January 09th, 2017

The simplicity of winter has a deep moral. The return of Nature, after such a career of splendor and prodigality, to habits so simple and austere, is not lost either upon the head or the heart. It is the philosopher coming back from the banquet and the wine to a cup of water and a crust of bread. John Burroughs

Morning y'all,
It's another beautiful, snowy morning up top. The high yesterday reached 13 degrees. The overnight low was -7 degrees, recorded yesterday morning. It was 11 degrees and clear at 7am observation. The mountain received no new precipitation and there is still 2 inches of snow remaining up top. The trails are sure to be a bit slick, I would advise Microspikes if you intend to hike in the backcountry today. While the snow has decent traction, there are definitely patches of black ice in beneath the snow in sections that will ruin your day... The forecast is warmer temps, get out and enjoy the day!
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​Grace and I had a lovely weekend with the Park to ourselves. It was bitter cold, but we still went out for our evening sunset rambles and enjoyed the quietude that closed, snowy roads leaves us with up top. It is pretty remarkable to be in the busiest National Park in the country, yet see only our (& the occasional squirrel and bobcat) tracks for an entire weekend. The colours at sunset were really good for seeing the mountain texture, with blue greys highlighting all the nooks and crannies. I think Chimney's looks pretty wild with all the snow on top!