if love, if love is a poison cup. then drink it up. cause a sip, a sip or spoonful won't do. won't do nothing for you. except mess you up.

2/23/2015

The pain is a toll I willingly pay on my way to the top, for here, amid these mountains, I restore myself and lose myself, knit together my ego and then surrender it, detach myself from the mass of humanity so I may learn to love them again, all while coexisting with creatures whose kind have lived here for millenia. Phillip Connors

Morning y'all,

It's a beautiful, cloudy morning up high. The high temperature yesterday reached 37 degrees. The overnight low was 25 degrees. It was 26 degrees and cloudy at 7am observation. The mountain received no new precipitation. There is still about 4 inches of drifty, hard packed snow remaining up top. The drifts are especially high along certain sections of trail, so be prepared for an adventure if you intend to reach the summit. I would still recommend Microspikes if you intend to reach the summit. There are some very icy sections of trail. Enjoy the day!

I had a fantastic hike up Alum yesterday afternoon. The mountain was tucked into its friendly cloud blanket and it was as still as it's been for days. It was a great day to wander around and see what the past few days of serious wind did to the trails. There are a few blowdowns, a lot of icy branches strewn across the trail and a seemingly infinite number of little fir tree clusters. There is a snow drift on Alum just below Cliff Tops that is larger than any I've seen in the Smokies. It almost seemed like a practical joke when I first discovered it. The slushy snow conditions made for some difficult trudging, but it was all worth it, as always. I forgot just how quickly some warm, wet conditions can accelerate the melt around here. I am looking forward to seeing the sun again and welcoming my old friend Spring any day now!

norman

2/23/2015 12:47:25 am

Like Phillip Conners quote (have to look him up, never heard of over half these people). Thanks for the post as always! Have a good day, the Ga. rebel!

norman

2/23/2015 01:43:43 am

Connors

norman

2/23/2015 01:39:58 am

JP, do you have any idea Connors age? Wikipeda dose't show his birth date!?

Old

2/23/2015 04:28:52 am

105

norman

2/23/2015 04:47:18 am

NO!!

Jan

2/23/2015 03:10:42 am

I too, liked the Phillip Conners quote. Especially the one phrase "detach myself from the mass of humanity so I may learn to love them again..." . After reading a lot of the news, this is one thing that I would love to do. Need to do! I have begun to think people have become insane. I would love to do what you are doing, even for a couple of weeks. Maybe we all do, so we can start to love our world again. Thanks for posting!

JT Mobile Al

2/23/2015 03:18:16 am

Jan . Here's to u , I like your thinking , good day !!!

norman

2/23/2015 04:45:37 am

Jan, I agree with you completly. Have a good day!

doug y link

2/23/2015 05:52:57 am

I agree that today's quote is very appropriate and profound. To detach myself from humanity is what I have been hiking in the Smokies for during the last 58 years, and each year this gets a little harder to do as more and more people visit there. Yet, it is still possible to go to those places in the Park where each of us can find our solitude. As long as I can continue to do so I will be content. And staying at the lodge isn't bad either ! If you want to witness insanity, just stay on the paved roads in the Park.

Kent

2/23/2015 06:25:09 am

Sometimes you have to put up with a little insanity to find some peace. I'm finding I love coming down to the Smokies more and more in the late fall and winter to be free of the worst crowds. Every season has something to recommend it, and I'm finding I appreciate them all equally, now.

doug y link

2/23/2015 07:12:12 am

I agree with your point of view Kent; I suppose putting up with a bit of insanity is unavoidable, but the less the better. I generally avoid the mid-summer months and therefore some of the crowds, as well as the major holidays. I used to love and thrived in camping in the winter season, particularly at Elkmont. But these days, due probably to budget restrictions, that campground is closed so it's either at Cades Cove or over at Smokemont. So many people, so many, each with the right to visit the Park, but just so many. But, yes, each season has something to offer and I try to discover the best of each.

Tenderfoot

2/23/2015 07:40:54 am

I like to think of the mountains as having a personality......and every time I hike them I experience a different personality, i.e. something new. All of them good of course!

tomk in SC link

2/23/2015 06:52:37 am

I have a cabin at LeConte the week after the season starts. There's only me, but I'd rather hike up with someone (sometwo?). I'm sort of hoping for terrible weather to arrive just as I get to the top so I'm stuck there for an extra day or so! In any event I'm looking for someone who will hike up in ANYTHING! Any takers? Is there a better way to do this?

Jenny Bennett link

2/23/2015 07:41:07 am

The problem is not the trail conditions but the road conditions. I will hike in any kind of weather except rainy weather close to the freezing point. Ugh. I would rather hike in dry sunny weather below zero. The past couple of weeks I've been trying to figure out the Park Service policy on the closing of 441. For instance, they will sometimes open it up in mid-morning and then close it again at nightfall when things freeze up again. (The morning opening makes it too late to do any of my favorite hikes, such as anything up the Styx Branch drainage.) At any rate, I have just thrown in the towel and given up on hiking in the recent days. By the way, I live close to the Cherokee end of the highway (in Sylva, NC).

2skunx

2/23/2015 10:13:07 am

A friend and I are going up on 03/27 and down 03/29. Would that work?

tomk in SC

2/23/2015 10:46:29 am

I'm headed UP 3/29. I wonder what my chances of catching someone headed up and just jumping in with them are? There has to be like 50 people headed up. I'm thinking I'll go up Rainbow on the bet that it represents less risk than Alum Cave. I'd go up Bullhead if someone else was doing that trail. If the weather is clear and expected to stay that way, I'd do Alum.

2skunx

2/23/2015 11:50:03 am

We're hoping to go via Alum. Maybe we'll cross paths on your way up. Good hiking.

Tommy

2/23/2015 11:26:47 pm

what's the best weather page for 6000 ft in GSMNP. I'm guessing that you are the best source. Hoping to hike up Sterling later this week. All road, trail, and summit info is appreciated.

2/24/2015 12:58:12 am

http://www.mountain-forecast.com/peaks/Mount-LeConte/forecasts/2010

Tommy

2/26/2015 12:11:28 am

THANKS! nice website!

Comments are closed.

if love, if love is a poison cup. then drink it up. cause a sip, a sip or spoonful won't do. won't do nothing for you. except mess you up.

LeConte Lodge

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