Morning y'all,
It's another beautiful, warm clear day up top. The high yesterday reached 52 degrees. The low was 36 degrees. It was 42 degrees and clear at 7 am observation. The snow is melting rapidly, resulting in dangerous trail conditions. The footing is very unpredictable. The Park Service had a rescue late into the night after someone misstepped and cut themselves. Be careful and do not underestimate the difficulty of the trail just because it's 'nice' out. Morning y'all,
It's another beautiful, snowy morning up top. The high yesterday reached 37 degrees. The low was 28 degrees. It was 36 degrees and clear at 7am observation. The abundant sunshine yesterday melted 2 inches of snow, bringing our total down to 8 inches up top. I would still recommend gaiters, but the snow on the trail is not too deep. The footing is still quite sketchy, so be careful. It looks as though it'll be a beautiful weekend. Enjoy! _Morning y'all, It's a peaceful, snowy morning up top. The high yesterday reached 29 degrees. The low got down to 15 degrees. It was 19 degrees and clear at 7am observation. There was abundant sunshine yesterday afternoon, resulting in about 5 inches of melt. There are 10 inches of snow left up top, but there are still some serious drifts on the trails. Gaiters, waterproof pants and shoes are a must. Please be sure to factor in just how difficult winter travel is into your plans, turn around before 3pm if you want to make it back to your car before dark. The footing is really shoddy with all the thaw and refreezing, so be careful out there. Please remember that the Lodge is CLOSED. Pride comes before the fall, know your limits and turn around instead of ending up like this. _This late burst of winter has visions of snow dancing in my mind. My friend Gary Wilson, videographer for the Great Smoky Mountain Association, made an incredible little clip from his most recent trip up here. Check it out here.
I check the calendar in disbelief and am forced to no longer enjoy the moment, but start thinking of my plans for the coming days as I prepare to depart my winter post. Fortunately, it looks like I'll have a sufficient amount of winter weather at my next stop. I'll be working at a small cabin up in the White Mountains for a few months, checking in guests, maintaining trails & privies, and keeping the wood burning stove fired up to a balmy 40 degrees. I'm really looking forward to the challenging conditions and raw beauty of the Whites, there's really no other place I've been that can compare. Live free or die. Morning y'all, It's a stunning morning up top. We're above the clouds and the snow is just incomprehensibly pretty. The high yesterday reached 17 degrees. The low was 9 degrees. It was 15 degrees and clear at 7am observation. The mountain received another inch of new snow, bringing our total up to 15 inches. The drifts are waist high in places, so be prepared for epic wintry conditions. The Park Service is doing their best to open up the roads. Check for updates on their twitter feed. Please plan on short hikes, the deep winter conditions make progress about 2-3 times slower than usual. the lodge is still CLOSED and no services are offered. Accept the humility that the mountains offer you.
_Morning y'all,
It's another blustery, snowy day up top. The high yesterday reached 38 degrees. The overnight low reached 7 degrees. It was 9 degrees and snowing at 7am observation. The mountain received .35" of rain before turning to snow yesterday afternoon. In those heavy, wet conditions we got down to 8 inches of snow on the ground... then received another 6 inches overnight, bringing our total up to 14 inches. The drifts are very deep up top. Gaiters, waterproof pants and the whole gamut of winter gear are a must. Please use your brain, the Park Service has their hands full trying to open the roads - they don't need any unnecessary search and rescues to take care of as well. On a lighter note, today's conditions reminded me of a poem I'd like to share with y'all. Enjoy! _Morning y'all,
It's a gloomy morning up top. The high yesterday reached 33 degrees. The low was 7 degrees. It was 33 degrees and overcast at 7am observation. The mountain received abundant sunshine in lieu of snow, resulting in 5 inches of melt. There's about 11 inches of snow left up here. The forecast is looking pretty nasty, please beware if you plan on summiting today. There's a winter storm advisory, there may be 6-10 more inches of snow come tomorrow. I was fortunate enough to catch both a clear, majestic sunrise and a moody, colourful sunset. It's a real novelty to spend the day in one wild, open place and realize that just 13.5 hours and a bit of rotation allow you to witness each of these fantastic events. It happens every day, but the environment here makes the rediscovery of this much taken for granted fact a bit startling from time to time. It's the little things up here. On another note. I read this article yesterday and thought I'd share it with y'all. It struck a nerve or two with me and thought you guys would enjoy! _Morning y'all,
It's another beautiful morning up top. The high yesterday reached 14 degrees. The low dropped down to 1 degree. It was 5 degrees and clear at 7am observation. The mountain received no new snow, but there is still around 16 inches up top. The trails are extremely strenuous. Do not attempt to summit unless you have legitimate winter gear and a taste for the masochistic. The lodge is still CLOSED. Prepare to be self sufficient if you intend to stay at the shelter. The snow has added an incredibly dynamic element to my last few days up top, it's fun, challenging, and, of course, stunningly beautiful - all at once. The snow is flowing off of every surface, adding a layer of awe inspiring purity to our already elegant mountain. In spite of this constant beauty, we must be reminded of the double edged sword that comes with these deep winter conditions. Sure, it's easy for me to say how glorious and wonderful it all is - I have a heated cabin to crawl back into at the end of the day, years of experience and top notch gear. It's a constant give and take with the backwoods in these kinds of conditions - fantastic visions comes with great risk. Please consider this before you enter the backcountry this week. The Park Service has had to make rescues and there have been as many close calls. Use your brain and don't take any chances - Nature can take your breath away in more ways than one. Morning y'all,
It's amazing up here right now. The high yesterday reached 16 degrees. The overnight low got down to 2 degrees. It's currently 2 degrees and overcast. The mountain received 11 inches of new snow, bringing our total up to 16 inches. Unless you have a strain of Mallory or Hillary in ya, I'd stay at home and sip tea today. The trails are virtually impassable. Please be smart, the Park Service does not need to add a few rescues to their already lengthy to-do list on a brutal day like this. Morning y'all,
It's another beautiful, snowy day up top. The high yesterday reached 22 degrees. The low reached 13 degrees. It's currently 13 degrees and flurrying at 7am observation. The mountain received 2 inches of new snow, bringing our total up to about 5 inches up top. It's still coming down, so if you plan to summit be prepared for some deep drifts. It doesn't sound like 441 will open today, so you'll have a long hike up Rainbow, Bullhead or Trillium. Be cautious and enjoy the beauty! _Morning y'all,
It's another beautiful, wintry morning up top. The high yesterday reached a brisk 17 degrees. The overnight low was 12 degrees. It's currently 14 degrees and overcast, some light flurries falling intermittently. The mountain received 2 inches of new snow, bringing our total up to about 3 powdery inches. The trails are still quite slick, I would recommend some sort of traction devices. US 441 is currently closed, but it sounds as though the Park Service road crews are doing their best to open it up today in spite of more snow in the forecast. Check out the roads' status on the Park Service's twitter feed. It's almost always what most people would consider 'quiet' around the lodge, but there is an especially poignant silence that comes when there is snow atop. Perhaps it is just the knowledge that I am one of very few folks in the park with 441 closed, or the muffling effect of the fine powder, but my afternoon strolls wear a cloak of added significance on these overcast, snowy days. I don't just feel like I am the only person atop, I am... My only bretheren is the fox and bobcat. The peace comes a little easier on days with such assurance, filling the silent gaps between chickadee calls, gentle winds, and creaking trees with a flood of contentedness. My backyard is one of the fine areas in America deemed worthy of special protection and I revel in the magnificence, grateful that my forebearers had the insight to preserve such a noble environment and the state of mind that comes with such immersion. I reap the rewards of their sagacity every afternoon. |
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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