December 21st, 2020

Good morning folks,

It’s a fine morning on top of the mountain. Stars shining above. No winds stirring around. The lodge is in silence. The high yesterday was 31 degrees. Our overnight low was 20 degrees. It is currently 21 degrees and crystal clear skies. We received trace amounts of snow yesterday morning, which didn’t accumulate to much. Warmer temps up until Christmas then a dive in the weather as some extreme arctic weather pushes into East Tennessee. LeConte could see below 0 temperatures. Brrrr!! It will feel like Christmas with the temps and the possible chances of some snow. Very exciting having a white Christmas. I have had a entire month of snow on the mountain. I literally haven’t seen bare ground in areas around the lodge since Thanksgiving. What a treat it has been to be here with the beauty of this winter season. A very interesting event happening tonight in the sky. Well, an hour after sunset be on the lookout into the southwest. The Great Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn is happening tonight. These two planets will appear to be as one. This rare event is definitely one to watch. Also, today is the Winter Solstice it’s the start of winter and the longest/shortest day of the year. Pack those headlamps if you plan to watch the Great Conjunction and hike back down in the dark. Traction is a must which should always be in your pack this time of year on the majority of the LeConte trails especially Alum Cave! The next couple days look to be great to be out on the trails soaking up the sun. Have a great day!
See you at the top!

​PNUT

​“It’s not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves”.
​“Edmund Hillary”

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