We ended up receiving 0.24 inches of rain up top Sunday, less than I anticipated based on the weekend forecast. However. things are greening up nicely as the deer pictured above surely appreciate. They were taking their supper a couple hours after we rang the dinner bell for our guests. Again, there wasn't much variation in the temperature with a high of 58 and low of 51.
When I hiked down the night of the April full moon to begin my off days, I was treated to a majestic sight on my drive home. I hiked down in the dark, but the full moon wasn't quite ready to make an appearance yet, so I didn't see it illuminate the Alum Cave Bluff Trail scenery (a spectacular sight if you're hiking in the dark on purpose).
However, by the time I was in my car and climbing the Gatlinburg bypass, the moon was just about to rise behind Mt. LeConte, backlighting the mountain with a purple glow. That unearthly glow embracing LeConte's summit that night trumped the neon-fueled light emanating from Gatlinburg by a far sight. It was almost like the mountain was showing off for its urban neighbor below: "Go ahead and put up all the colored lights on every shop you want. Try to top this. Here stands LeConte, mighty and majestic."
Thanks for reading. Have a fine day. Happy trails.