Good morning, 9:26AM It’s currently 37 degrees – wet, cloudy, and windy. Yesterday’s high was 44 degrees, with an overnight low of 33. Expect slick trails from mud and melting ice. -- Arriving at the overlook, I saw that it would be one of those days. One of those days where I could only dream of the rising sun. Obscured by the rushing clouds, the colorful world I saw just yesterday - remained out of reach. I didn’t fret. I watched the clouds until I was sure I wouldn’t get a show, and then wandered around the mountain for an hour. My wanderings took me to new places, new sites. Soaked and happy I wandered back to the warm kitchen. My mind drifted to days’ past. Now in the kitchen, I uploaded my photos and quickly began chuckling… …I had taken three unpresentable shots. So it goes, Seth “Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.” – Mark Twain
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Good morning, 9:20AM It’s currently 34 degrees and cloudy up top. We received .1” of precipitation in the lat 24 hours. Yesterday’s high was 35 degrees, with an overnight low of 22. -- My boots slushed through the melting snow. The mountain was transforming again. Some steps landed into a combination of water, slush, and hardened ice. Other sections of trail had already melted away, showcasing the bare rock beneath. Smiling at the new green landscape, I continued my walk back from Myrtle Point. I had just passed the junction for Cliff Tops when the world around me turned gold. The morning sun filtered through the clouds, creating a celestial atmosphere. What was this divine intervention? I stood in place for an unknown number of minutes, thinking. The pale golden light continued to illuminate the forest. I briefly came to my senses, just in time to capture the moment. My mind was floating… …I slowly drifted back toward the lodge. Onward, Seth “The softest pillow is a clean conscience.” – John Wooden
Good morning, It’s currently 23 degrees and windy, with clouds moving in. Yesterday’s high was 33 degrees, with an overnight low of 21. Hwy 441 between Gatlinburg and Cherokee is currently close due freezing rain/ ice. -- I woke. The wind had howled well into the night. Even now, it continued to blow. I thought of the grey mass I saw approaching from the southwest during yesterday’s evening run along the Boulevard Trail. Sore from the trail, the thought of missing sunrise appeared to be a good option. It would certainly be the most comfortable choice. I quickly shunned the thought, geared up, and began striding into the grey, toward the rising sun. Clouds hurried below, a blank mass lay above, and a sliver of clarity rest in the center of it all. The scene was familiar. Seeing the sky’s layout reinforced my rationale to walk toward sunrise every day, regardless of the conditions. I smiled as the lifeless mass above transformed into a panoramic canvas of color. Smiling harder, I waved a heartfelt goodbye to the sun. As soon as he had arrived, the ball of fire disappeared into the clouds - toward higher aspirations. I too disappeared… …toward my own elevated dreams. Onward, Seth "If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them." - Henry David Thoreau
Good afternoon, 2:32PM It’s currently 30 degrees and clear up top. Yesterday’s high was 21, with a low of -2.5 degrees. There’s still a couple inches of snow up top. -- I slowly walked through the bluish hue just before sunrise. The mountain was calm. In fact, it was the calmest morning I’d felt up top. Nothing stirred. As I rounded the corner an orange spotlight shimmered through the trees. The dramatic image ahead left me holding my breath. Above, a slight breeze began to stir – breaking the mutual silence. ~ Sitting alone, the sun warmed my face. Compared to the last week’s cold spell, outside felt particularly nice. I walked into the kitchen and filled two buckets with water. Laundry was now on my short list of to-do’s. So it goes, Seth P.S. – A huge Happy Birthday to Josh Morris!! I hope you have a great day and look forward to seeing you up top in the coming months. “Do what you can, where you are, with what you have.” —Theodore Roosevelt
Good morning, It’s currently -1 degree, windy, and clear. Yesterday’s high reached 7 degrees, with an overnight low of -4. We currently have 2” inches of snow up top. Expect ice covered trails as you approach the top of the mountain. 09:45 -- I wandered into the darkness. Looking around, the ground shone like diamonds. I had left my headlamp on. Enjoying the crystalline world, I savored this quiet, albeit cold, time of the day. After cresting the summit, it was only my footprints from yesterday and my neighbor coyote who had been on the trail. I soon deviated from my footprints, which led further down the Boulevard and continued to follow my neighbor's prints toward Myrtle Point. Standing on the exposed rock, I couldn’t help but notice that the coyote’s prints wandered over to the ledge, they then turned back toward their original path. Why did he go there? Maybe he had enjoyed the view as much as I now was. The wind howled, burning my face… …smiling, I kept my eyes on the rising sun. Onward, Seth “The modern dogma is comfort at any cost.” – Aldo Leopold
Good morning, It’s currently 4 degrees and windy. Yesterday’s high was -3, with an overnight low of -8 degrees. Hwy 441 from Gatlinburg to Cherokee is still closed. -- What was I thinking? Why was I so stubborn? These thoughts drifted around in my head as I walked to see a sunrise, that was unlikely to be there. Grey and inhospitable, the forest around me looked menacing. The overnight low was -8. Cold air continued to blast through the trees around me. The thought of the wind chill made me shutter. Again, the questions came back around – What are you doing out here? Warm batteries lay deep within the folds of my heavy down parka. I was prepared to capture anything…everything. Protected from the wind, I watched as the clouds transformed into an angry upside-down ocean. Waves rocked across the sky. Glaring into the distance, I saw the silhouette of a mountain. The same mountain that the winter sun loves to climb over. With the ocean above and a view of where the sun would rise. I had enough information to answer my own patronizing questions… …I was there for the sunrise! Onward, Seth “The secret to happiness is freedom... And the secret to freedom is courage.” - Thucydides
Good morning, It’s currently -4 degrees with gusting flurries. With these gusts, the wind chill temperature is closer to -20 degrees and below. Yesterday’s high was 16 degrees, with an overnight low of -4. We currently have 2” inches of snow on the ground. -- Yesterday… I quickly hiked up the most direct route to the Cliff Top. Sunset wouldn’t be waiting on me. At the top, I walked along the exposed rock. I composed the scene. My camera made an all too familiar sound. A moment in time had been captured. Looking at the scene again, I consciously changed my perspective. What if I were a fox? How would I view this sunset? I gently nestled into the forest. I didn’t leave a trace…didn’t make a noise. I was a fox… …a fox watching sunset. Onward, Seth “Wonderful how completely everything in wild nature fits into us, as if truly part and parent of us. The sun shines not on us, but in us. The rivers flow not past, but through us, thrilling, tingling, vibrating every fiber and cell of the substance of our bodies, making them glide and sing.” - John Muir
Good morning, It’s currently 13 degrees and clear up top. Yesterday’s high was 25, with an overnight low of 4. We still have trace amounts of snow up top, along with ice on sections of the trail. -- It seemed the new year had brought a silence over the mountain. Few hikers appeared to be wandering up the trail; even the winds were quiet. I walked silently to the cloud covered sunrise. It was another one of those blue-jean colored mornings. A deep blue filter coated the world. How different today was from yesterday’s show. I smiled and soaked in the still landscape around me. Back at the lodge, I warmed the kettle for tea. Minutes later, the smell of ginger-turmeric tea filled the kitchen. Again, I smiled. My thoughts wafted to the a recently gifted book that had ensnared me from page one. The book lay patiently in a warm nearby loft… …a needed reading day was afoot. Onward, Seth “Working hard for something we don’t care about is called stress; working hard for something we love is called passion.” – Simon Sinek
Good morning, It’s currently 18 degrees and clear. Yesterday’s high was 7 degrees with an overnight low of -5 degrees. Hwy 441 is still closed, but radio chatter shows progress being made. The trails up top still have plenty of ice, plan accordingly. -- I crawled down from my loft and shivered. I walked over to the heater, turning it up for an afternoon of tea and reading. I put on my black balaclava and parka. Warm and feeling like a hooded seal, I made for Myrtle Point. Walking through the biting cold, the lingering snow crunched beneath my old boots. My thoughts drifted to mountain beneath me. How could I capture this landscape in different ways? I pondered this question as I summited High Top. I resolved to try and look at the mountain with a different pair of eyes. What new views could I discover? …I hiked on, determined to find out. Onward, Seth “You’ll always miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” – Wayne Gretzky
Happy New Year, It’s currently -4 degrees and above the clouds up top. Yesterday’s high was 20 degrees with an overnight low of -6. We have .25” of snow on the ground. There have been numerous road closures due to ice and snow – including Hwy 441 between Cherokee and Gatlinburg. Stay up to date on closure here: https://goo.gl/HikrMr -- Hot chili kept me warm as I awaited the final hour of 2017. The clouds had cleared, leaving an inversion below. Above the clouds, we marched to the Cliff Top. Bundled up in negative temperatures, I welcomed the new year… …fireworks thundered below. ~ More tired than the day before, I woke before the sunrise. I was excited to see the new year sun. My camera soon went into action – capturing the morning colors. It was going to be a great new year. Onward, Seth “It is never too late to be what you might have been.” - George Eliot
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LeConte LodgeWelcome to the official blog of LeConte Lodge. We hope you find the information provided here both helpful and enjoyable. Thank you for visiting the site, and we hope to see you on the mountain! Archives
March 2024
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