Wednesday, October 16, 2019

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.

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