March 24, 2018

Good Afternoon,
Who ordered up this heat wave? We’ve been sitting at 31 degrees since daybreak, and it’s made quite a difference in how things feel around the mountain. We’re finally seeing some substantial melting, and trails are quickly becoming a slog. The clouds have been rolling in and out all day, either affording us brief glimpses into the valley below or smothering is in gray and mist. We actually acquired a half inch of new snow before the great thaw began. We expect scattered rain showers to persist throughout the remainder of the weekend, in addition to some steady winds.

After a great deal of anticipation, our first team of llamas made their ascent today with a light load of crew groceries. Major kudos to them and our wranglers for trudging through the variable conditions of the trail and what the sky has thrown at them. We look forward to seeing the other squad up on Monday. A reminder that the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail which provides access to the Grotto Falls parking lot for Trillium Gap Trail is still a couple weeks away from opening for the season. A schedule of reopening dates for Smokies roads and facilities can be found at www.nps.gov/grsm.
Have a great weekend and stay dry out there.