_Morning y'all, It's another beautiful day up top. The high yesterday reached the teens, then it got warmer as the night progressed leading to an overnight high of 23 degrees. The low was 0, recorded early yesterday morning. It is currently 23 degrees and clear at 7am observation. The mountain received no new snow, but our total is at about a foot. Be sure to be prepared for slow going conditions! The powder is super fluffy, but there has been nobody on the Alum Cave trail... so it'll be a long day up. _I spent all day yesterday walking around, taking in the vast blue skyscapes framed over snowy majesty, reveling in the quiet, making tea and cookies with friends, watching a stunning sunset and building a top flight sledding ramp (!!!). It was like seeing your old tomboy friend dress up in an evening gown, there's quite simply nothing like the way snow changes the entire character of this place. Magical is not a big enough word. The awe just flows on days like this. Hopefully this is the start of a trend... that will stop right before airlift (:
Morning y'all,
The mountain is COLD at the moment. The high yesterday reached 12 degrees. The overnight low was 0 degrees. It was 1 degree and overcast at 7am observation. The mountain received 10 inches of new snow. It's insanely fluffy. The total up top is around a foot. It sounds like 441 will be closed for a little while longer. Be safe out there! All blog and no play makes JP a dull boy! At long last, SnowSNOWsnoW!!!! Morning y'all,
The high yesterday reached 36 degrees. The overnight low got down to -2 degrees. It was 12 degrees and overcast at 7am observation. The mountain received 2 inches of new snow, bringing our total to about 3 inches of fluffy goodness. The trails are in pretty good shape. I came up Alum last evening and the snow gives you some pretty good traction on normally icy sections. 441 closed last night and may reopen today. Be sure to check the Park Service's twitter feed for the latest update. I've gotta go play in the pow! _Morning y'all,
It's another beautiful day up top. The high yesterday reached 34 degrees. The low was 14 degrees. It's currently 23 degrees and clear. The mountain received no new precipitation and our snow total is hovering around an inch. The trails are quite icy, please be sure to pack some sort of traction device if you intend to reach the summit (in one piece). It was a stunning day for a hike yesterday. St Valentine gave me a day so flawless from dawn to dusk that it made up for my mind being elsewhere, the grandeur of the day washing over the momentary lonesomeness of an ever hungry heart.I just had to open my eyes.It started with some clear blue skies, bright snowscapes, empty trails... the stuff of dreams. As I made my way out of camp and onto the Alum Cave junction, I started following some fox prints. She was my morning guide, a companion in spirit. I've heard from 2 seperate crew members that they've seen her around camp and I look forward to finally making her acquaintance. As I descended, the light was playing on the trees in an exceptionally resplendent way, it would kiss and caress the remaining ice, then glint and glimmer in a way finer than anything at Kay's... the show continues, for the living present. I lounged at Alum Cave for about an hour, watching the icicles hurl towards the Earth as the sun warmed them. I spotted my first Peregrine of the season, with his steely eyes glaring at us tourists in a dismissive way. Fox tracks, widowmakers and falcons make for a fine kind of sensory overload. _Morning y'all, It's a stunning day up top. The high yesterday reached 38 degrees. The overnight low was 14 degrees. It was 15 degrees and clear as a bell at 7am observation. The mountain received an inch of new snow, keeping our total up top at about 2 inches. I would suspect that the trails have become a bit nasty with the cold overnight temperatures, so be sure to pack some sort of traction devices. The mountain is a festival of colour at the moment. We're above the clouds and the sun is rising over my cabin. The slow procession of reds and pinks on the horizon is firmly setting itself up like a circus tent in my memory. I hope fate lets it linger there long after this gaiety, overcoming all the tumult and empty noise that tend to clutter up my mind. This time of year is particularly magical: clear skies make for great colours and the contrast with the snowscape is just all the more lucid. All I can do is sigh and hope for more moments of clarity to drown out the confusion. _A big shout out to the Park Service's trail crew. They have done an incredible job on the Alum Cave trail this past week. It was in rough shape and there is no sign of damage beyond the freshly sawed logs and smells of evergreeny joy.
Enjoy Valentine's day! The blog will be returning on Saturday morning... _Morning y'all,
The mountain and I are stuck in a cloud for the moment. The high yesterday reached 40 degrees. The overnight low was 28 degrees. It was 37 degrees and clear at 7am observation. The mountain received .12" of rain and a dusting of snow, but that really just made up for what melted off during the afternoon yesterday. The melt has become soft enough that you can make it up Alum or Rainbow without much traction devices, but Microspikes would still certainly make your life easier. Be sure to turn around 3:30 or so if you intend to avoid hiking in the dark. It's one of those mornings where you need a kerosene lamp to make the coffee. It all feels like a kind of robotic ritual, fate in a microcosm. Very little sun is breaking through the clouds and it seems to hesitate at the suggestion of lighting up the snowscape atop. I don't know if we're going backwards or forwards into day or night, perhaps that new Phillip K. Dick book I started last night is messing with my perception... but either way, coffee will help. _Morning y'all, It's a colourful morning up top today. The high yesterday reached 40 degrees. The overnight low was 26 degrees. It was 28 degrees and clear at 7am observation. The mountain received no new precipitation, but there is still about 2 inches of snow pack up here. I would still recommend Microspikes or some other form of traction devices if you plan to reach the summit. The last mile up Alum Cave trail is still quite treacherous. _The days are slipping by. There's something distinctly magical about watching the sun rise up here, passing a day amongst books, spruces, snow, windy howls, bird calls, lingering sun, rocking chairs, silence, kerosene lamps, moss, steaming coffee mugs, firs, kaleidoscope clouds, down booties, then watching it all come to a close at sunset. Things seem to be in their proper place with this kind of perspective. There's a sense of finality about it. About a day well spent, that is.
Morning y'all,
The mountain is quite windy. The high yesterday reached 40 degrees. The low yesterday got down to 28 degrees. It was 39 degrees and overcast at 7am observation. The mountain received .66" of rain yesterday. With the warmer overnight temperatures, we are down to about 2 inches of snow. The trails are still quite slick, so be sure to pack some microspikes or some other form of traction devices. Currently, 441 is closed. Be sure to check it's status at the Park Service's Twitter account. Morning y'all,
It's a windy morning up top. The high yesterday reached 45 degrees. It was incredibly pleasant in the sunshine, barefoot porch walkin' weather. The low last night reached 21 degrees. It was 27 degrees and overcast at 7am observation. The mountain received no new rain or snow. There is still about 3 inches of crunchy snow up top. I'd still be sure to pack microspikes, there are quite a few tricky spots on the trails with all the melts and thaws we've had lately. Enjo Morning y'all,
It's a beautiful morning up top. The high yesterday reached 34 degrees. The low was down to 15 degrees. It was 21 degrees and clear at 7am observation. The mountain received .14" of rain yesterday afternoon. The snow total up top is still hovering around 3 inches. Alum Cave Trail is in pretty good shape. There are a 2-3 icy sections, but for the most part there is plenty of snow and crunchy ice to provide traction on your way up top. Be sure to pack extra layers, socks, food and water if you plan on reaching the summit! Enjoy the day! |
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
June 2024
|