When John Northrup left for work on Sunday, Aug. 16, the manager of LeConte Lodge was headed toward a rare accomplishment. John'a walk iup the Alum Cave Trail marked the 700th time he has climbed Mount Le Conte. He now ranks among the top dozen hikers on the 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 ascents before his death in 2014, and Alan estimated

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

Dana Schroeder: The crew and the llamas are the backbone of the lodge The tradition of counting Mount Le Conte hikes began with the founders of LeConte Lodge: Paul Adams counted 523 ascents, and Jack Huff had 1,043 before he lost count. The LeContest honor roll includes 117 hikers with at least 100 ascents, including 28 by lodge crew members past and present. Dana Schroeder, a fourth-year crew member from Nashville, joined the "centennial club" with his 100th trip on Thursda