September 14, 2017

Sitting in a calm and cloudy soup.

Good Morning,
​     It's another quiet and gray day on the mountain.  We're still enduring the lingering effects of Hurricane Irma as it breaks apart over the region.  The winds have calmed down significantly, but we're still cloaked in cloud cover with a light mist.  We tallied 0.18" of rain yesterday, the third straight day collecting liquid precipitation. Temperatures didn't waver much, as our high came in at 46 degrees and our low was close by at 42.  The mid 40's are where we reside currently.

Meet Ernest the Elephant. Having been constructed of pancakes, his life span was about 30 seconds. Designer-in-Chief Allison Mayes.

     We're hopeful that the NPS trail crews will make some headway on Alum Cave Trail today and have it in great shape for visitors this weekend.  We're still waiting to learn more on the mountain's other trails in The Boulevard, Brushy Mountain, and Rainbow Falls.  Trillium Gap, having been utilized by the llamas yesterday, we can say is clear with great certainty.  Bull Head, of course, remains closed due to fire and storm damage.
     Once Irma finally dissipates, we should see a break in the weather and even a slight rise in day time temperatures.  Autumn continues to march toward us faster and faster it seems like, as conditions cool and vegetation withers.  We are now at less than 10 weeks remaining in the 2017 lodge season, and just a few weeks away from beginning reservations for 2018.  Be sure and mark your calendars for Monday, October 2nd, as that is when our team will start accepting calls and sifting through the lottery to book folks for next year.  We look forward to hearing back from those of you who have been coming for ages and those who are still pondering that first visit to Tennessee's famous mountain.
     Have a great day.

Several places along Alum Cave Trail have developed massive fishers from hurricane winds having their way with the trees.

A common sight along the upper portion of Alum Cave Trail after Hurricane Irma'a winds tore through the Smokies.