December 3, 2019

Good morning friends, 

Well as predicted the storm came through and left us with over 4 inches of snow on the ground here on top. It also provided some fairly strong winds during the evening and early morning hours. Along with the snow our temperatures stayed in the low range achieving a high temperature yesterday of only 21 degrees and a low last night of 12 degrees The current temperature this morning is 20 degrees, and we currently have clear skies. We had 0.37 inches of precipitation. 

We had 2.5 inches of added snow fall and currently as I mentioned earlier  we have 4 inches of snow on the ground. 

US 441 remains closed along with Cherokee Orchard Road above the Twin Creeks Science Center. 

Please contact nps.gov for updates 

Mount LeConte Weather (Days 0-3): The weather forecast for Mount LeConte is: Mostly dryFreeze-thaw conditions (max 2°C on Thu afternoon, min -5°C on Mon night)Winds decreasing (near gales from the NW on Wed night, moderate winds from the W by Thu morning).

Yesterday was the first day that I didn’t see any other hikers on the mountain. I think everyone made a wise choice considering the conditions and hazards.  I myself didn’t venture too far from camp, only taking a short hike to the shelter to make sure if anyone was there that they were ok. Fortunately no one was there. Still even though it was a short hike, it was through what looked like a winter wonderland and seeing that the only footprints in the snow were mine was a unique experience. It left my feet cold and my heart warm. 
Enjoy life and stay safe. 
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"In nature, nothing is perfect and everything is perfect. Trees can be contorted, bent in weird ways, and they're still beautiful." -Alice Walker