Wednesday, March 4th, 2020

Good morning folks,


It’s a beautiful chilly morning up top. The high yesterday was 40 degrees. The overnight low dipped down to 25 degrees. It was 26 degrees and partly cloudy at 7am observation. The mountain received 0.80” of precipitation. There are trace amounts of snow on the mountain with a heavy ice pack on trails! All roads are open so come on up and see this beautiful mountain! Traction devices are a must to reach the summit! Rain is the forecast tonight with clearing skies and sunshine for the upcoming weekend.

Yesterday, the rain was heavy for a few hours in the morning and mid afternoon. As the day moved forward clouds broke for 30 minutes unveiling the valley floor. Trails are a mess with the snow melt, which made for a river flowing on the trail above the lodge. Ankle deep slush makes for very wet feet, so a change of socks would help. Tributaries below are sure to swell with the abundance of snow melt and rain yesterday. Friends from Maryville,TN brought fresh veggies and fruits as well as steak and gingerbread for desert. “Wildcat” aka Burt Emerson my company is a Triple Crown Thru-Hiker hiking all 3 long trails in the US, as well as many other long distance trails. Also, the gingerbread king of the Smokies. We enjoyed dinner and turned in to my cozy cabin on the mountain. A great time spent! Also, my walk to Apollo overlook revealed our local bobcat prints wondering around the mountain. JP the longest runner of winter caretakers would always talk about seeing the prints. I’ll be on the lookout for it! SEE YOU AT THE TOP!

P-NUT