI YATES #35 on July 12. 

 BILL YEADON of Indianapolis IN, set a lifetime goal of #75 by age 75. He has been hiking Le Conte since the mid 1970s. "It wasn't till about six years ago that I thought about people shooting their age in golf," he said. "Seeing I hate golf, I tried to figure out how many times I could match the # of times to my age, and it came out to 75. I live in Indiana, so I have a little drive to get there. But I made it by 70. Love that mountain." Last August he hit #70by69, and he made #75 on July 28 with five years to spare. He was accompanied by family, including nephew KEVIN JARDINA #32. "Big Bill" is the fourth hiker to post #75 this summer. 
 PAUL YICKEY, #32 on June 19. 
 THERESA YU, #40 on Oct. 40.

➤ Click here to see milestones for 2018 and previous years.

Hiking your age: Ozment reaches #29by29, #30by30

Adam got to change the date on the sign at Le Conte Lodge

 One of the more notable accomplishments for a senior golfer is "shooting your age." That means your 18-hole score is equal to (or better than) your age. On the professional golf tour, Sam Snead famously did it twice at age 67 in 1979, when he shot rounds of 67 and 66 in the Quad Cities Open in Illinois. Five-time British Open champion Tom Watson has shot his age sixteen times in competition, including a 63 at age 65. 
 On Mount Le Conte, the equivalent is "hiking your age." This is when your lifetime total for summit hikes matches your age. 
 Adam Ozment, a physical therapy assistant in Knoxville, hiked his age on Oct. 3 when he made his 29th climb on the last day of his 29th year. Then he repeated the feat before dawn Oct. 4 to celebrate his 30th birthday with #30.
 This is the third time this year he has made the climb two or three times in a 24-hour span. He made the Oct. 4 loop (up Alum and down Bullhead) with his Tour de Le Conte co-hikers: 52-year-old Adam Gravett posted Climb #56 and 43-year-old Adam Williamson #39. The three Adams now have a total of 125 climbs at a combined age of 125.
 Ozment is among the youngest to hike his age on Le Conte. Ron Valentine was just 13 when he began climbing Le Conte in 1946, and we can presume he was still a teenager when he hiked his age. The early operators of LeConte Lodge would have been in their 20s when they did it: Paul Adams counted 81 hikes by age 24, and Jack Huff (who was 22 when he began running the Lodge in 1926) hit 1,000 by age 37. And of course, some of the Lodge staff are young enough to have hiked their age, just by going downtown on their weekends off.
 Many of Le Conte's most renowned climbers were in their 60s before they hiked their age, since they started relatively late in life—Gracie McNicol made the first of her 244 climbs at age 62, Ed Wright started at 57 on his way to #1,310, and Margaret Stevenson started at 48 on her way to #718. Paul Dinwiddie made his first climb at 15 but claimed only 40 trips before he turned 65. Then he got busy, hiked his age at 67, and set a lifetime record with #750 at age 78.

 Obviously, all of the hikers who have posted at least 100 climbs have "hiked their age" somewhere along the way. 
 A similar distinction could be made for those who hiked their age in a single calendar year. Wright made 111 hikes in 1998 when he turned 73, Dinwiddie 101 in 1991 when he turned 76, and Stevenson 88 in 1991 when she turned 79.
 There will be more. Kristen Mosley, who made hike #9 on Sept. 2, has stated a goal of #40by40.

 If you have hiked your age—or if you know someone who has—please let us know. Leave a comment below or email: LeConteLog@gmail.com.
 Here are a few others who have hiked their age on Mount Le Conte:

• ADAM WILLIAMSON, #43 at age 43, Jan. 25, 2020.
• CHRIS MAULDEN, #50 on his 50th birthday, Aug. 21, 2019.
• ADAM GRAVETT, #51 at age 51, on Aug. 11, 2019.
• TIMOTHY MASSEY, #51 at age 51 in 2019.
• ED WRIGHT, #62 at age 62, June 13, 1988. That summer, Wright was training to climb Colorado's Longs Peak, so he often made multiple climbs in a day. By the time Wright turned 63, his total was up to #78. Among his 1,310 lifetime hikes, there were three days when he made triple trips and 125 days when he hiked the mountain twice.
• RONNIE HOLBERT, #63 at age 55, on Sept. 1, 2019.
• MARGARET STEVENSON, #66 at age 66, climbing Rainbow Falls Trail in snow March 16, 1978. Her final summit hike was #718 in 1997. 
• PAUL DINWIDDIE, #67 at age 67 on Sept. 25, 1982. He had reached #66 on his 67th birthday. He retired in 1993 with #750—all but 40 of them after he turned 65. 
• RIC CHANDLER, #67 at age 67, Aug. 19, 2019.
• BILL YEADON, #69 at age 69 in 2018. He's now up to #78 at age 71 and has a goal of #100 by age 75. 
• GRACIE McNICOL, probably in 1963. She made her 65th hike on her 71st birthday in 1962. 
• REV. RUFUS MORGAN, #96 at age 85 in 1969. I don't have precise records of when his total matched his age, but he was probably in his 80s. Rev. Morgan kept going to age 93 and retired with #174.