February 02nd, 2013

2/2/2013

evening's charms.

Morning y'all,

It's still snowy up top! The mountain is in a bit of grey at the moment. The high yesterday reached 21 degrees. The low was negative 1 degree. It warmed up overnight and it's currently 22 and cloudy. The mountain received no new snow, but it looks as though there is more in the forecast today. There's still about 6 inches of total snow on the ground. Be sure to pack your gaiters and waterproof boots, it's easy to get wet feet with this much accumulation. An extra pair of socks for the hike down is always pleasant, too.

graceful cat tracks, bumbling caretaker tracks.

I went out for an afternoon stroll yesterday. I wanted to see how many tracks I could spot. I can't believe it's February and I'm just getting enough snow to do this... sigh. My friend Bob believes he saw the bobcat's trademark eerie green eyes lingering behind the shelter last weekend and the tracks seem to indicate that he could be correct! There were plenty all around the shelter, perhaps he/she was looking to feast on the healthy rodent population. The tracks were much bigger than I was expecting. They were so disarmingly big , I had to do a bit of a double take. And look suspiciously through the underbrush! This all seems to indicate that the bobcat is back... although I'm going to just pretend that somebody was considerate enough to leave me a baby snow leopard to befriend...

my new friend! i hope...

Dee Murphy link

2/2/2013 12:39:31 am

are you serious? You truly have bobcat kitten up there? I hope so!

Fraley Family

2/2/2013 12:39:45 am

Maybe Chris and Allyson will bring one home from their adventure! Enjoy the snow JP.

Jan

2/2/2013 12:44:46 am

Just beautiful!!!

Devin R

2/2/2013 12:49:17 am

48 degrees under a clear blue sky in Tampa this morning and I'm still jealous! The wash out of 441 sealed the deal for us not visiting this winter, so it only makes sense that you actually get a winter this year!
Enjoy the weekend JP (& the rest of the blog family)

Woody

2/2/2013 12:52:49 am

Happy Groundhog Day except that you & I were hoping for 6 more weeks of winter and ass deep snow.

2/2/2013 12:57:20 am

Not to beat a horse to death..... Donnie mentioned yesterday about 100+ inputs to this blog being a record. Not knowing any more than that, I'm sure it is. The amount of the responses might be like hummingbirds, "they say" that for every one that you see at the feeder, there are mutiples in the trees. This might be a subtle (not so subtle?) message to the powers that be, about the depth of enjoyment, appreciation etc, of this site AND JP's input. It is clearly spelled out from the people that responded. Maybe, in the future, if people want to be negative, just let it go. It is really hard to fight with someone that won't fight back. I find it very hard to add anything positive that wasn't already stated yesterday. ENJOY!

Tony Ga

2/2/2013 01:03:40 am

Well said and good advice.

2/2/2013 01:13:00 am

Ditto!

Ken T

2/2/2013 01:58:47 am

Renate

2/2/2013 01:11:03 am

Good morning JP! Enjoy the snow :) Have a wonderful weekend!!!

Wanda

2/2/2013 01:19:29 am

Happy Groundhog Day!
Looking for a snow mix in Chattanooga today.
Stay safe.

Debi

2/2/2013 05:24:45 am

Wanda, I have family in Chattnooga. I have told them they need to hike up to Mt. Leconte. They live so close!!

Deedee/Mich.

2/2/2013 01:24:44 am

I read that the large feet of the bobcat//&lynx are furred heavily and hit the ground in a spread-toe fashion, making a snowshoe effect. Reckon that would make large paw prints in the snow!

Judy

2/2/2013 01:31:05 am

might be the mountain lions (yes two!) i saw last spring leaving tracks for you to follow! that would be exciting..stay safe and welcome back!

jay

2/2/2013 01:35:47 am

GSMNP ????

Bryan Be

2/2/2013 03:27:17 am

Wait....WHAT!?
You saw a Mountain Lion in the Great Smoky Mtns. Nat'l Park?
When and where? As far as I know, there hasn't been a credible sighting since the mid 70s..

Ric

2/2/2013 04:55:29 am

oct 2,1999. Saw black one at polls gap parking lot. Though it was the worlds skinnest bear till it turned sideways and I saw that magnificent tail. I sat in the car a while with camera trying to decide if I really needed to make that hike. Did the hike but no further sightings. I always put the camera on the dashboard now when I'm up that way. But, officially, they don't exist...

RonnieTN

2/2/2013 08:26:11 am

We DO have mountain lions in GSMNP. JP be careful up there.

Ryan in Green Bay

2/2/2013 01:38:39 am

Hey JP, do you have access to any hunting cameras that you could mount on a tree or area where the bob kitty is lurking. Being a hunter in Wisconsin, I use motion activated camera's on my land to see what is lurking around. I have yet to see a wolf, but many mountain lion, coyote, and fox. Would be really interesting to see what else is roaming on the mountain top.

June link

2/2/2013 02:45:41 am

Your photos show a true gift! Love looking at them.

doug y

2/2/2013 02:57:02 am

I have some of those motion-activated game cameras around my property; with over a hundred acres I have plenty of room and oppportunity to capture random animals passing by and through; lots of wild turkeys, deer, other small animals, but as yet no bobcats; had a bear leave some scat last fall, but that was a one-time, solitary occurence. It's a sometimes interesting hobby. About a week or so ago I spent a single night on Mt. Leconte where I got up very early the next morning to witness the moon setting in the west, a most delightful and inspiring sight I've seen many times, just not from Cliff Tops until then. But the sight that really captured my attention was my favorite constellation Orion passing overhead. For me, it's a tremendously inspiring sight of which I never get tired of seeing. I wrote a poem about this experience, but I must say that I make absolutely no claim as a poet, so it might not be exactly in a form that is popular today, but it's the best I could come up with. Perhaps some will enjoy it. thanks.

ORION

Orion passed me by this morning, what a magnificent sight,
Easing across a star-filled sky on a crisp cold night;

Such beauty, resembling a spindly water spider perched on a
still pond,
Bespeaking of mysterious origins within a universer far beyond;

It was like an apparition looking down at me from the heights,
As I gazed back in awe aware of nothing but its lights;

My heart soared, my mind raced to see this cluster once again,
Many times before it had inspired me, and that will never end;

The Pyramids of Giza replicate its pattern, and a mystery this
insists,
I believe it's no coincidence that this connection truly exists;

No other constellation holds me so in its spell,
Not even Ursa Major, the Big Dipper as some may tell;

Within its stars lies the Orion Nebula, so fuzzy to the eye,
But through a telescope the most glorious in the sky;

My breath escapes as steam, for the air is crisp and cold,
But still I stand here transfixed, my spirit strong and bold;

I pale to insignificance before this heavenly view,
My words in describing it are unworthy and but a few;

If I could but transpose my emotions properly into verse,
Orion would come alive to you, feelings would be first;

So some clear night gaze up into the southern sky,
Perchance you'll see Orion, as it gloriously passes by !

Thanks.

2/2/2013 10:09:09 am

Nice, Doug I alway enjoy your posts

2/2/2013 11:53:54 am

Lovely poem Doug"

Rebecca

2/2/2013 03:05:13 am

Orion was the first constellation I came to know as a child. I know the Big Dipper is usually the first, but Orion has always been my favorite. Here in the south especially up top it is as if you could just grab on to it.

Dan

2/2/2013 03:18:09 am

2/2/2013 03:39:34 am

Great pictures today and commentary. So I have wondered do the cabins each have their own name and can I get a diagram to figure out which ones we've stayed in?

Meg

2/2/2013 04:10:46 am

No names, just numbers. Was Crew in 87 & 07. My fave is #10. Never slept there but I like the set up....

2/2/2013 05:32:33 am

Meg,I got the honors of that cabin last Aug. Very nice. I put a request in for it next July 4th. Hope I get it.

Monday Trek

2/2/2013 03:45:45 am

If anyone has a report on blow-downs on Trillium that would be appreciated. Hope to come up Monday.

2/2/2013 04:13:32 am

@doug y- Orion is an entity unto himself, indeed. He has always held me in his sway. Thank you for sharing such lovely thoughts today! oops no rhyme intended ;)dd

Mary F

2/2/2013 04:48:11 am

Awesome Doug, and thanks again JP!!

Tim link

2/2/2013 05:28:32 am

Daydreaming, see 'website' above of snowfall last fall - Novermber 3 2012. Lets Concentrate on a mass level and bring 3 ft of snow back to LeConte.
Then call it a gift. :)

Tim

2/2/2013 05:29:53 am

Or maybe this link will work, hmmm

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151500364017586.598851.605412585&type=1&l=4bf949065d

2/2/2013 05:33:43 am

JP, looks like your bob kitty has turned into a bob cat.

Atti's Taxi ( Matt )

2/2/2013 06:02:03 am

JP...... Thank you so much as always for all your wonderful pictures and your information on weather and trail conditions . I always check out the website everyday . I hope your knee is getting better I know how much you love hiking . Good luck and if you ever need anything just yell at me by my email and I will hike it up to you .

2/2/2013 08:55:41 am

Back to the Mountain Lion/Cougar/Panther subject. Who else has spotted one in the last 20 years? Pics?

Rick

2/2/2013 02:25:20 pm

Never have the camera ready when you really need it. The one I saw covered the two lane road and parking lot in probly less than three second

brenda mcgaha

2/3/2013 01:28:56 am

I have lived the next county over all my life...i have seen one bobcat..one night on the way home from work in Gatlinburg i saw something go into the woods near the road....running a picture of the tail i saw through my mind....nothing fit....so i never mentioned it..about 2 years ago a guest were i work in the burg told me of being in the Cades Cove Loop with binoculars and seeing a mountain lion...he is a dependable kind...now i know that is what i saw..only i saw only the tail going into the wood on the road that is 321 and borders the park...where the tail went in...i keep looking only now i dont work evenings.....maybe one dark early morining!

m ha

2/6/2013 02:08:15 pm

I think the wildcat is an old friend.

2/7/2013 01:47:34 pm

The wildcat and the buglady love the wildflowers.

Deedee

2/7/2013 01:54:07 pm

>m ha ..That is so cute! You have fun observations, m ha.

2/7/2013 10:45:35 pm

The bobcat search for his mom he hope...

2/8/2013 03:54:16 pm

Thank you D...

Comments are closed.

February 02nd, 2013

LeConte Lodge

Archives