January 27th, 2019

Good Morning,

It’s currently 23 degrees and partly cloudy. There are still lingering bits of snow on the ground. Plan and prepare for winter conditions and heavy ice on the trails. I consider ice-traction mandatory for a safe ascent/ descent in these conditions.

24 hour temperature range | High: 23 Low: 11

NOAA 7-Day Forecast 
Mountain - Forecast Weather
Smokies Road Info

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Moving down the level path, my appreciation for the Smoky Mountains grew with every step - the geographic scale of the landscape was equally humbling and inspiring. The crushed gravel corridor of the Gatlinburg Trail spit me into the edge town. I had begun my tour from the nearly evergreen landscape of the LeConte Lodge. Down the Bull Head Trail, I linked into the Old Sugarlands Trail, which brought me close to the Gatlinburg Trail. It would be eleven miles to my mailbox.

Leaving the NOC, I stood out like a sore thumb. The landscape was alien, the smells were too intense. Perfume coated necks, laundry detergent saturated clothes, and fried food wafting doorways overtook the forest. It was hard to breath. Pushing further up Airport Road, the signs of ‘progress’ slipped away. The trees became thicker and more numerous. Nature, again, became the dominant feature on the landscape. Five-thousand vertical feet stood between me and my mountain top home. I smiled wearily at the prospect…

I was grateful for the opportunity.

Onward,
Seth

“No more cars in national parks. Let the people walk. Or ride horses, bicycles, mules, wild pigs--anything--but keep the automobiles and the motorcycles and all their motorized relatives out. We have agreed not to drive our automobiles into cathedrals, concert halls, art museums, legislative assemblies, private bedrooms and the other sanctums of our culture; we should treat our national parks with the same deference, for they, too, are holy places.”

Edward Abbey