_Morning y'all,
The mountain is in a cloud at the moment. The high yesterday reached 36 degrees. The low was 30 degrees. It was 34 degrees and overcast at 7am observation. The mountain received .20 inches of rain yesterday afternoon. There's still about 3 inches of snow up top. It looks as though we'll be in a cloud this morning, with hopes of clear skies this afternoon. It sounds like it should be a beautiful weekend for a hike. The trails are in flux right now. The warm temperatures yesterday have made the previously solid snowpack into a dense slush. You can get a foothold for a moment, then as soon as you put weight on it, you seem to punch through. Fortunately, with the warm temperatures yesterday this should only be an issue further on up the mountain - the rest of the snowpack should have melted quite a bit. It feels like I'm living a sepia toned photo right now. There's been a cloud over camp for the past 24 hours and the dull ache of morning's light is coming on slow. It's easy to lose a sense of time with few responsibilities and no sunlight to distinguish morning, mid-morning, afternoon and evening. It almost feels like international travel, with everything so distorted that you're forced to rely on how you feel rather than how the clock tells you how to feel. Irregardless, in these conditions, reading always feels like the proper way to pass the time... On that note, I've gotta go talk to my friends, Henry David, Ed, Walt, Mary, Terry & Michel. Enjoy the day! _Morning y'all, The mountain is a bit overcast at the moment. The high yesterday reached 36 degrees. The low was 23 degrees. It was 32 degrees and overcast at 7am observation. The mountain received no new precipitation. With the clear skies and big sun we received yesterday afternoon, we're down to about 4 inches of snow up top. It looks as though we'll have a few more beautiful days on the horizon. There is still plenty of snow on Alum Cave, so be sure to wear gaiters and pack an extra pair of socks for the hike down. Rainbow is still the best bet for an 'easy' hike to the lodge, as the extra blowdowns and knee deep snow on Alum are more challenging than Rainbow's extra mile of walking. It's always rewarding to catch both sunrise and sunset up here. Nature is perpetually renewing herself for my fortunate eyes. The sunset last night was fantastic. There was a bit of cloud cover to the west, which helped to obscure the sun and create a few marvelous effects as it tried to find it's way through, a series of luminescent _snakes slithering through the empyrean cosmos. Shades of yellow, orange, pink and purple dance among the clouds. All you can do is sigh and vow to do it all again tomorrow. The sunrise was clear as a bell. What was lacking in memorable effects from unique cloud formations was more than compensated for by that first splash of golden light. I cherish the walk back from Apollo Overlook, admiring the way that the light starts to creep it's way up the noble firs and spruces. They look as thrilled to greet the day as I do.
_Morning y'all, It's a beautiful morning up top. The high yesterday reached 31 degrees. The low was 22 degrees. It was 23 degrees and clear at 7am observation. The mountain received no new precipitation yesterday. With the abundant sunshine we received yesterday afternoon, there is now about 5 inches of snow remaining on the ground. It sounds as though we'll have some warm, clear days up here for the remainder of the week. _The trails are still in rough shape. I heard from two hikers that Alum is still in rough shape, with a gnarly blowdown between the Cave Bluffs and the first log staircase. The snow is still quite deep along the ledges - you'd be wise to pack some gaiters for the snow drifts near the top. I would still recommend Rainbow as the most manageable hike to the summit. _I am both stunned and forlorn when I look at the calendar and realize I'm down to the last 5 weeks of my stint up top. Perhaps it's the low snowfall totals, but it really doesn't 'feel' like winter has a mere 6 weeks remaining. On the plus side, this has jarred me into action, actION, ACTION. I'm less complacent, getting out for more hikes and making as many memories (Jimmy Jam K!) as possible. I took off last night to try to find my lunar lady. She was a marvelous crescent, a dangling earring of allure, a fitting benediction for another fine day up top. The stars littered the skyscape with pure magnificence; bright votive candles hanging in the invisible windowframes of distant worlds. Some experiences defy words... the way the night sky can dazzle, awe, invigorate, and wash one clean is far beyond my finite powers of description. I am mortal, they are not. Of course I can't do them justice.
_Morning y'all, It's still quite snowy atop the mountain. The high yesterday reached 29 degrees. The low was 16 degrees. It was 28 degrees and foggy at 7am observation. The mountain received no new precipitation and the sun yesterday melted off some snow, leaving us with about 6 inches up top. The roads to Rainbow and Alum are back open, thanks to the trusty Park Service road crews. You can monitor the road status through the Park Service's twitter feed. _However, the trails are in some rough shape. The only one I would confidently recommend is Rainbow Falls. There are no significant blowdowns and the snow is manageable (less than ankle deep) until you reach the Rocky Spur overlook. I haven't heard any reports from Bullhead, but that was littered with blowdowns earlier this winter and I'm sure that is still the case. Alum is a beast of a hike right now. It typically takes me around 2 hours, but yesterday's hike up was a 3.5 hour affair. There's one crazy blowdown between the Cave Bluffs and the first log staircase that took me 10 minutes to get thru and scraped me up a bit. Once you reach the double stair, the snow is between ankle deep and shin deep. There were knee deep drifts along some of the ledges. Be sure to use caution and realize this hike may take you twice as long as it typically does. _That being said, the challenge of Alum after descending Rainbow in the morning was fulfilling. I was treated to some 'great sky' along the upper ledges, watching the sunset from an overlook with a view of Clingman's Dome. Bounding through knee deep drifts with shorts and short gaiters is always a joy. It brought me back to my first experience in the Smokies, on my 2010 thru-hike with my comrade First Man. Our wicked fast 5 hour descent to Mt. Collins shelter from Clingman's Dome was the definition of type II fun. It was so exasperating at the time, but now it stands in elite company with Ktaadn as some of my most vivid memories of the trail. All these seemingly insurmountable challenges percolate within us and become treasured memories as the time passes, polished with an increasingly finer hue, our shining pearls in oyster skulls.
_Morning y'all, The mountain is still quite snowy. The high yesterday reached 20 degrees. The low was 10 degrees. It was 17 degrees and clear at 7am observation. The mountain received 1 additional inch of snow, bringing the total up top to 9 inches. It looks like it will be a nice, clear day on the mountain. Be sure be prepared for deep snow, the drifts are shin high in areas. Bring a headlamp, extra layers, hot tea & anything else to help you stay warm up top. It's going to be bitter. _The mountain is full of colour at the moment. After a few days of the omnipresent white adorning the trees, ground and everything in between, misty grey skies, blasting crescendos of wind, and all types of snow imaginable, things cleared off last night. I just came in from the kitchen porch after admiring the reds, oranges, and pinks dancing on the horizon. It took me a few minutes to be able to write this, as I'd been lost in the show and forgot about the 17 degree temperatures that were incapacitating my hands. Glory before circulation. _As I was wandering around near Cliff Tops yesterday, I stopped near a clearing. I sat there for a few minutes, enjoying the present. With all the roads closed most of the day, I was confident that I was one of a very select few people in the Park. In these quiet moments, the silence can swallow a man whole. The quietude is always more powerful than I remember, like one of our fine ravens exploding by on a jetstream. It is awesome - in the most literal sense. The awe brims over you. There is an emptiness in these encounters with Nature, when you leave behind the noise, detritus and endless distractions of society and dare to meet her face to face. The joy simply fills in the gaps where all that mental clutter used to be. Gift after gift after gift, ad infinitum. Truth tastes better than fiction.
_Morning y'all, It's a perfect day up top. The mountain is still shrouded in a cloud and there are some flurries coming down. The high yesterday reached 24 degrees. The low was 13 degrees. It was 17 degrees and cloudy at 7am observation. The mountain received 2 inches of new snow, bringing our total to 8 inches. The drifts are a bit higher near the lodge. It sounds as though the roads are going to be closed for a bit. Even if they do open up, be sure to pack a headlamp and cure yourself of summit fever! The trails are SO much harder than usual, I am walking at about half my pace. Carry food within hands' reach and extra layers/socks to change into when you're feeling uncomfortable. Most importantly, use the greatest tool of all: your brain. Turn around when you're tired, preferably 2 hours before sunset. Be a hero some other day, this is dying weather. It is FINALLY the winter wonderland up here that I'd been dreaming of for ages. More specifically, ever since I was clearing waterbars on a sweltering July day on Vermont's Long Trail... I thought about how idyllic my winter would be, painting the fine plumes of snow piled high around the lodge in my mind's eye (that would soon be my life!) and using that fluffy snowscape to run some much needed cool through my veins, all the better to keep excuses, ennui, the devil of laziness at bay. I would rest, read books, make tea, go into a fine torpor in the winter! July is for work! _
As we all know, life is cyclical. Somehow in these halcyon days I'm already envisioning some unwieldy loads of bark mulch, bloody blisters on my hands from swinging my axe and chatting with Vermont's lovely hiking populace. Life is so good, I hardly know how to express it. My fingers tingle with anticipation... for both today and tomorrow. Enjoy the Super Bowl... and the Puppy Bowl :) _Morning y'all, It's still snowy up top! The mountain is in a bit of grey at the moment. The high yesterday reached 21 degrees. The low was negative 1 degree. It warmed up overnight and it's currently 22 and cloudy. The mountain received no new snow, but it looks as though there is more in the forecast today. There's still about 6 inches of total snow on the ground. Be sure to pack your gaiters and waterproof boots, it's easy to get wet feet with this much accumulation. An extra pair of socks for the hike down is always pleasant, too. _I went out for an afternoon stroll yesterday. I wanted to see how many tracks I could spot. I can't believe it's February and I'm just getting enough snow to do this... sigh. My friend Bob believes he saw the bobcat's trademark eerie green eyes lingering behind the shelter last weekend and the tracks seem to indicate that he could be correct! There were plenty all around the shelter, perhaps he/she was looking to feast on the healthy rodent population. The tracks were much bigger than I was expecting. They were so disarmingly big , I had to do a bit of a double take. And look suspiciously through the underbrush! This all seems to indicate that the bobcat is back... although I'm going to just pretend that somebody was considerate enough to leave me a baby snow leopard to befriend...
_Morning y'all, It's a snowy day up top. The mountain is in a post-snow cloud at the moment. There is a sickly pallor hanging over camp... the clouds seem to want the mountain to curl back up and come back to bed, while the fresh, bright, new snow is insisting on day. It'll be a fun tug of war to monitor all day. The high yesterday reached 20 degrees. The low was a degree! Yup, just one. Thank you February. It's about time winter got started. It's currently a degree and cloudy. The mountain received 4 new inches of snow after I went to caretaker dream land (more snow, visions of steaming coffee mugs, bobkitten stalking, old books and older friends) last night. There's about 6 inches of total snow on the ground and it feels a bit deeper up top with drifts, heavy winds and cold temperatures. This is dying weather, so be sure to be prepared if you plan on summiting. I was able to get out for a little sunset hike yesterday. I've been limited with my knee injury and have spent a lot of time working on my indoor projects, like writing letters, reading books and drinking every kind of tea available in the United States. It goes without saying, but there are few feelings quite as dramatic as climbing the main staircase and only see animal tracks for over an hour. Not a single human on the mountain other than myself. Every step forward a new step, crunchcrunchcrunching to glory, truth, the solution to whatever fantasy the thin air creates. Air so cold you choke, creating a light headed yet pleasant, ultimately ecstatic feeling (I bet Chris, Allyson & Lindi could tell y'all about that after their recent summit successes!)... _I heard reports of a red fox last weekend and his/her tracks were out, as well as all kinds of birds, squirrels and rabbits. The wind was vicious at Cliff Tops and I could only hang for about 20 minutes. I had to do pushups to keep the feeling in my hands. Quite a contrast to this time ten days ago, when I was taking my evening walks in an airy green checkered flannel, board shorts and flip flops! It's good to be back.
Oh, and check the Park Service's twitter feed to see if the roads are back open... |
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
April 2024
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