March 5th, 2019

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Good Morning,

Chilliest it's been in a good while.  Bottomed out at 8 degrees, with another 0.1" of powder falling, bringing our current accumulation to about a half inch.  There's a decent amount of ice around the mountain.  Conditions are clear and calm with a stunning inversion layer below.

24 hour temperature range | High: 23  Low: 8

NOAA 7-Day Forecast 

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Looking deep into the belly of the beast, the scale of the Great Smoky Mountains reminded me of how small I was. The feeling was welcome and never failed to instill a deeper gratitude toward these wild lands we somehow had the foresight to protect from ourselves.

Making my way back up the Alum Cave Trail, I rounded the bend and smiled as the trail flattened. Something about this particular section of trail melts away the stress of the day, the pressure of life. I’m tempted to turn around and walk it again, but I decide against it…

I’ll save it for another day - It’ll save me another day.

Onward,
Seth

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"Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is symbolic as well as actual beauty in the migration of the birds, the ebb and flow of the tides, the folded bud ready for the spring. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature - the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after the winter."
- Rachel Carson