December 16th, 2015

A truly good book attracts very little favor to itself. It is so true that it teaches me better than to read it. I must soon lay it down and commence living on its hint. Thoreau

Morning y'all,

It's yet another beautiful, clear morning up top. The high yesterday reached 50 degrees. The overnight low was 37 degrees. It was 38 degrees and clear at 7am observation. The mountain received no new precipitation yesterday and the trails are quite dry. It is already shaping up to be a fantastic day, get hiking!

I had another wonderful 4pm start up Alum Cave yesterday. In my mind, nothing beats that time of day. The light in the morning is spectacular as well, but it always takes me an hour or two (or a cup of coffee or three) to feel myself in the early hours. By the afternoon, I am fully ready to appreciate all the wildness and beauty of my commute. There were a few spectacular new blowdowns after the double stair, the light was pure golden syrup, and the shadows of the conifers gave the suns' radiance a marvelous splintered effect. I felt as though I was walking through an old time movie reel...