Morning,
We had a beautiful day on the mountain yesterday. The high was 42. The low was 25. It was 25 and cloudy at observation. As I write this, the mountain is finally receiving SNOW again. It is coming down pretty heavily and looks like we'll have an inch or two by the end of the day. Daffodils two days ago, now snow. My time up here could be defined as a stream of unexpected daily gifts. I'll be hiking around all afternoon getting as many pictures of the snow as I can. Today is the kind of day that makes me think of Thoreau's winters at Walden Pond. "I love society so much that I swallowed it all at a gulp - ie. all that came in my way. It is not that we love to be alone, but that we love to soar, and when we do soar, the company grows thinner & thinner till there is none at all. It is either the Tribune on the plain, a sermon on the mount, or a very private ecstasy still higher up. We are not the less to aim at the summits, though the multitude does not ascend them." Those who have been enthralled by the witchery of flying will know what I mean - and I do not speak of the men who, among other sports, enjoy taking a turn in a plane. I speak of those who fly professionally and have sacrificed much to their craft. Mermoz said once, "It's worth it, it's worth the final smash-up." No question about it; but the reason is hard to formulate. A novice taking orders could appreciate this ascension towards the essence of things, since his profession too is one of renunciation: he renounces the world; he renounces riches; he renounces the love of woman. And by renunciation he discovers his hidden god. Antoine de Saint-Exupery Morning,
It was a cloudy, yet mild day up top. The high was 33. The low was 24. It was 32 and clear at observation. It looks like it will be a beautiful & clear day on LeConte. I had a great hike down to Apollo Overlook for sunrise. The lights were still strong from Gatlinburg, but as soon as I turn my back on the lodge, I am in a different world. I walk by the light of the nearly full moon and feel like another of the wild creatures. My eyes adapt quickly and I try to keep my footfalls silent. This is how I hope to one day meet my friend & neighbor, Bobkitten. Morning,
It was a mild, rainy day on top yesterday. I only saw 2 hikers out - the least hikers I've seen on a Saturday so far. There wasn't even anybody in the shelter! On a Saturday night! Crazy. The high was 42. The low was 39. It was 40 and still drizzling at observation. The mountain received .75" of rain yesterday. I have become quite the shutterbug, yet did not take a single photo yesterday. It was a prototypical, grey February day. I wish we still had woodstoves up here, if only for the psychological effect. It was a great day for letter writing, sketching and carving. The only thing I noticed outside breaking the grey monotony was a brief visit from the lodge's Raven friend, Edgar. He's been shy around me, but came by while I was drinking coffee on the kitchen porch. Either he's warming up to me, or he liked my shiny metal cup. ps: I'll be taking a brief hiatus tomorrow. The blog will return on Tuesday morning. Morning,
It was another mild day on top. The high was 45. The low was 32. It was 38 and rainy at observation. The mountain received .28" of rain. Be prepared for some wet trails! It's another day for the old Walasi-Yi spirits up top. There are few times I get wary of being alone up here. For some reason, it is always on a day like today. I believe it's an old buried remnant of primeval fear & vulnerability. I relish this primitive vigilance, as it means some part of me is responding to my environment in a way it wouldn't be in the 'real world'. Another blessing up top. when death comes like an iceberg between the shoulder blades, I want to step through the door full of curiosity, wondering; what is it going to be like, that cottage of darkness? And therefore I look upon everything as a brotherhood and a sisterhood, and I look upon time as no more than an idea, and I consider eternity as another possibility, and I think of each life as a flower, as common as a field daisy, and as singular, and each name a comfortable music in the mouth tending as all music does, toward silence, and each body a lion of courage, and something precious to the earth. Mary Oliver
Morning,
It was another mild day on Mt. LeConte. The high was 36. The low was 27. It was 31 and clear at observation. Phil saw his shadow, so we have another brutal 6 weeks of winter. I don't know if I can make it. I almost had to put on a shirt to go running yesterday. Brrr! I can't believe there's only 4 more weeks of 'winter' caretaking left! I've been too focused on what is coming next (at section hikes, where I'll be inspector of wildflowers and/or snowstorms next, the freedom of the open road, the incomparably congenial warmth of seeing old friends etc.) that the passage of time has slipped by me like a thief in the night. I'd be a poor night sentry, as my head is perpetually in the clouds. A wise man once said, Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans. The falling dews seemed to strain and purify the air, and I was soothed with an infinite stillness. I got the world, as it were, by the nape of the neck, and held it under in the tide of it's own events, till it was drowned, and then I let it go down stream like a dead dog. Vast hollow chambers of silence stretched away on every side, and my being expanded in proportion, and filled them. Then first could I appreciate sound, and find it musical. Thoreau _Morning,
It was a grey day up top. The high was 41. The low was 35. It was 36 and hazy at observation. The mountain received 1.27" of rain yesterday. It was one of those day that I felt (perhaps accurately) like the only person for miles around. ps: Happy Groundhog Day! I bet Phil didn't even realize there was a winter! On another note, I miss laughing at Bill Murray's awesomeness. |
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April 2024
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