just believe and you can do. you know my heart it beats for you.

If I were to name the three most precious resources of life, I should say books, friends, and nature; and the greatest of these things, at least the most constant and always at hand, is nature. Nature we have always with us, an inexhaustible storehouse of that which moves the heart, appeals to the mind, and fires the imagination - health to the body, a stimulus to the intellect, and joy to the soul. John Burroughs

Morning y'all,

It's another stunning morning up top. The mountain was in a cloud for the majority of yesterday evening, yet things have cleared out here and it is stunning in the morning light. The high yesterday reached 38 degrees. The overnight low was 24 degrees. It was 25 degrees and clear at 7am observation. The mountain received no new precipitation and there is no snow remaining up top. I am sure the Boulevard and other trails have bits of snow in shady sections, so be prepared if you intend to summit. I am hoping the forecasts are correct and the mountain will wake up to a bit of snow tomorrow morning!

Top photo: LeConte Massif! Above: Views out towards Clingmans!

The mountain has had many more undercasts than I recall from past seasons. I do not know if there are any meteorology folks out there, but I'd be curious to know why this appears to have been the case so far this season. Whatever the reason for all these inversions, they are one of the more breathtaking aspects of life up top. I am grateful for their strange calm, they lend a truly otherwordly feel to my mornings. The clouds obscuring any signs of civilization make it easier for my imagination to run wild, allowing me to indulge in fantasies about being an intrepid explorer of some far away land. It's the little things. And who knows, maybe these inversions are an indicator of heavy January and February snows? A boy can dream.