Good Morning,

It’s currently 36 degrees and socked in on Mount Le Conte. Moderate to high winds have been dancing around the mountain all morning. These are challenging conditions.

The mountain received trace amounts of precipitation.

24 hour temperature range | High: 42  Low: 33

NOAA 7-Day Forecast 
Mountain - Forecast Weather

--

Celestial rays of gold shimmered off the inversion below. Oh my - how quickly the mountain could change. Dark clouds in the distance reminded me that what I was experiencing was a brief gift, a token of appreciation for taking the time to show up day in and day out. The beauty of the Smokies had instilled a habit that payed back ten-fold.

Tickled pink, I stood and stared until the sky went black.

Onward,
Seth

Good Morning,

It’s currently 36 degrees and semi-socked in on Mount Le Conte. The lodge is sandwiched between a sliver of clear sky with clouds above and below. Conditions are damp, and I would expect some slick lingering ice in the higher elevations.

We received 1” inch of precipitation.

24 hour temperature range | High: 40  Low: 32

NOAA 7-Day Forecast 
Mountain - Forecast Weather

--

Soft cloud sifted light seeped through the window. The kitchen took on a vintage air. In that moment I realized that, while the world has changed so much in the last few years, there are still those places that remain timeless, that remain unchanged in most ways. Mt. LeConte was one of those places.

Taking a sip of blueberry green tea, I wondered how long those magnets had been living on the fridge. I’d never met the Beatles. Mountain Whitney and I crossed paths during the summer of 16’. Closing my eyes, I could still taste the cold thin air of Kings Canyon. I stared into my mug and resolved to go back one day, someday.

Onward,
Seth

Good Morning,

It’s currently 41 degrees and heavily socked in on Mount Le Conte. Moderate to high winds still around the mountain on occasion. Conditions are damp and the ice in the higher elevations is dangerously slick.

We received Trace amounts of precipitation.

24 hour temperature range | High: 42  Low: 31

NOAA 7-Day Forecast 
Mountain - Forecast Weather

--

The ice was broken in spots; concentric lines moved away from the center of the pool, giving the impression of a topographic map. Like a dense fog, I wandered aimlessly through the forest. It was calm, the mountain was quiet, I was in the moment.
​
Making my way back to the lodge, the fog thickened to a degree that I could barely see the trees ahead. My thoughts drifted to a book and a hot cup of coffee. Both were within reach…

What was I waiting for?

Onward,
Seth

Good Morning,

It’s currently 34 degrees and partly cloudy on Mount Le Conte. Steady winds moving around the mountain will make it feel colder than it is.

We received 0” inches of precipitation.

24 hour temperature range | High: 34 Low: 11

NOAA 7-Day Forecast 
Mountain - Forecast Weather

--

Having already navigated the slabs of ice anchored to the north side of High Top, I knew it was a straight shot to Myrtle Point. I moved with intention toward my destination, quickly towards the morning show.

Orange and red reflected off wind worn clouds in the distance. The slate at my feet began to glow with the arrival of the sun. I smiled as the sun burst free from below the stage. The myrtle shook with excitement. Happy with it all, I gave my applause.

Onward,
Seth

Good Morning,

It’s currently 13 degrees and clear on Mount Le Conte. Expect high winds and ice on the trails in the higher elevations.

We received 1.35” inches of precipitation.

24 hour temperature range | High: 44  Low: 11

NOAA 7-Day Forecast 
Mountain - Forecast Weather

--

The hurried clouds painted flat cold pastels against the sky. Soft purple streaks bled through the stretched canvas. Hard winds shook the evergreen forest behind me. It was the first sunrise I’d seen in three days. I felt the magnitude of what these mountains represented as I looked out at the hard Appalachian ridge-lines.

For me, the mountains represented an equal part risk and reward. These smoky mountains represented the freedom to explore with an unashamed uncertainty toward the outcome. You couldn’t wander into these woods without having some skin in the game. Maybe that’s why I love them so much - I had to have skin in the game. They kept me honest…

…these mountains kept me real.

Onward,
Seth

Good Morning,

It’s currently 43 degrees and raining with dense fog. Strong gusts have been pressing hard against the mountain. Be sure to bring proper rain gear if you’re out and about.

Mt. LeConte received .65” inches of precipitation.

24 hour temperature range | High: 44  Low: 40

NOAA 7-Day Forecast 
Mountain - Forecast Weather

--

Wandering through the wind I drifted back through the ages. The heavy hammer of time wore lightly on the landscape. The mountain felt familiar in so many ways.  This paradise in the sky would wear away and wither, yet the feeling would remain. The feeling of Mt. LeConte was buried in the buildings it was hidden in plain sight amidst the fir.

A dead evergreen lay rotting at my feet while a young sapling thrived eagerly to the right. Nature, unashamed of life’s cycles, smiled in the rain. I closed my eyes, fast-forwarding to the present. The wind suddenly began coercing me along its path. Holding my ground, I realized that the mountain would never look this way again, it was always changing - yet, it would always feel the same.

Onward,
Seth

Good Morning,

It’s currently 41 degrees and socked in on Mount Le Conte. Moderate to high winds have been dancing around the mountain. Conditions are quite damp on the mountain.

We received .36” inches of precipitation.

24 hour temperature range | High: 42  Low: 27

NOAA 7-Day Forecast 
​Mountain - Forecast Weather

--

It was a deep dark tunnel of damp forest - I wandered down the llama worn trail. The wind sounded like voices in the air, there was a spooky feel to it all. Enjoying the atmosphere, I drifted quietly around the mountain.
​
The clouds cleared, exposing the valley below. Another cloud took over leaving me socked-in, once again. Making my way back toward the lodge, the excitement only a good book can bring urged me to quicken my pace. The lodge came into view - my book rested patiently on the kitchen counter…

It was shaping up to be a quiet day on the mountain.

Onward,
Seth

Good Morning,

It’s currently 32 degrees and cloudy on Mount Le Conte. A mix of rain and sleet has started hitting the mountain.

We received trace amounts of precipitation.

24 hour temperature range | High: 40  Low: 26

NOAA 7-Day Forecast 
Mountain - Forecast Weather

--

Looking close, a small swatch of heath clung to the mountain side looking toward the south-west. The tenacious little plant had the best view in the house. Though it’s life would be tougher than my own, I envied his daily proving ground.

A steel plate of clouds bolstered the landscape. A sliver of untouched sky lay exposed along the horizon. There was a chance, there was always a chance. I moved quickly across the mix of black ice and jagged slate contouring the trail out to Myrtle Point. The sun burst through the compromised piece of armor. Catching my breath, I captured the moment.

A new plate of steel soon covered where the sun had made its mark.

Onward,
Seth

The Smoky Mountains are a rare jewel…Why not have a place where you can still see the stars? There is value to keeping things primitive.

​– James Dawson

Good Morning,

It’s currently 29 degrees and partly cloudy on Mount Le Conte. Gusts still push moderately against the mountain.

We received 0 inches of precipitation.

24 hour temperature range | High: 30  Low: 17

NOAA 7-Day Forecast 
Mountain - Forecast Weather

--

The race was on. Wild winds zipped across the sky overhead. Taking a final sip of lukewarm coffee, I moved up the trail with uncertainty. The world was grey. Despondent evergreens huddled close to each other. Feeling the cold bite of competitive winds, I gave a nod to their sullen dispositions.

​What would sunrise bring? Was it worth it? The second answer was easy; it was always worth it. The first question was still uncertain.

Arriving at the overlook, soft lines of purple painted fine detail across the sky. Racing clouds of varying size remained moody speckles high in the atmosphere. The sun remained tucked away, uninterested in the business of cirrus and cumulus conversations…

I looked on, fascinated.

Onward,
Seth

"You must not blame me if I do talk to the clouds."

​- Henry Thoreau

 Good Morning,

It’s currently 24 degrees and 'semi-socked in'* on Mount Le Conte. High Top is resting right at the top of the cloud layer. I’m no meteorologist but the rising sun may shove the cloud ceiling down like yesterday.  Occasional gusts still push moderately against the mountain.

*Before I could post this, the cloud ceiling dropped, leaving inverted skies!

We received .45 inches of precipitation.

24 hour temperature range | High: 51*  Low: 29

*New 2019 high temperature

NOAA 7-Day Forecast 
Mountain - Forecast Weather

--

Contrast appeared to be the key. Coffee, after three days away, tasted better than before. A cool calm mountain, after a foray of warm winds, felt refreshing. Just yesterday my feet were carrying me swiftly around the mountain in shorts and a short-sleeve shirt. Taking another sip of coffee, this new day would be spent nestled away in a novel, maybe a biography, or maybe I wouldn’t read at all - maybe I would merely watch the kerosene burn, maybe I’d disappear into the forest for a spell. There was nothing to lose and everything to gain…

An unplanned day in heaven is still a day in heaven, after all.

Onward,
Seth

"True happiness is... to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future."

 - Lucius Annaeus Seneca