February 19th, 2016

Being tired isn't the same as being rich, but most times it's close enough. Chuck Palahniuk

Morning y'all,

It's another beautiful, snow covered morn up top. The high yesterday reached 34 degrees. The overnight low was 18 degrees. It was 30 degrees and clear at 7am observation. The mountain received no new snow and there is about 7 inches still remaining on the ground. There was a surprising amount of day traffic yesterday and I would expect Alum and Rainbow are packed down. I would still recommend traction devices if you intend to reach the summit - better safe than sorry. It looks as if it's shaping up to be a beautiful day, get out and enjoy it!

I spent yesterday enjoying one of my last few days of solitude on the mountain. I always seem to dial back my ambition for long days on the trails in late February and immerse myself in my books. I love having the freedom of being done with work around 8am, with my only responsibility being to figure out which great works to disappear into for the great vast day. It's unbelievable to me just how fast this season has gone by. I assume it must be due to how mild the winter has been. Aside from one big snow storm in late January, there have been no debilitating snows. Without the claustrophobic feeling of being snowed in, I've been able to fill more days with long runs and hikes than previous winters. I have 3 more weeks up top and I feel like I just got here...