April 21, 2025

We’ve made it through the holiday weekend.

Easter Sunday turned out to be calm and mostly quiet for us…to be expected as most folks would prefer to be home and attending relevant festivities to mark the occasion. It was another toasty day up top as we scraped the upper 60s. Mostly sunny skies at similar temps should grace us once again today before rain chances move in tonight. The week ahead is looking like a wet one. Choose your gear and trails accordingly for hiking in storms and precip after today.

It’s Day 6 of Earth Week, and it’s a great time to talk about connecting visitors with nature and history. A major draw to the average Lodge guest is the rustic and simplistic nature of this venue and its accommodations…a way to step back in time and escape the bustling lifestyle and technological saturation of off-mountain civilization. Advancements are often slow to take root near 6,593’ because it’s important not to lose sight of what made this magical place so special these past 100 years. The Lodge predates the National park in its founding because it was an integral piece in securing the future and continued preservation of its precious resources for all to enjoy. A rustic lodge without all the bells and whistles allows one to relate and reminisce as to what life was like at such a time.

All these years later - up here - it’s all about balance, ensuring our impacts don’t stretch farther than is absolutely necessary beyond this humble mountaintop oasis. At its core, the Lodge has never been about what’s new, flashy, or complex, nor does it need to be. Granted, such a laid back and off-grid experience isn’t for everyone…and that’s okay…but an overnight stay at this Lodge could provide someone with the purest, rawest, and closest interaction with the natural world in their entire life. And while that may not be the case for this blog’s average reader, given the record and diverse visitation this summit continues to host, for some that can and will hold true.

The cabins are muted and humble, not towering and offensive. Trees are aged and close, not blitzed and forgotten. Wildlife are frolicking and free, not abused and endangered. And it’s all so readily available and intimate the moment you get here! The back-breaking work and careful execution by the stewards of the last 100 years have made and continue to make such an opportunity possible. It’s one that requires boots on the ground, hands in the dirt, loads on the back, and sweat on the brow…just ask any of our longest serving hosts and their families by the names of Huff, Brown, Line, or Northrup, who know better than most the efforts and sacrifice necessary to lead such an endeavor.

The next time you’re up top relaxing in that rocker with a cup of hot cocoa in hand, take a moment to appreciate and respect all that you see and hear.