T.J. Melinn and Philip Elswick prepare to head up Cherokee Orchard Road. The vertical mile is a hiking challenge that involves climbing Mount Le Conte from the riverside in Gatlinburg. Hikers start by dipping a toe in the Little Pigeon RIver near Ripley's aquarium (elevation 1,313 or less) and then climb 5,280 feet to High Top. The typical route follows the Cherokee Orchard Road up to Rainbow Falls Trail. Bullhead and Trillium Gap offer alternative routes,and .it is even poss

When LeConte Lodge manager John Northrup left for work on Sunday, Aug. 16, he was headed toward a rare accomplishment. John's walk up the Alum Cave Trail, hauling souvenirs to sell in the lodge store, marked the 700th time he has climbed Mount Le Conte. He now ranks among the top dozen hikers on the all-time LeContest honor roll. The last to reach 700 were probably Dave Scanlon and llama wrangler Alan Householder. We don't have exact records for them, but Dave counted 982 asc

Mount LeConte hiking records, compiled by Tom Layton (LeConteLog@gmail.com)