Life in the llama lane: #250 for Larry Russell

Larry Russell and Clifford have a combined total of more than 1,000 climbs

 Since I started tracking the most relentless climbers of Mount Le Conte, I've always wanted to include the llamas. So I was glad to find a post on the Lodge blog that estimated that Clifford Cliff Tops made close to 800 trips up the mountain before he retired in November 2017. "We are all so very proud of his accomplishments," the Lodge blogger wrote in 2017. "Years of grazing and sweet treats are in his future, and well deserved."

 Cliff began working for the Lodge in 2002, about the same time that Alan Householder became the llama wrangler. Alan has more than 1,200 trips up the mountain since 1980. He alternates trips with his wife Chrissy, who also has over 100 ascents.
 "Cliff was my favorite," said Larry Russell. Llamas seem to like Larry, too, and if they could count, they might be impressed to know that he just made his 250th trip up the mountain on July 12, hiking along with Householder and the llamas up the Trillium Gap trail. It was also Larry's 12th summit hike of 2020, tying him with Phillip Clarkson on the yearly leaderboard. 
 Larry was 68 in 2012 when he first made it to LeConte Lodge, and in eight years, his lifetime total has surpassed the legendary Gracie McNicol, who started hiking at age 62 and made her 244th and final trip to the Lodge on her 92nd birthday in 1983.

 Many of Le Conte's most famous hikers have logged most of their miles in their golden years. Ed Wright started climbing regularly at age 61 and retired at 83 with #1,310, including 1,222 after he turned 65. Paul Dinwiddie counted #42 on his 65th birthday but then made 708 more trips to finish with #750 at age 78. Margaret Stevenson first climbed Le Conte at age 48 and finished with #718 at 84. 
 It's worth noting that the year Wright turned 66 (in 1991), he set the Le Conte one-year record with 230 climbs. If Larry wants to aim for an age-group record, Wright made 957 climbs past his 68th birthday, and Dinwiddie 617.
 The llama trains have been supplying Le Conte Lodge since 1986, when they replaced the pack horses that were wearing out the trails. Cliff hauled an average of 50 pounds each way, so he toted about 40 tons of eggs, laundry, and other supplies up and down the Trillium Gap Trail. 

Anderson Noe made his first climb with
 grandfathers Ronnie Holbert #64 and Rich Noe

We're counting on you. This website is a personal project that I began in 2012, and it is not officially associated with LeConte Lodge. The Lodge staff have been quite helpful, but they are busy and it is not their job to send me updates. Instead, I count on hikers like you to keep this honor roll up-to-date. If you climb Mount Le Conte, please send snapshots of recent pages from the Lodge logbook to LeConteLog@gmail.com. I try to update on a daily basis. 
 The honor roll is still a work in progress, and we look forward to adding new names. If you know someone we have overlooked, please let me know.
 Much of my older information comes from the the journals of Ed Wright (who climbed Le Conte 1,310 times from 1982 to 2008, including 230 times in 1991, 132 times after heart surgery in 1999, and 43 times after double knee replacement in 2001). I also have researched the journals of Paul Dinwiddie and Margaret Stevenson, as well as Gracie McNicol's book. I've also gleaned information from old logbooks, social media posts, news media, and other sources. 

 The Le Conte Log operates on an honor system. I will use the total you report unless I have a reason to question it. I prefer exact numbers, but I also welcome good-faith estimates, since some hikers don't keep detailed records.

—Tom Layton, LeConteLog@gmail.com

⬅Do you see the honor roll over here? If you are reading this on a mobile device, you are probably missing the left-hand column of our page. Switch to full-screen mode ("View Web Version" on the iPhone) to see the honor roll, milestone dates, and our list of those who have completed the Tour de Le Conte.