The mountains - Tinker and Brushy, McAfee's Knob and Dead Man - are a passive mystery, the oldest of all. Theirs is the one simple mystery of creation from nothing, of matter itself, anything at all, the given. Mountains are giant, restful, absorbent. You can heave your spirit into a mountain and the mountain will keep it, folded, and not throw it back as some creeks will. The creeks are the world with all its stimulus and beauty. I live there. But the mountains are home. Annie Dillard
Top photo: A beautiful day for tracking. Above: My favorite tree from my bushwhack yesterday.
Morning, It felt like a summer day up here yesterday. The high reached 50 degrees and it felt even warmer with the sun reflecting off the snow. The low was 30 degrees. It was 37 and cloudy at observation. It looks like we'll have another mild, clear afternoon once these clouds pass through. I spent yesterday afternoon tracking my elusive friend. I followed tracks for three hours all over the mountain. I figured I was somewhere north of the shelter and then ended up on the Boulevard trail near Myrtle point. Oooops! I guess I had better get a nice orienteering compass so that I don't get permanently lost trying to meet my neighbor. I learnt this yesterday - the little guy/gal has excellent taste in bushwhacks! 
My sneaky little neighbor finds a way through the thick red pines!
A well deserved break at Myrtle Point after my adventure.
James workman
2/16/2012 01:02:42 am
JP, you will never see him as long as you look for him!! they are so elusive, we have them here and when you least expect it he or she will be sitting looking at you!! they are not afraid of humans but they will not stay close as long as someone seeks to find them!! enjoy your snow days!!
Dr. Pendyke DVM
2/16/2012 04:52:37 am
It is very probable that this creature is not a bobcat. Rather it is more likely to be Mustela frenata Lichtenstein, commonly know as the long tailed weasel. This animal inhabits all areas of the park and its tracks are more appropriately sized with those in your photographs.
JP
2/16/2012 07:00:53 am
Dr. Pendyke,
tomk in NW SC
2/16/2012 01:46:42 pm
No way it's a weasel. Weasel legs are very short. Any footfall might be 10" or 12" apart, but the opposite foot would fall between and the back feet would trample again. Weasel just doesn't fit the spacing. It's a cat of some sort. (A kitten is a cat of a smallish sort!) The space between footfalls is much longer in the photos. Next time you shoot tracks, throw a quarter in the picture for scale. Then measure distances between tracks. It could be that cats step in their own tracks, but you would have to look very closely to see that. You would see four distinct tracks at the end of a jump, and you'd likely have to track awhile to see that. I can't wait until you snap the cat!
JP
2/22/2012 01:17:24 am
Love it!
Tom
2/16/2012 03:03:28 am
Big snow coming this weekend, maybe largest of the season?
Jacque J
2/16/2012 04:31:58 am
Nothing like walking through the forest with snow on the pines! so beautiful! What a great place for a break J.P.!
kevin
2/16/2012 04:42:24 am
link...
Deb
2/16/2012 09:28:22 am
Did you ever imagine that you might leave the winter caretaker Comments are closed.
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LeConte LodgeWelcome to the official blog of LeConte Lodge. We hope you find the information provided here both helpful and enjoyable. Thank you for visiting the site, and we hope to see you on the mountain! Archives
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