beauty in all seasons.
Morning y'all, It's a gray, wintry morning up top. The high yesterday reached 32 degrees. The low was 17 degrees. It was 17 degrees and overcast at 7 am observation. The mountain received no new precipitation or snow and there is still some patchy snow up top. The trails are still quite treacherous with the weird freeze/thaw cycles we've had recently. Use caution on all trails. I'll have a bittersweet hike down Alum this afternoon. There's never the right words for goodbye, so in lieu of making such a meager attempt, I'll just turn to gratitude instead. I'd like to offer a special thanks Tim, Chris & Allyson for all their support over the winter season. Also, thanks to all the readers for their input, especially those who were kind enough to supplement my life up here with gifts of fruit, books and all manner of treats. Your generosity is astounding. It's been another great one... I can't think of another place I'd rather spend the cold months. Enjoy the day and the summer months! The blog will return on Saturday when Chris & Allyson are back on top! Happy hiking! JP 
alpenglow in the Whites...
Pam Yanick
3/13/2013 02:54:30 am
I want to say that I enjoyed following you during your time up on Mt LeConte.. Thank you , I envy you .. this is something I can only dream about.. be safe and may you have all the happiness in the world... again Thank you
Rebecca
3/13/2013 02:56:13 am
JP...safe travels, enjoy your next adventures. Thanks for making the winter months more interesting!
Haley
3/13/2013 02:56:50 am
I've never left a comment, but I've read all winter. Thank you for your eloquent way with words - it was a joy to read each day. Happy trails.
Ryan in Green Bay
3/13/2013 02:57:52 am
At least you got your snow this year. Albeit not the mega storm of November, but some is better than none. Enjoy your time off of the mountain and godspeed. Hope to see you next year/winter.
Steve
3/13/2013 03:08:36 am
Thanks for another winter of great posts JP. Safe and happy travels!
Wanda
3/13/2013 03:18:57 am
Have a safe hike down & hope to see you next year.
P.D
3/13/2013 03:21:55 am
Enjoyed the post all winter. Great pictures that enhanced the post. May you have a great summer and return next year to start a new adventure on the mountain.
Sam
3/13/2013 03:26:07 am
JP thanks for the posts this winter and enjoy your summer in the NE. Hope to read your posts again next winter.
Larry
3/13/2013 03:33:15 am
I really enjoyed your posts, be safe and happy trails.
Kaghy
3/13/2013 03:36:22 am
Thanks JP for the great pictures and all the posts. Glad you got your snow. Hope you have a great year ahead of you and come back next year. Many blessings and much happiness in your future vetures. God speed.
Bob Q
3/13/2013 03:37:56 am
Happy trails, JP. I hope our paths cross again someday.
Ken Wisconsin
3/13/2013 03:38:04 am
Thank you for the great pictures and your words. Always enjoyed both this winter.
Rick
3/13/2013 03:39:22 am
Thanks for the great pictures and post,Hope to see them again next winter.Have a great summer and be safe.
judy
3/13/2013 03:42:00 am
i will miss you! have a great summer!
elktonbrant
3/13/2013 03:49:43 am
Thanks for allowing us to peek inside your wintertime on top of the mountain. May all your trails be safe... and don't forget to let us know on here how things are going up North.
Ronette
3/13/2013 03:53:10 am
Thanks for sharing the majesty that is the mountain this winter. Your words have done it justice and have allowed us to step onto the trails this winter regardless of where we are. Happy Trails!
doug y
3/13/2013 03:54:27 am
I was going out the door when I saw today's posts come up. I hope my comments reach you before you depart JP. My French can get a wee bit rusty, but I so love the sound of this language and I use it whenever I wish to compliment someone on a job well done. So, "Merci beaucoup, JP, pour vos pensees inspirateurs quotidiennes et commente; et merci supplementaires et la reconnaissance profonde pour vos photographies remarquables. Ma reconnaissance court profondement. Je souhaite seulement que vous et j'aurais pu recontrer et aurais pu avoir la conversation significative. La bonne chance a vous a travers cette annee !! Thank you.
Andy
3/13/2013 03:57:40 am
Thanks for all your hard work, JP. Glad I got to say hello this past weekend before you head north. Happy trails and enjoy your next location!
Franklin
3/13/2013 03:58:35 am
The words of the great Irish Proverb come to mind..." May the road rise to meet you " etc., etc. Good luck JP
Tony Ga
3/13/2013 04:00:33 am
Thank you JP and Happy Trails!
Deb
3/13/2013 04:11:16 am
Be safe and happy. Hope you return next winter.
Lizemmm
3/13/2013 04:11:16 am
You're a treasure, JP. I know you're excited about your next adventure but there are many who will be waiting eagerly for your return to LeConte. Take care.
Mark
3/13/2013 04:15:47 am
Thanks for all the post during the winter season...I really enjoyed reading them! Best wishes for a safe and enjoyable summer.
Kent
3/13/2013 04:18:50 am
All the best to you, JP. It's been a pleasure keeping up with my newfound passion through your eyes. Take care!
Steve D
3/13/2013 04:19:24 am
JP-enjoy the White Mtns and see ya next winter!
Jessica
3/13/2013 04:19:44 am
Thanks for your reports, insight, and photos this past winter, JP. Take care.
Scott
3/13/2013 04:26:46 am
Thanks for all the posts and pictures JP. Enjoyed them very much. Have a great winter and hope the remainder of the year treats you very well.
charlotte
3/13/2013 04:35:08 am
JP, thank you for your words, stories and pictures this winter, while sitting at my desk at work all I have to do is check out the lodges page and your work brought a lil bit of it to me..happy safe trails :)
Laura
3/13/2013 04:36:35 am
Thank you for helping protect our mountains!
TammyFL
3/13/2013 04:38:05 am
Thank you JP for your writings and beautiful pictures that allowed each of us to feel as if we were on the mountain. I always enjoyed reading each morning.
Lydia
3/13/2013 04:43:43 am
“You never really leave a place you love, part of it you take with you ,leaving a part of yourself behind.”
Pam
3/13/2013 04:56:59 am
I knew the day was coming soon, but wow so soon. Thanks for helping us live and see the Great Smoky Mountains through your eyes. I loved to hear about your daily adventures and see the wonderful pictures. I hope your next job is a great new adventure for you. Hope you can return next winter. Safe travels to you and thank you!!
Gary Pinkerton
3/13/2013 04:57:55 am
Read every post, helps keep me sane ;)
Raz Theo, Music City
3/13/2013 04:58:31 am
J.P., here's hoping you get what you deserve in your next posting: a wonderfully uplifting life's experience. One who provides so much to others should always receive as many blessings as we can throw at you. And probably the best we can bestow is to welcome you back next winter.
Deedee~MI
3/13/2013 05:00:02 am
Farewell for now, young man. I know that you'll ascend your next challenge in those gorgeous White Mountains
Ronnie TN
3/13/2013 05:08:42 am
JP, Hope to see you back on Leconte next winter. Have really enjoyed your post along with hundreds of other people. You are the BEST! Enjoy your summer JP. Hope to cross paths with you again soon.
Brian N bama
3/13/2013 05:09:25 am
JP, once again, you have done a great job on the blog. I regret that I did not get to come up and meet you this year. Happy travels with your next adventure.
John Oliver
3/13/2013 05:16:00 am
Thanks for the blog and beautiful pictures. Happy travels and hope you come back next year. Thanks JP!
Alex
3/13/2013 05:36:40 am
JP, Thanks for letting us follow you through your journey of winter on the mountain. I enjoyed reading your posts. Your photography skills are great as well.
Sandra
3/13/2013 05:37:07 am
Wishing you all the best, JP! Thanks for sharing your winter with us once again. Take care!
Rick Shepherd
3/13/2013 05:55:37 am
JP, I have read all these comments about you and can only add that I sincerely agree with each and every one!.....Blessings on your next adventure!
Picardy
3/13/2013 05:55:42 am
You are a gifted writer. Your words inspire me to look at the world wife different spectacles. Thank you.
Sheldon
3/13/2013 05:59:44 am
These is some reason God always seems to show up on a mountain. I believe it's His favorite spot too. God bless.
jay
3/13/2013 06:05:49 am
JP, keep hanging out with smiling, bearded men with bad reputations. : < )}}}
John Hanson
3/13/2013 06:14:32 am
JP,
Kathy F
3/13/2013 06:22:15 am
Thank you for the wonderful job you have done with the blog over the winter. You are such a gifted writer and your pictures are wonderful! Good luck with your next adventure. Hopefully you will be back on the mountain next winter!
Michigan Bob
3/13/2013 06:36:37 am
Thank you so much for your posts and photos. It's always inspiring to encounter people like you who put so much more into their work than the job requires. Best regards.
Brad
3/13/2013 06:41:21 am
Thanks JP! Have fun in the White's!
Richard
3/13/2013 07:10:38 am
"Keep close to Nature's heart... and break clear away, once in a while, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean." John Muir
Pat Morgan
3/13/2013 07:27:12 am
JP, Best of luck as you move on to your next assignment! Your pictures and posts have been a joy to read over the winter months. As others have said - Happy Trails!!
Sharon AL
3/13/2013 07:30:06 am
Happy trails JP!! Hope you'll be back next winter. We will miss you!! Maybe we'll see you making comments on this blog throughout the summer!!!
Tenderfoot
3/13/2013 08:29:02 am
Thanks JP for all your hard work, great pictures and extreme dedication giving all of us that can't be on the mountain our daily fix. I appreciate you JP and pray God continues to bless you with what you enjoy doing. Sure hope to hear from you again next winter.
Julie from Michigan
3/13/2013 08:32:23 am
Happy trails JP. Thanks for your unique posts from high on LeConte this season. Do you post or blog from the White Mountains?
Dr. Joy
3/13/2013 08:37:20 am
J.P., I also have never before made comments to this blog, but I have read it daily with great fascination all winter. Your poetic words have the power to mesmerize and transport one to such breathtaking vistas! I am not a hiker but adrmire and respect all those who do; because of your posts and magical descriptions of Mt. LeConte, I now long to see it up close for myself, if only at the foot of the mountain. Best wishes in your new position this summer, and I also hope you will return to the lodge next winter and enchant us all again. Very sincerely, Dr. Joy (professor) 3/13/2013 08:53:34 am
Thanks JP for all the beautiful photos you have posted this winter season and the iinsight you have given us into your world on the mountain.
Terri
3/13/2013 09:14:50 am
Thanks JP for all the updates over the winter. I am glad you had some snow this year. Take care over the warmer months.
debnfl
3/13/2013 09:31:58 am
Thanks JP for all the great post and beautiful photos. Happy Trails!
Steve - Grand Rapids MI
3/13/2013 09:42:25 am
I have never posted before but have followed your blog over the past 2 winters. Thanks for keeping the dream alive through your pictures and words. My daughter and I were up in December and can't wait to return to the top of Mt LeConte in May. Good luck in the future!
Dianne
3/13/2013 09:53:07 am
Good luck! I have enjoyed seeing your pictures and reading your updates. A group of us have a trip planned to the mountain in mid-September so it has been exciting to follow your adventures.
Paul Owen
3/13/2013 10:10:36 am
JP, Thanks for keeping all of us, who love this mountain, connected all winter long. Best wishes to you in your travels.
kelly
3/13/2013 11:27:05 am
I cannot say anything more than has already been said. I love reading your posts, and seeing the lovely photos every day. You have a gift, most assuredly. I, too, hope that next winter we will once again be able to follow your adventures. In the meantime, no doubt you will have more great adventures.
Fraley Family
3/13/2013 11:42:54 am
May your hiking boots stay well worn and your adventures feed your soul. Thank you.
Brenda K
3/13/2013 12:05:42 pm
Enjoyed your posts & pics JP. Thanks for sharing your gifts. You will be missed. Hope you return to the mountain next season. See ya down the trail.
Mary
3/13/2013 01:34:20 pm
JP,
thanks...
???
3/15/2013 06:23:27 am
It is right.
Sandra Peterson-Fisher
3/13/2013 02:05:00 pm
We will miss your posts JP but look forward to next time you are back on our beloved mountain! Thanks for everything!
Jt mobile ala
3/13/2013 02:19:25 pm
WOW : What a great sendoff for you JP, I hope you are reading all the nice things this great group of mountain followers are saying about you. We all are inspired by your words and pictures . You are living the life a lot of us would love to do . Until we meet Again !!!!
Cathy
3/13/2013 02:45:03 pm
Ditto to all 71 posts above. I am so happy for your inspiration to us all. I will truly miss your so heartfelt post every day. It's the first thing I look at each morning. Best of luck in your next adventure!
Selena
3/13/2013 02:50:16 pm
The beautiful simplicity of nature. Thanks, JP for all the gifts. You have a natural talent. Happy Trails!!!
Renate
3/13/2013 03:40:14 pm
Thank you JP for all that you do for us all enjoying your blog every day! I look forward to reading it each day! Your words and amazing pictures are inspiring and I feel as I am there on our beautiful mountain! Take care and enjoy your next adventure! I hope you will return next winter....wouldn't be the same without you!! God Bless You! Happy Hiking :) :)
Vicki
3/13/2013 04:32:31 pm
JP you are totally Awesome! Thanks for all the posts and pictures and trail updates. Hope to see you again next winter and btw glad you got your snow this year. Happy Trails and may God bless you in your travels. I am just so glad I got to meet you in person last winter. Happy hiking! :)
Leigh
3/13/2013 05:55:21 pm
Just wanted to say thanks for the great job you do allowing us to share your mountain experiences. My mom checks each day and wants to wish you well too. Thanks for the reading suggestions along the way. Hope we'll see you again in the fall.
Debi
3/13/2013 09:05:11 pm
Great job JP! Thanks! Safe travels, I CAN wait to hear from you next year, because thats when winter is coming back to terroize me. But your beautiful pictures make alot of beautiful screen savers. You will just have to chime in every now and again to talk to us and let us know how your doing. For a guy alone up on that mountain, just remember your never alone when you have us to chat too.
Wendy
3/14/2013 01:01:18 am
Thank you, JP for all the updates. We have truly enjoyed the pictures and your updates throughout the season. May God bless you in all you do!
doug y
3/14/2013 01:15:08 am
Thursday morning, 3-14-13, and as it's nearly 8:00am I'm imagining again that I can detect the wonderful aroma of a breakfast at the lodge ! I'll be close to it this weekend as I've made plans on an impluse to take a weekend journey deep into the Park, but I'll probably not get all the way up to the lodge; don't know who's up there with JP off the mountain, but I had some thoughts I wanted to share regarding hiking alone and didn't want to wait until Saturday or later to post them; I read many comments here asking about equipment, which trail to follow, what weather to expect, and so forth. Just a few days ago a few of us here expressed thoughts and personal philosophies on that exercise. I believe that many if not most experienced outdoorspeople contend that one of the greatest dangers in wilderness travel is that very practice, solitary journeys. I agree. But once you have discovered solitude, the gigantic, enveloping, including, renewing solitude of wild and silent places, and have learned to put it to creative use, you are likely to accept without a second thought such small additional dangers as the solitude imposes. Naturally, you are careful, at least the vast majority of us are. You make bloody well sure that someone always knows where you are, and when you will be out. You leave broad margins of safety in everything you do: hurrying (or not hurrying) over rough country to make up time; crossing (or not crossing) the creek on that narrow log; inching past (or not inching past) that perilously perched boulder. And when it comes to the all-important matter of luck you keep firmly in mind the old Persian proverb: "Fortune is infatuated with the efficient". But if you judge safety to be the paramount consideration in life you should never, under any circumstances, go on long hikes alone. Don't take short hikes alone either, or, for that matter, go anywhere alone. And avoid at all costs such foolhardy activities as driving, falling in love, or inhaling air that is almost certainly riddled with deadly germs. Wear wool next to the skin. Insure every good and chattel that you possess against every conceivable contingency the future might bring, even if the premiums half-cripple the present. Never cross an intersection against a red light, even when you can see that all roads are clear for miles. And never, of course, explore the guts of an idea that seem as if it might threaten one of your more cherished beliefs. In your wisdom you will probably live to a ripe old age. But you may discover, just before you die, that you have been dead for a long, long time !!!
Debi
3/16/2013 12:46:34 am
Well said Doug
???
3/16/2013 01:16:33 am
Great our poet say who live in love not die never wrote on the plan of the world its life.
MOUNTAIN MAN DAN
3/14/2013 01:37:50 am
Good morning JP, I hope you look back and read all wonderful things people have said about you in their posts today. I agree with them all and will surely miss you until you return again next winter. As i sit here having my moring coffee looking up at Mt. LeConte from Pittman Center it feels lonely & sad that there will be no post from you today. We all will miss YOU!!!! MMD
Cindy
3/14/2013 01:47:00 am
Thanks for everything JP. You are already missed.
Eileen Hopkins
3/14/2013 01:59:46 am
JP thanks for posting from the top of the mountain all winter long! Loved living the wintery beauty of the GSMNP vicariously through your eloquent words and incredible photographs. Happy Spring/Summer/Fall! Take care!
jack
3/14/2013 02:20:27 am
I thought that JP hiked off the mountain yesterday..................
Ronnie TN
3/14/2013 02:40:53 am
He did Jack. I think everyone is missing JP. I actually had tears in my eyes yesterday as I read his last post.
Becky moore
3/14/2013 02:40:39 am
JP - thanks for another winter of awesome pictures and posts! Hope you will return next winter. Until then, be safe and enjoy your warm weather adventures!
jack
3/14/2013 03:03:47 am
I thought so. As for tears, I'm not one to idolize someone. JP's posts and photos were always good, though, and I appreciated them each day.
Sharon
3/14/2013 03:14:17 am
Happy Trails, JP!!! Hope to hear about your future ventures!!
Lisa Kentucky
3/14/2013 03:33:21 am
JP, thanks for all of your wonderful posts and pictures this winter. I'm glad you finally got some snow to play in. Along with everyone else, I loved reading your posts every day. Happy Trails and I sure hope you are back next winter.
H Clark
3/14/2013 04:07:27 am
JP, thank you for the winter weather posts, photos and trail condition updates.
Renate
3/14/2013 04:12:03 am
Hi JP, I know you're not on the mountain anymore but I pray you are reading these posts. Just wanted to tell you that it feels strange not reading your post today! You are already missed! So looking forward to your return next winter! God bless you on your travels!!
Guy
3/14/2013 07:33:28 am
Thanks JP. The pictures were great to say the least....
Steve Stroup
3/14/2013 08:12:31 am
I've also never commented on this blog,But today i say thank you JP
JT
3/14/2013 08:40:03 am
Hello Allyson , We need you back , We need our daily report on the mountain !!
Bull of the Woods
3/14/2013 09:18:58 am
I wish to say thank you to JP and all my LeConte friends for sharing your love of the mountains with your thoughts and dreams. Happy Hiking my friends !!!
Will
3/14/2013 10:29:28 am
http://youtu.be/o-p8G_iT4L4
Randy Carnell
3/14/2013 10:54:10 am
It really feels strange not to get my daily inspiration from you JP. You're one in a million and hopefully we'll hear from you next season. In the meantime you and numerous others here have inspired me to finally try this amazing hike myself. I've been a loyal fan of the Great Smokies for more than half of my life. I've vacationed in all sorts of chalets and cabins in those mountains. Now I'm gonna make my way up to the Ultimate cabins in the Smokies. Hopefully I'll meet some of you up there.
Steve D
3/14/2013 10:58:10 am
Come on up Randy! I had a great hike up the Alum Cave Trail today, what a beautiful day. The splendor of these mountains is just amazing.
dan
3/14/2013 11:28:14 am
thanks for the posts. the only blog I follow(ed)
???
3/15/2013 05:55:29 pm
I think Isle Royal is a big Island with snow and ice near to Canada That is various there is a little Island at middle of salt lake and dry desert a part of national park some of national parks are small 15000 acre at here but at this province 300000 acre.
Grammie
3/14/2013 03:17:26 pm
The end of two winter seasons spent looking forward to your daily blogs. I feel a sadness to realize your gifts will no longer be available to me. May we be so fortunate to have you, the muses, and the poets return to us again. May your life continue to be an adventure, filling you with joy and peace.
Tony Ga
3/14/2013 03:19:45 pm
I'm the 100th post! What do I win?
Theresa / TN
3/14/2013 04:17:53 pm
So enjoyed this winter visiting the mountain and seeing it through your eyes JP. Thanks and God bless.
Vickie
3/14/2013 04:32:39 pm
Well....Let Spring begin! Happy travels JP and welcome back Alyson and crew! I love all the descriptions and feelings these posts and photos present of LaConte. I enjoy reading most all of your posts and look forward to reading the input each of you have every day on this site. Such passion for the mountain and the people who care for it is truly heartwarming! Wishing all of you safe and happy travels!
doug y
3/15/2013 12:53:16 am
Tony Ga: For being the 100th post, you deserve this: "ATTABOY" !! I'll also move you up on the list to be enshrined in the Royal Order of the Lodge; that's a lot better than the Royal Order of the Crutch.. Have a good day friend !
Tony Ga
3/15/2013 01:11:36 am
Thank you doug y. Hope you have a good day too my friend.
Donnie R
3/15/2013 03:07:17 am
Thank's JP ! May the good Lord keep you safe wherever your journey's take you ;)
doug y
3/15/2013 06:44:20 am
So far, Tony Ga, the day's been uneventful. I wanted to go to the Smokies this weekend and had my gear loaded in my vehicle, but needed to stay home and do some work on a project of mine; gear remains in vehicle, so I could depart at any moment should I decide to ! I keep all my gear, for any season, at the ready in several plastic storage boxes, so I can be gone in the proverbial FLASH !!! if the impluse so impels me ! If only the drive to get to the Park were shorter..............I believe JP mentioned that the crew may resume this blog tomorrow; I know they'll be welcome. Good afternoon.
Tony Ga
3/15/2013 01:12:42 pm
Looks like a weekend of outdoor projects for me too. We are planning a trip in a couple of weeks to the Jack Daniels Distillery and then spend the night at Fall Creek Falls. I'm sure you have visited that park before. And if the weather is good a day hike in the Smokies. Can't wait.
Kathryn Herndon
3/15/2013 03:50:42 pm
I'll miss your blogging JP! Wish I had made it up to the mountaintop more this winter, but I wish you safe travels and a great season (or two/three) up in the north woods. Kiss a moose and yodel with a loon for me.
Michael
3/15/2013 05:59:55 pm
I haven't been to the top yet, but i will say your posts, stories, and amazing pics give me motivation to get up there and experience the magic that is LeConte. Thanks for sharing and good luck with your next adventure! 3/20/2013 04:25:00 am
Yet another winter without meeting you on LeConte. Certainly did in my heart. Maybe next year. Thank you, my friend. Comments are closed.
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