Saturday, January 18th, 2020

Good morning all,

I am residing in my cabin at the moment, listening to the sheer howl of the wind. It is 32 degrees out, with heavy fog and moderate winds. Wind gusts whipped the evergreen trees around all night, making a very distinct noise. On occasion, I could feel my cabin move slightly from the wind. I have never heard of a building getting blown away by extremely high winds, but it honestly wouldn't surprise me! I love the feeling of a good breeze on the trail. Just enough to cool me down when I'm exerting high amounts of energy. I certainly enjoy the sound of wind migrating up the mountain, but I don't enjoy the fear of getting blown into thin air (or a ravine). It is really rare to have a picture perfect day on this mountain; clear skies, no wind, bright sun, good visibility, etc. I prefer sun rays over cloud haze any day, but a foggy day every now and then is completely fine with me. It gives me a chance to rest! I always feel guilty missing out on a beautiful day, so I often take a rest day while engulfed in the clouds. If I happen to be walking in the forest, rather than flocking to our many vistas near the top, I'll study the trees, examine the moss, wander through the brush, and admire the construction of the trail. Being a fairly fast hiker/trail runner, there are a lot of things that go unnoticed on these trails! I like to take the time to stop and smell the roses, or in this case, the spruces...

Yesterday's high was 42 degrees, with a chilling low of 24. The sky was grey, but that's okay! I really enjoyed the weather yesterday, another great day on the trail! Pleasant temperatures up top and below during the afternoon, with colder temps moving in after dark. If I had to describe the day with only three words, I would use; calm, quiet, and moody...

High winds should continue through this afternoon, with a chance of rain also starting this afternoon. No more than a half inch is expected, so make sure to bring that rain coat if you plan on hiking up today! Be advised, high winds will continue through most of the day, so be on the lookout for more trees and debris during the climb. Trees are still down on all trails, so keep that in mind while you're out and about! Clear skies are moving in tomorrow, and they could stick around until Thursday! Also, colder temperatures have starting moving in, with single digits expected on Monday! Wind chills could dive under zero, so I'll keep you guys posted if anything changes. I wish we had some snow to go along with the cold, but it doesn't look promising...

"If the world is cold, make it your business to build fires..."

-Horace Traubel