"Happiness depends upon ourselves." - Aristotle
Yesterday was a great opening day. The weather was splendid. Blue skies everywhere. The high was 58 with a low of 42. The clouds have settled in on us this morning. It looks like rain for our future. Today is the day the guests start arriving. It is always and exciting day waiting for the season to officially begin. The weather is not looking so inviting. It is currently socked in. The low last night was 33 with a high of 44. Wow, what an incredible sight. The Super Moon was amazing last night. It was so bright that our solar tracker, the solar panels that move with the sun, tracked the moon. It was a busy day up top. There were a lot of day hikers enjoying the weather. The high yesterday was 56 with a low of 37. The snow is pretty much gone up top. There are some areas that are in the shade that still have ice. Boulevard will not clear of ice for a while. The section around the cliffs does not see sun, so it will take a while.
"After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb." - Nelson Mandela The weather held off and we were able to finish airlift. Alum Cave trail was a popular place yesterday. Springbreakers everywhere. The snow is melting and it was pretty warm up top. The high was 58 with a low of 43. It is sprinkling this morning. For those hearty folks that don't mind hiking in a little rain, the t-shirts will be available for sale this weekend.
"My favorite thing is to go where I've never been." - Diane Arbus The airlift went off with out a hitch. We still lack a few hours of fly time to today and then we are ready to roll. The t-shirts made it up safely and we will have them ready to sell this weekend. I will put a picture up as soon as I get my inventory done.
Yesterday was a bright, blue sky day. Today is looking to be the same. The current temperature is 43 and rising. "Everything in the universe has a rhythm, everything dances."- Maya Angelou "Keep your face to the sunshine and you will never see the shadow."- Helen Keller
Today is THE day!!! We had a an absolutely amazing day yesterday, but the folks down below did not. The sun was out an shining all day. There was a sea of clouds below us. The airlift did not go as planned yesterday. Today is clear up here and down below. We will fly today. I have heard some trail conditions. Boulevard is still icy and snowy. There is a large section of ice at the top around the cliff area. There are a lot of trees down as well. I would say the Boulevard is not a good idea until the trail crew can get up to clear it off. As for Alum, there is still ice and snow in areas. Just be prepared to take a while coming up. As for hiker services this weekend, we are behind schedule getting the lodge up and running. We will not be selling food to day hikers this weekend. The only item that we will have available is this years t-shirt, that is assuming we get the supplies today. I will keep you notified. P.s. Check out the new crew on the crew page. We have been patiently waiting for the past 48 hours. Hopefully today will be the day for the airlift. We are currently in the clouds. This coverage needs to blow out of here for any activity to happen. It has been fairly cold up here. The high yesterday was 35 with a low last night of 28. The trails are starting to melt, but there is still a lot of ice and a few inches of snow hanging around. If you are going to attempt to hike to the top, I highly recommend some form of ice walker for your shoes.
The crew had some of their emergency training yesterday. One of our smaller volunteers let us strap him into the litter and and treat him for "injuries". Thanks Mason. In regards to the post about cell towers in the National Park, the Park Service has issued a statement
" We have no inquiries pending, formally or informally for any cell towers anyplace in the Park. But if we received one the decision would quickly become a very public process. NPS regs and the National Environmental Policy Act would require full disclosure, analysis and comment on every possible impact: visual, ground disturbance, natural resource implications and any other concern that we or the public expressed." Bob Miller, spokesman for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. We awoke this morning to a half inch of fresh snow. The low last night was 31 with a high yesterday of 40. The weather cleared off yesterday, but not in time to fly. We are hoping to fly tomorrow.
The crew was busy scrubbing and mopping yesterday. The lodge is looking better each day. I think we will be ready for guests on Monday. "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less traveled by. And that has made all the difference." - Robert Frost
Good morning!! The crew awoke to cloudy skies. That is not what we were hoping for in regards to our airlift. The weather forecast is not looking good for pulling it off today. I guess that means more cleaning is in our future. Yesterday was beautiful with a high of 38. It cooled down to 33 degrees last night. Alum Cave has seen a lot of foot traffic over the last couple of days. I heard it was still a slushy mess. Rain is in the forecast for today, that should go a long way in clearing the trails. I will keep you posted on our airlift progress. I am praying it is not a repeat of last year. I would like the supplies to get here before Thursday. |
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June 2024
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