Blog Posts

March 13th, 2019

3/13/2019

Good morning,

Tuesday was a gorgeous day to be in the woods. Shaping up to be a nice start today as well. Currently 43 degrees under clear and calm skies. No new precipitation.

24 hour temperature range | High: 51 Low: 26

NOAA 7-Day Forecast

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Some of life’s experiences leave a permanent smile imprinted on your soul. Another winter savored on Mount LeConte has surely left a mark. Thank you for sharing the journey...

See you up the trail,
Seth Orme

P.S. - Onward.

“You can fail at what you don’t want so you might as well take a chance on doing what you love.”

- Jim Carey

22 Comments

March 12th, 2019

3/12/2019

2 Comments

Good Morning,

The clouds gave us a meager 0.05” of rainfall yesterday, and what few flurries there were never amounted to anything on the ground. It’s below freezing for the moment under clear skies and light winds.

24 hour temperature range | High: 40 Low: 26

NOAA 7-Day Forecast

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Spring was in the air. The dark gloomy days would be fewer and farther in between. Soon, I’d hang the lantern up for the season, there would no longer be a need for the caretaker. To the snow covered mountains of Montana I will flee. Back into thin air I will roam…

But that time has yet to come. The present moment is the gift I’ll continue to enjoy the most. For now, the black lantern will continue to glow mysteriously through camp; and with it, I’ll turn my daydreams into reality.

Onward,
Seth

“As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler; solitude will not be solitude, poverty will not be poverty, nor weakness weakness.”

— Henry David Thoreau

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March 11th, 2019

3/11/2019

1 Comment

Good Morning,

If there was ever a day to get out and enjoy the outdoors, yesterday was it. Abundant sunshine! Winter may not be done with us yet, but spring is certainly coming. Current conditions are clear and calm with temps in the mid 30s.

24 hour temperature range | High: 51 Low: 33

NOAA 7-Day Forecast

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The lodge was part of the forest, part of the mountain. I marveled at the two pieces of wood staring at each other. Both were in a different phase of life. One was thriving with green needles spread wide; the other looked on with a refined demeanor. How similar they both were, sentinels of the mountain; and yet, they couldn't be more different.

The random thought danced around in my head for a little while longer. A composition came into mind. I released the shutter - storing the thought forever.

Onward,
Seth

"The greatest wonder is that we can see these trees and not wonder more."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

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March 10th, 2019

3/10/2019

3 Comments

Good Morning,

Yesterday’s constant rainfall produced an inch of liquid precipitation. Temps remained considerably mild to ensure the stuff didn’t transform into fluff. Conditions are currently clear and windy.

24 hour temperature range | High: 45 Low: 37

NOAA 7-Day Forecast

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Cool morning light filled the kitchen. The kettle hummed noisily under a hot blue flame. I cut off the fuel supply and poured the two-hundred degree water slowly over the black trampled grounds. On the other side lay a beautiful cup of black coffee.

The aroma paired perfectly with the time of day, paired perfectly with the light. Taking a deep breath I took a seat and soaked in the scene.

Out and about, the kitchen called me back for another round with brewed grounds. Resisting at first, the same scene from the morning hours lured me in, the coffee set the hook…

I never stood a chance.

Onward,
Seth

The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you. Don’t go back to sleep. — Rumi

3 Comments

March 9th, 2019

3/9/2019

1 Comment

Good Morning,

Safe to say the brutal cold of days past is behind, with this morning's observation of 42 degrees also serving as the high for the period. Before things warmed up though, the mountain received a glazing 0.2" of snow in the early morning before transitioning to rain. A meager 0.8" of liquid precip fel, throughout the day Friday. There is no snow remaining up top, but the icy places can linger. Current conditions are cloudy with a light mist.

24 hour temperature range | High: 42 Low: 25

NOAA 7-Day Forecast

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Rugged green ridges below and a beautiful robin’s egg sky above forced a permanent smile onto my face. The moon stared down in broad daylight; even he knew that blue bird days were cherished and couldn’t be missed.
I galloped around the mountain for longer than I planned. Perfect skies have a way of changing one’s plans. The simplicity of it all was soothing to my soul. Breathing heavily up the climb, I simplified my thinking further...

one…step…at…a…time.

Onward,
Seth

“I believe we would be happier to have a personal revolution in our individual lives and go back to simpler living and more direct thinking. It is the simple things of life that make living worthwhile, the sweet fundamental things such as love and duty, work and rest, and living close to nature.”

— Laura Ingalls Wilder

1 Comment

March 8th, 2019

3/8/2019

1 Comment

Good Morning,

You'd think we were coming into a heatwave. 25 degrees at observation this morning. Still plenty of ice up high. No new precipitation, although current conditions are cloudy, misty, and breezy.

24 hour temperature range | High: 35 Low: 16

NOAA 7-Day Forecast

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The forest stared down at me with a curiosity. I took a deep look into the tunnel going up the mountain. It was in that moment, I realized that I’d made it. Not certain as to what ‘it’ was, but something in my gut told me I’d arrived. Looking back up at the forest, Red Spruce waved in agreement…
Disappearing up the trail, I knew I’d found a paradise on earth.

Onward,
Seth

"But love of the wilderness is more than a hunger for what is always beyond reach; it is also an expression of loyalty to the earth which bore us and sustains us, the only home we shall ever know, the only paradise we ever need - if only we had eyes to see."

— Edward Abbey

1 Comment

March 7th, 2019

3/7/2019

1 Comment

Good Morning,

Another brisk mountain morning! Starting off at -1 today in cloudy and calm conditions. Patchy amounts of snow still cover the mountain, but the bigger story is the ice. These frigid temps have it caked on pretty thick, so use caution if you intend to visit the upper elevations. Traction devices will serve one well.

24 hour temperature range | High: 21 Low: -1

NOAA 7-Day Forecast

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I moved quietly and swiftly through the forest. Each footstep had been mesmerized from repeated use. Hot tea swished quietly inside my coffee mug. Pausing for a moment, I took a deep gulp of the flavorful Rooibos tea. Color began to paint the sky. I continued on toward Myrtle Point.

Golden rays pressed gently against my cold cheeks. The walk shared a reassuring layer of warmth. The wind vied for my generated heat. Forgetting the contrast of hot and cold, I brought my focus back to the glowing beacon climbing up from the horizon. All I could do is smile…and wonder.

Onward,
Seth

"This curious world we inhabit…is more wonderful than convenient; more beautiful than useful; it is more to be admired and enjoyed than used."

— Henry David Thoreau

1 Comment

March 6th, 2019

3/6/2019

2 Comments

Good Morning,

The mountain is now an ice palace, as any melt that occurred yesterday quickly refroze in the night. There remains about 0.25" of snow on the ground. Winds picked up significantly Tuesday afternoon, countering any warmth one might feel in the sun. Average temperatures should steadily rise in the coming days to pull us back out of winter's cold grasp.

24 hour temperature range | High: 18 Low: -2

NOAA 7-Day Forecast

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The sky was simple. An Florida orange horizon meshed beautifully with the plum hues of the valley light. I zoomed in as far as I could in the morning haze. Mount Kephart stood stoically in the distance.

The Jump Off protruded with a confidence only a mountain could sustain. Happy with every last bit of it, I wandered further up the trail…soon disappearing into the wilds of nature.

Onward,
Seth

"It is one of the blessings of wilderness life that it shows us how few things we need in order to be perfectly happy."

— Horace Kephart

2 Comments

March 5th, 2019

3/5/2019

3 Comments

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

"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

3 Comments

March 4th, 2019

3/4/2019

1 Comment

Good Morning,

Winter is back after a long hiatus. In a stark contrast from recent weeks, our low temp plummeted to a frigid 13 degrees. In the process, 0.75" of rainfall came down before transitioning into snow overnight. 0.5" of the powdery stuff was on the ground at observation with flurries still filling the skies. Sure to be plenty of slick places on the trail.

24 hour temperature range | High: 41 Low: 13

NOAA 7-Day Forecast

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Howling at the stars, the city glowed from behind the main entrance of the kitchen. Wind gently shook the evergreen sentinels standing watch. Looking further up into the sky the light pollution began to fade, leaving bright diamonds scattered across a royal blue canvas.

My eyes came back down to the well known sign. The name and elevation of this mountaintop home were easy enough to see. The date had disappeared. Unfettered by the constraints of time, the winter caretaker seemed more interested in moments than dates and time tables….

Diamonds continued to sparkle high in the sky.

Onward,
Seth