November 22, 2021

Good Morning,

It’s a chilly and icy mountain top this Monday morning. Late last night the rain bands finally moved in, unloading just over an inch of liquid precip. It wasn’t until early this morning that conditions saw the rain transition over to sleet and then an icy coating of snow. The lodge grounds are coated in a deceivingly slick layer in very random places. Depending on where one steps, the ground may feel soft and squishy, and then the next step could find a solid and slippery surface. With temps expected to drop throughout the day, one can count on things only getting slicker, so remember those traction devices for safe travel. Winds will be gusting upwards of 30mph at times today, and there’s no guarantee we escape the cloud cover before sunset. Temps will be plummeting to the teens overnight, which means wind chill factors will have us at or below 0° until the sun returns. Hiking in such conditions is doable, but everyone needs to take them seriously and come prepared.

Aside from wispy clouds streaking across the sky, Sunday turned out to be a mostly marvelous day in the mountains. The crew enjoyed its annual “Mountain Thanksgiving,” and once again our talented cooks did a more-than-sufficient job at filling everyone up with a delicious feast. A good warmup to more tasty meals to come over the next several days once everyone heads their separate ways. We’re down to just two more days in the season before we shut our doors for the winter. The last opportunity for day hikers to visit our on-site gift shop will be Tuesday from 12:00-5:00 PM. After that, there are no services available for anyone at the lodge until late March 2022.

With the holiday fast approaching, our reservations office will have modified hours this week. We will be receiving calls and emails during our normal business hours this Monday and Tuesday. It is possible our office closes earlier than 5:00 PM on Wednesday, so best to contact us in the morning if you can. And then of course, we will be closed Thanksgiving and Friday. Normal business hours will resume on Monday 11/29.

Have a great day and hike safely out there.