December 6, 2019

Good morning friends,  

The temperatures ranged from a high yesterday of 37 degrees and a low last night of 19 degrees. The current temperature this morning is 32 degrees. We had no new precipitation.  

The temperatures hovered around freezing for most of the day so we still have 2.5 inches of snow on the ground.   

Also remember if you’re going to be hiking on any of the trails leading to the top of LeConte, there continues to be a great deal of snow and ice, particularly at higher elevations. 
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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 3°C on Thu night, min -1°C on Fri afternoon)Winds decreasing (strong winds from the NW on Thu morning, calm by Sat morning).

Mount LeConte Weather (Days 3-6): Heavy rain (total 45mm), mostly on Mon night. Becoming colder with a light covering of snow, mostly falling on Tue morningFreeze-thaw conditions (max 8°C on Mon night, min -10°C on Tue night)Winds increasing (moderate winds from the SSW on Sun morning, gales from the SW by Mon night). 

Well as I mentioned above, the temperature didn’t rise much above freezing for most of the day but compared to previous days and given the fact that we had full sun, all day long, it almost felt warm.....well almost.   

It was a great day to get out and do some exploring and to lay down some more tracks in the snow where none had been. I chose Trillium and really enjoyed the peace and solitude. 

My enjoyment was enhanced when I met a really nice fellow hiker who was headed up the trail as I was headed down. He then followed my prints up and I followed his down and then of course we crossed paths again on our return trips. 

It was a good day here high on LeConte but then most days are good days here on LeConte. 

Take care, enjoy life and as always stay safe