December 5, 2019

Good morning friends, 

The temperatures ranged from a high yesterday of 30 degrees and a low last night of 17 degrees The current temperature this morning is 19 degrees. We had no new precipitation. 

The temperatures stayed in the 20s for most of the day so we currently still have 3 inches of snow on the ground.   

I’ll repeat yesterday’s advise: Hike with extreme caution. Pay particular attention to areas that the sun may have thawed during the day but will refreeze during the night. Dress in warm layers, take plenty of hydration and don’t forget those traction devices. 

At last report US 441 is open but Cherokee Orchard remains closed above Twin Creeks Science Center. 

Here is the official weather report from Mountain-Forecast.com

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

Mount LeConte Weather (Days 3-6): Moderate rain (total 13mm) heaviest on Mon night, then becoming colder with a dusting of snow on Tue morningFreeze-thaw conditions (max 6°C on Mon night, min -6°C on Tue afternoon)Winds increasing (light winds from the SSE on Sat night, gales from the W by Mon night).

Well as I mentioned above, it was fairly cold all day yesterday. A day that saw only a handful of brave hikers make the trip up. 

As for me it was a good opportunity  to take care of some house keeping tasks around here and to spend some quite time reflecting on the blessings in my life and the beauty of this mountain. I thought about the paths we choose and where they lead, and those paths we don’t choose and where they might have lead. You know friends what I realize is that the paths we choose are very important but maybe more important is who shares that path with us. 

Well that’s a rare deep thought from me. Here’s hoping that one of your paths leads to the top of LeConte. 

Take care, enjoy life and as always stay safe. 
​
Over every mountain there is a path, although it may not be seen from the valley."
-Theodore Roethke