 Get out of Salton City.… You should pick up hitch hikers, for they are generally good people.… And you must do it economy style, no motels, do your own cooking, as a general rule spend as little as possible and you will enjoy it much more immensely. Christopher McCandless Morning y'all,
It's another misty morning atop LeConte. The high yesterday reached 41 degrees and the low was 34 degrees. It was 40 degrees and cloudy at 7am observation, although the mist appears slightly less dense than the past few days. I'd bet it burns off by this afternoon. With the recent warm temperatures, the snow up top has all but disappeared. The trails should be in good shape, at least by winter standards. I spent the better part of yesterday afternoon wandering around the mountain 'looking for wild animals', as my friend Teddy would say. I was especially eager to see if anything wandered around camp during primetime for the crepuscular creatures, like bobcats and bears. I didn't see much beyond a few boomers and birds, but it's always good practice. One always gets more than they bargained for with such a micro adventure. I never went more than a quarter of a mile beyond camp, but there is so much reality crammed into these forests. Your ears gain a heightened level of sensitivity, your mind is trained on the present moment and your woods sixth sense can feel the compelling elements of life around you as you walk. This newfound sense of acuity is it's own gift.
haley
12/4/2013 12:50:35 am
Ahhh, ol' Alexander Supertramp. He helped kick-start the revolution inside me. Good man, good man. Take care. Namaste. Didn't McCandless also say: "The core of mans' spirit comes from new experiences." ?? I need to read some more of his writings, etc. JP: the last two sentences in your comments above describes exactly how I feel when hiking and out in the woods !! thanks; I have been so very, very blessed to have had all the various experiences throughout my life; I love sharing them now and look forward to more 'quests' in the future, no matter whether they're brief or lengthy; A simple stroll along a "quiet walkway" often serves to satisfy my cravings for the outdoors.
tomk in SC
12/4/2013 01:29:48 am
JP. On the off chance you find bobcat prints, please place a quarter in the snow for perspective and snap some photos. Further, if you can measure the stride, there ought to be someone in the park service that could make estimates of age or weight. With enough detail in the footprints it may be possible to get more precise info about species. Hey tom k: I agree with and like your idea about the trail cameras; it was sometime last year or perhaps earlier that I offered to donate a couple of these cameras to the lodge for their use up there; Somehow I came to possess several of these and mine are not cheap ones either; But I never got a reply or response to my offer so I can only assume they weren't interested or perhaps it would be too much for someone to manage or even yet it could be difficult to get approval from the Park Service as I've been informed that any changes to the operations of the lodge requires a tedious and lengthy process through a lot of red tape ti initiate any such changes, etc. Such as it is with the government, eh !? Anyway, having a camera or two up there, positioned somewhere not too far distant from the lodge grounds might be an interesting thing to see, if only during the winter off-season. G'day
Crystal
12/4/2013 01:34:35 am
I will have to say that picking up hitch hikers is a thing of the past for me. I love this picture JP. I didn't make it back up like I had planned in the fall. I will try over the holidays if we don't get a lot wind. I love to hike in the snow and have my spikes to get me to the top. Have a wonderful day JP. Your mention of hitchhiking brought back lots of good memories; I did quite a lot of it back in the day, and within the Smokies Park I've hitchhiked just about everywhere within the Park just to get to particular trailheads; Yes, it's a thing of the past now. thanks. G'day
Tony Ga
12/4/2013 01:41:04 am
Cool pic this morning. Thanks.
Marilyn
12/4/2013 02:09:29 am
Extra-extra ordinary pic today! Love it!
Jerry
12/4/2013 02:19:46 am
McCandless also died being dumb, and is heralded as a cult hero for having little enough sense to trek into the Alaskan wilderness utterly unprepared for it. Thousands of Alaskans survive every day by using their wits, and respecting the place, and don't get movies made about them. Mccandless did neither. Be safe up there and enjoy.
Wild Bill
12/4/2013 08:24:15 am
Here, here! Krakauer is a master at sensationalizing adverse events. Supertramp had a sweet, wild spirit and I don't wish to disparage him. I wouldn't look up to him as a hero, however... He came to an unnecessarily agonizing and torturous end that left me shaking my head.
Robin
12/4/2013 02:23:30 am
Love your morning pic! I'm like a kid when their favorite cartoon come on when I read your posts!;0) have glorious day!
Peppermint Patti
12/4/2013 05:41:49 am
Ditto
Val
12/4/2013 06:37:51 am
Ditto
Mike Clark
12/4/2013 03:52:36 am
I love reading this blog everyday. Welcome back JP.
Kay
12/4/2013 04:24:08 am
2-3 years ago in Smokies Life magazine, the hot cocoa recipe was published that they serve at LeConte Lodge. I cannot locate my copy of the magazine. I was wondering if I could get it again. We would like to use it as part of our Christmas Eve tradition as well as at other cold times. Thank you!
Debi
12/4/2013 04:30:28 am
Love that picture! Not knocking the last 2 days of fog, but sure is good to see a little sunshine in a picture for the day. My screen saver for the day.
norman the abr
12/4/2013 08:24:55 am
my screen saver also!!
Woody
12/4/2013 07:46:32 am
The conditions are about to be right for seeing, or at least seeing the tracks of, the 3-toed squisher - a truly wild animal! Enjoy!
The Real JP
12/5/2013 12:52:22 am
Woody,
Marilyn
12/4/2013 10:10:07 am
Kay, my daughter worked up there one season and I asked her about the recipe for the hot choc. She thinks it had cocoa, water, sugar and perhaps evaporated milk but she never made it..just drank it and served it. I would venture to say they may use the old hershey's cocoa recipe which used to be on the box of the powdered cocoa. I'd probably put a little extra creamer in it because I like my milk chocolatly (is there such a word) and smooth tasting. I don't know whether Allyson would divulge the secret recipe or not...perhaps if she reads the bog she'll answer. I do have a recipe for LeConte Sunrise which is a breakfast juice and mighty tasty if you're interested in that I'd be glad to share if you let me know your email address. Mine is williamsmarilyn17@yahoo.com. The Burning Bush restaurant served it with their bountiful breakfasts...they've since gone out of business.
???
12/4/2013 02:24:39 pm
I think if I'm not mistaken Allyson told me they use sweetened condensed milk I wish I had a good hot chocolate recipe to share with you, but I sure appreciate the ones mentioned here; I just wanted to say tht your mention of the old Burning Bush restaurant brought back a lot of good memories; I ate there as often as I could manage; t me, they had the best food in Gatlinburg ! By the way, I don't do it very often, but a wee bit of rum in my hot cocoa does me a world of good ! G'day
Jim
12/4/2013 01:20:12 pm
Hey JP...
The Real JP
12/5/2013 12:39:11 am
Jim, I cannot remember if I've read W.G. Sebald, so I'll have to look into that; thanks for mentioning it; There's a song, by "Buffalo Springfield" called "For What It's Worth" which is a very beautiful tune. Since I retired a year or so ago I'm back into doing a lot of reading and you've reminded me of some things I am going to go back to. Have a great day Jenny B Comments are closed.
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