April 29, 2021

Good Morning,

It’s such a nice change to be able to wake up to temps already above freezing in the morning, and for multiple days in a row at that! Spring is finally being felt atop Mt. LeConte with temps reaching the mid 60s. Depending on how much sunshine we pull in today, we could get that warm again. Despite it being the middle of the week, there have been many people taking advantage of the sudden surge in warmer days, and with this abundant sunshine, why not? Our overnight low temps of late have been considerably more mild, dipping only into the mid 40s. As today presses on, increasing cloud cover is expected accompanied by rising winds. Tonight there is a chance for storms producing rainfall up to an inch and winds gusting as much as 35mph. These conditions could persist into Friday morning so expect wet trail conditions to start tomorrow and dress accordingly.

Trails like Alum Cave are finally starting to show their signs of spring’s arrival. A patch of Trillium leaves have sprouted up from the leaf litter just above Gracie’s Pulpit, the relative halfway point of the ascent. Several clumps of Bluets have been sharing their rich blues with hikers at varying elevations for the last couple weeks. And the first Myrtle bloom has opened up at a Inspiration Point two miles in, soon to become a dense blanket of whites and pinks among the bare rocks. Always an enjoyable time to see the mountain wake up from its deep winter slumber!

Have a great day.