she's under my thumb.

2/17/2012

What I really need is to get clear about what I must do, not what I must know, except insofar as knowledge must precede every act. What matters is to find a purpose, to see what it really is that God wills that I shall do; the crucial thing is to find a truth which is truth for me, to find the idea for which I am willing to live and die. Kierkegaard

Morning,

It was a cloudy day on the summit yesterday. The high was 41 degrees. The low was 28. The mountain received .30" of rain and there are only about 2 patchy inches of snow on the ground left. It looks like it'll be a clear day today.

I haven't talked to another person since Sunday afternoon. Watching sunrise this morning, I was grateful to feel the power of the coming day. The particular way that the light came over the horizon has a consoling way of making me forget my human, all too human concerns and putting my self back into perspective. It's reassuring to know Nature is a mysterious and absolute force which affects us in ways that we can not categorize. She brings a solace and calm in desperate times that is beyond my capability to understand. I'm glad she is the way she is.

Devin

2/17/2012 12:28:58 am

I hope you're still enjoying the solitude. Only a few weeks left!

Ron

2/17/2012 12:30:06 am

Hey man got you some triscuits and pepperjack cheese....see ya sunday afternoon

Ben

2/17/2012 01:56:49 am

Good morning JP. When I saw your Brushy Mtn picture a few days ago it made me wonder about something. Have you hiked the Brushy Mtn trail from the end of Greenbrier Rd to Trillium Gap as a route to the top? At 1900 ft the trailhead is almost 2k lower than the Alum trailhead. It's 9.1 miles from the trailhead to the lodge.
I live in the Augusta area of GA. It's taken many, many years for me to reach my current LeConte summit count of 98. In April of 2010, I was having a conversation with the fellow working the office. He asked if I'd taken this trail or that trail to the top. I said I had taken them all. Then he asked, "So you've come up the Brushy Mtn trail to Trillium Gap?" My response was "huh". I looked at my map and there it was. Of course I had to do it. I came back in May. I did a Bullhead/Rainbow loop on a Tuesday (including out to Myrtle Point). On Thursday, I round tripped the Brushy Mtn/Trillium route (once again including out to Myrtle Point). I clocked it at 19.7 miles. I didn't see a soul on the Brushy Mtn portion coming up or going down. I just wanted to mention this as your time draws nigh.

PS - If someone is dropping you off at the trailhead, the parking is at a jeep road gate. The first mile of hiking is on the jeep road. The road ends in a loop where there is a sign for the route to Trillium Gap.

doug bain

2/17/2012 02:20:02 am

SK is an old and dear "friend" of mine, one of the more positive
representatives of existentialism as well as a great thinker -
to have passed on so young. The quote is a very ambitious
one and I thank you for it and for the daily photopics.I have
enjoyed the snow pics siince we did not see snow on our
trip up ten weeks ago.

henry link

2/17/2012 03:44:13 am

Soren is one of my heroes, but no idea, however grand or noble is enough to live and die for. Whatever makes us breathe and give our last will have a face.

2/17/2012 07:14:31 am

jp.enjoy those mother nature moments alone on the mountain!they will become fewer and fewer as life goes on.thats another building block on the foundation youve already started.yesterday is gone ! live today ! plan for tomorrow ! keep up the good work ! thanks.lg k-town.

Tom

2/17/2012 08:13:56 am

Not sure of the forecast for the mountain, but I would assume that it is nearly the same as the forecast for eastern KY, which has the potential for a large snow perhaps nearing a foot and a half to two feet in the higher elevations, given you sit another 2000 feet above the largest mountain in eastern KY (Black mountain 4150) I would guess you may receive a significant snowstorm come Saturday night and through the biggest part of Sunday.

Debi link

2/17/2012 08:57:36 am

Wow! No one to talk to since Sunday. Good thing you have us!! lol

Joel link

2/17/2012 10:11:51 am

I am so very grateful JP for your contribution to the quality of my life through your words and photos! Thank you. It has been a few years since I have been to your summit because of some heart problems, but this is my new year and I'm soon to be on my way up. The ability that you have to express your thoughts in a way that makes us sit back and sigh and to dream is very much a gift to us who have been unable to sigh and to dream in place on your summit. Thank you again.

cindy

2/17/2012 11:17:21 am

You are totally amazing in that you are up there doing what needs to be done. And going on wih your responsibliies. You are totally my hero.

Doug Y.

2/17/2012 05:43:22 pm

Hey JP: I had to cancel my hike to Leconte, so I guess I won't have the pleasure of meeting you this year. I've enjoyed your photographs and postings all winter, too. Have you found the benchmark (survery marker) which is near Cliff Tops ? I found it several years ago. Tom mentioned Big Black Mountain in eastern Kentucky (Harlan County); that's where I grew up and I have a "rubbing" of the benchmark at the top of Big Black which lists an elevation of 4,139. Some list it a bit higher. No matter, it's still 2K lower than Leconte. I hope you get to spot the bobcat before your caretaker stint is over. G'day.

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she's under my thumb.

LeConte Lodge

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