March 10, 2018

     Click. Click. WHOOSH.  The first burner's flames are lit to begin the first round of coffee percolation.  The early risers are up, either preparing breakfast for present company or pumping water from the spring.  The shimmering city lights below and the star speckled sky above twinkle in perfect harmony as the morning glow bids adieu to the twilight.  The spectacle is short lived this day, as the clouds roll in and the flurries return in a frenzy.  There is much to be done in the coming days, tasks that are certainly made more interesting given current environmental conditions.  Winter can kick and scream, pound and pour, whip, whirl and whine all it wants.
     Spring is coming...and the Lodge is waking up.

Good Morning All,
     Here we go again.  After a mild February, winter has returned in earnest just in time for our preseason preparations.  This morning's temperature observation also marks the high for the period, coming in at 28 degrees.  Our low from yesterday came at breakfast, dipping down to a biting 6 degrees.  Despite no new precipitation on Friday, the snow is back, and the flakes are expected to last a few hours today.  US 441 is currently open to all traffic, but that could change at any time if the park deems the highway unfit for safe passage.  We'll do our best to keep you up to speed on the situation.
     Trails are snowy and icy, so traction devices are highly recommended, as are warm, waterproof layers.  Cotton is not.  There is breathtaking beauty in the winter scenes of the mountains, but such conditions are equally treacherous.  Please use caution if playing in the high elevation forests is on the weekend docket.

     Special shout out to this season's winter caretaker, Seth Orme.  We greatly appreciate all of his efforts in keeping an eye on the place, in addition to keeping the magic of the mountain alive and well through vivid photography and powerful prose.  We all look forward to hearing of his upcoming adventures off of the mountain.  And a big thank you to all of you, the readers, in your commitment to keeping up with all of the lodge action as it happens throughout the year.
     Have a great start to the weekend.