February 17th, 2013

02/17/2013

25 Comments

 
Morning y'all,

The mountain is COLD at the moment. The high yesterday reached 12 degrees. The overnight low was 0 degrees. It was 1 degree and overcast at 7am observation. The mountain received 10 inches of new snow. It's insanely fluffy. The total up top is around a foot. It sounds like 441 will be closed for a little while longer. Be safe out there! All blog and no play makes JP a dull boy! At long last, SnowSNOWsnoW!!!!
 


Comments

Krismoose
02/17/2013 9:42am

Glad you got that snow you have been wanting.

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Dave
02/17/2013 9:45am

Glad you finally got the snow, JP. Ronnie and I walked up to Rocky Spur yesterday and yep - it wuz cold! We thought about heading on up to the Lodge to say "Howdy!" but a screaming wind, frigid temps and a hankering for burgers and dawgs at Cobbly Knob pushed us back down the hill. It was the perfect snow - fluffy and squeaky, coming down heavily at times, with short-lived bursts of sunlight sneaking in from time to time. Top view of the day - either the snow-covered heath on Rocky Spur or the sun spot-lit knobs on Klabunde Ridge as we dropped back down the trail late in the day. If we happen to get a good weekend and 441 is also open, we'll be climbing Anakeesta again - I'll keep you posted in case you want to go along.

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Shirley Henshall
02/17/2013 9:45am

So beautiful!

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Woody
02/17/2013 10:00am

Enjoy the free heel skiing!!

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Renate
02/17/2013 10:08am

Good morning JP! I'm so happy to hear that you FINALLY got a lot of snow!! I wish I was there to play in the snow with you :) Enjoy your day!

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Cindy
02/17/2013 10:34am

Absolutely beautiful!

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Juanita
02/17/2013 10:52am

Your picture is beautiful. I can not wait until spring so I can head back up the mountain. I want to come when flowers are blooming. I hiked up 3 times last year .
Thanks for all your updates and pictures.

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Rebecca
02/17/2013 12:46pm

Winter Wonderland!

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Jessica
02/17/2013 1:17pm

Happy for 'your' snow!

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Braska Jennea link
02/17/2013 2:18pm

JEALOUS!!! And absolutely b.e.a.utiful!!

I have a question on where the lodge is located...can you see it from Newfound Gap or Clingman's Dome when it's open? The way I read some of the posts and comments it sounds like its "very close" to NFG & CD and I'd love to sneak a peek of it of I could...but I have a feeling it's on the side of the mtn I can't see from my usual easy perches!

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Larry
02/17/2013 5:43pm

Jennea, sorry but the only way to see the lodge is hike up there. The trail from NFG is 8 miles but there are shorter ones, the shortest being Alum Cave Trail which is 5 miles.

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Sandra
02/17/2013 2:18pm

What fun to have a mountain top all to yourself covered with fluffy new snow! Sounds like a great day to let your inner child take over!

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norman acworth, ga ( AIRBORNE)
02/17/2013 3:41pm

looks real good JP ; go find your BOB KITTIE.

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Mary F
02/17/2013 3:54pm

So glad for you JP, you deserve to have your wishes come tries. Thanks for making all as blog followers happy also!! Enjoy!!

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Mary F
02/17/2013 3:55pm

Wishes come true, should have said, sorry!! Dang old fingers,lol.

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Debi
02/17/2013 3:58pm

Its amazing how close the weather is in Michigan vs. Leconte. We ended up with 14 inches of snow in Ludington. But you beat is in coldness. I was only at 3 degrees at 6:20 am this morn. I'll let ya have that one. But tons of fluffy stuff. Had to plow the driveway twice. Enjoy it while you can.

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Renee Ryan
02/17/2013 4:28pm

I'm so excited for you,JP! Your finally getting the snow you've been dreaming of for so long! I love reading your blog and look forward to seeing what's up on the mountain every morning.Your perspective on life is so refreshing and I love your funky sense of humor.Keep up the good work and enjoy that snow!

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Kent
02/17/2013 6:11pm

You can see the lodge from the main highway through Pigeon Forge, correct. We saw it with binoculars a few years back
Has anyone else seen it?

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Gary White
02/17/2013 10:56pm

I have seen it from Pitman Center

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Mary F
02/18/2013 7:46am

Kent where in PF?? I would love to try to see the Lodge from below, have seen PF from the Lodge many times. Is there one place better than another to try to see it??

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tomk in SC
02/18/2013 8:19am

Great question! The main drag in PF has been identified because it is SO identifiable FROM the lodge. As I recall, the "runway" in PF is generally visible looking left, almost out of frame. That suggests to me that someplace to the east of that point would yield a square on view of the Dining Hall and the cabins in the background.
As I look at Google Maps, it would appear that Upper Middle Creek Road, running from 441, behind the golf course, to 416 (Pittman Center Road) would provide better views. The litmus test, I suppose, would be how squarely the DH deck appears and whether cabins are visible behind. At least binoculars, perhaps a telescope would be required. A great winter project for a local!

Grammie
02/17/2013 10:54pm

Glad you got the snow we have so been hoping for. Gorgeous picture. I live about 50 miles from the Park at 4200 ft. and this global warming has been playing with our past two winters. Hopefully I'll get my turn to play in the snow. Enjoy!

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Warren Morrison
02/17/2013 11:14pm

Your blog makes me realize that life is short and I must see Leconte one more time because it is truly a "thin place".

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Kent
02/18/2013 7:32pm

As I recall, it was about 1/2 mile from the end of the strip in Pigeon Forge as we were headed towards Gatlinburg and Mt LeConte,
We saw a reflection of the sun off some of the buildings , we stopped and looking through binoculars we could see the buildings
It has been About 7-8 years ago so the trees may have grown tall enough to block the buildings

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Kent in SC
02/18/2013 7:34pm

As an addition to previous post, it was in winter, so that probably makes a big difference

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