Fall is in the air! Perhaps I am jumping the gun because fall is my very favorite season, but it just FEELS like an Autumn morning...cool and crisp, around 50 degrees and not a cloud to be seen for miles. This is my kind of Tuesday. 
     Yesterday's high was 67 and the low fell to an unseasonably cold 37 overnight which made for a chilly morning in the kitchen. Needless to say, the first thing I did this morning was crank up the oven and put the coffee on! Y'all get out and enjoy this delightful weather. Come see us up top! 

     Good morning! Yesterday was quite the lazy rainy Sunday. It sprinkled all afternoon, dropping .21" of rain on us and it looks and feels like there is more to come today. Yesterday's high was 64 and the low was 51 overnight. Today it is 57 and cloudy as of right now. Y'all have a great start to the week!

     Good afternoon! Once again, it is a little bit (CLOUDY!) on the mountain today! Yesterday went back and forth from clouds to sun without any rainfall. The high yesterday was again 67 and the low was 50. It is a little on the chilly side today, only 56 degrees at the moment. Pack some warm layers if you're coming up today! 

     Hello and good morning! It is a little bit on the mountain today. Yesterday was lovely and cool, the high was 67 and the overnight low fell to 50. The rain held off all day, but looks like it might make an appearance sometime this afternoon. Right now it is 60 degrees and overcast. Y'all have a wonderful Saturday!  

     Good evening, gracious blog readers! Today has been a little mixed up with the weather, so I guess the blog will be too! Yesterday's high was only 61 and the low was 48 overnight and we received .01" of light rain over the course of the day. Today has been cool in the upper 50's and low 60's and sunny...and then cloudy...and then rainy....and now sunny again. Tomorrow calls for rain showers and these cooler temperatures will continue, so plan for both while packing! Everyone have a great night!

     And now back to your regularly(ish) scheduled blog posts....Good morning! Yesterday's high was 63 and the overnight low was 50. Today has been cool and overcast, currently only 58 degrees. No rain yet this morning, but it feels like rain is on the way. Y'all have a pleasant start to the week! 

     Good morning and happy weekend! Yesterday we went from sunny to downpours. Afternoon showers dropped .3" of rain on the mountain top, but that didn't seem to deter hikers in the least as we were very busy all day! The high yesterday was 63 and the overnight low was 51 and currently it is a cool and cloudy 58 degrees outside. Safe and happy trails to all! 

     Good Monday morning to you all! It has been a cloudy and cool morning so far, only 60 degrees as of yet. Yesterday's high was 73 and the low was 54 and the weather was sunny and blue all day. Today we might have some showers in the afternoon, so be prepared for rain! 
     Here are a few pictures of the work they have been doing on the Alum Cave trail so far: 

     Bonjour mes amis! It is a beautiful morning and it looks like it will be a beautiful Sunday afternoon as well. Yesterday's high was a balmy 73 and the low was a cool and clear 49. Right now it is sunny and 59 degrees with a slight breeze....lovely weather for an afternoon hike up to see us on top! Happy hiking! 

     Good morning and a lovely Saturday to you all! For some reason that is beyond me, the text of yesterday's post didn't actually post yesterday...my bet would have been on the weather. It was foggy, misty and cool yesterday. The high was only 58 and the low was 48 and we received .35" of rain over the course of the day. Today, however, it is sunny and warm again, already at 61 degrees. 
    And now, continuing our new crew introductions, let me introduce our newest crew member, Brian Evaul. 

Hi, my name is Brian Evaul. At 34, I may be the old man on the mountain (except when Alan or Tim show up!), but I don't feel that way as the new guy on crew. I've been on LeConte since May, but I already feel like a part of the big Framily we have up here.
I'm from Chattanooga, TN by way of Western North Carolina and Jackson Hole, Wyoming. I love Chattanooga because so much has been done in the area to restore and highlight the local wilderness areas. It is a beautiful place to live for an avid hiker. I also love it because my fiance, Valerie is there working on a degree from UTC. She is also an avid hiker and we spend most of our free time on various Cumberland Trail segments and at the Chickamauga National Battlefield.
Although I feel at home in the woods around Chattanooga, I could say that about any wilderness. I've always felt more at peace miles away from everything.
In the late 90's I worked for Camp Living Water in Bryson City, NC. It is right on the Park border at Deep Creek and I spent many nights under the stars there. One summer I guided on the Nantahala River for a large rafting company.
In 2000 I completed a North to South AT thru-hike. I went North to South because, like Treebeard, I believe walking South always feels like walking downhill.
In 2001 I joined the Navy. At combat photography training in Maryland I enjoyed the woods, battlefields and monuments in the DC area. Then I was transferred to central California and was there able to visit such marvels as Sequoia, Kings Canyon and Yosemite as well as the High Sierras. In addition through my travels in Joshua Tree, Death Valley and the Mojave I learned to respect and love wilderness in a desert setting as well. "Join the Navy and see the world," they say while forgetting to mention that 70% of the world is water. Nevertheless, I'm proud to have sailed on all 7 seas, across both the Prime Meridian and the Dateline, the Equator and the Arctic Circle. I've visited Hawaii (Oahu and the Big Island), Guam, Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai and the Arabian desert around it, Kuala Lampur, Perth, and Afghanistan, just to name a few.
Since returning to Chattanooga in late 2006, I've done some trail building on the Cumberland Trails and worked for a long time at a large, well known Chattanooga book store. I'm currently writing an epic Science Fiction Novel and a trail guide to the Chickamauga Battlefield as well as whatever photo project the Mountain inspires each day - or night.
Fate brought me here to LeConte and I love where I work! For a writer and photographer there is nowhere more inspiring. The new view and new animals and new flowers and new visitors we get everyday make this job a joy. I love my crew Framily and the bond this place creates. That's what the wilderness does to people. Those who visit join an elite and uniquely united group simply by being there. Going where few venture holds the same value today as boldly going where no one has gone.