i know you feel the things we see, we know they're true.

In wisdom gathered over time, I have found that every experience is a form of exploration. Ansel Adams

Morning y'all,

It's a gorgeous, snowy morning up top! The high yesterday reached 31 degrees. The overnight low got down to 16 degrees. It was 16 degrees and cloudy at 7am observation. The mountain received 2 inches of fresh snow, bringing our total up to about 3 inches. It is light and fluffy, yet will surely have some slickness to it. Please be careful and be prepared for deep winter conditions if you plan to reach the summit today! Highway 441 is closed as of this posting, please refer to the Park Service's twitter feed for the latest road conditions. It is getting dark around 5:20 pm, so I'd encourage you to start making your way down the mountain by 3pm at the latest unless you enjoy night hiking in the snow.

Top photo: The toughest packers south of the Mason-Dixon line! Above: Good snowy tree to start the season!

I had a great day settling in yesterday. It is always a little bit like Christmas for me, as I'm re-opening my boxes from storage without remembering what I put up there back in March. I've got my library all set up and look forward to making the place homier as time passes. I got a little stir crazy around 4pm and ran out to Myrtle Point and Cliff Tops to get reacquainted with my backyard. No matter how long I'm doing this, the beauty never seems familiar. It always retains the capacity to astonish and as I rounded the final few bends out towards Myrtle, I was breathless with anticipation. In moments like that, I am one of the luckiest men alive and I know it. I am so thrilled to have another winter filled with similar daily micro adventures, meandering bobkitten tracks, snowy days spent reading and wondering how time can so beautifully paradoxical, fast and slow in the same tidy package...