i somehow see what's beautiful in things that are ephemeral.

The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple pies were made in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are made of starstuff. Carl Sagan

Morning y'all,

It's a gloomy morning up top, full of grey promise. The high yesterday reached a comfortable 41 degrees. The overnight low dropped down to 24 degrees. It was 24 degrees and cloudy at 7am observation. The mountain received no new snow yesterday and had a bit of melt in the bright January sunshine. We are down to about 5 inches of snow up top. The trails are sure to be in pretty tough shape after yesterday's warm temperatures. Be prepared with Microspikes or some other traction device.

The skies have clouded up and the temperature gauge has dropped out this morning. It is a wonderful contrast with yesterday's spring conditions. All is quiet and the clouds have wrapped the mountain in a peaceful ambiance. The occasional hum of wind building breaks the calm. Snow is in the forecast and the clouds are close enough to kiss. The character of the mountain is a finicky thing, with bluebird skies and perfect sunshine giving way to this confining greyness. It is similar to the moods of a mind, swinging ecstatically across a broad spectrum. It is none too surprising, given both are built out of stardust. The only constant is their playful variety.