January 18, 2022

Good morning folks,

Its a calm, bitter cold, crystal clear morning in camp. Stars are shining above with very bright moonlight. The valley is awaking below. The mountain is still and silent. Fir tree branches creek from the heavy snow weighting them down. The high yesterday only reached 10 degrees. The overnight low dropped down to a bone chilling 4 degrees. It’s currently 8 degrees with no wind. We received 0.59” of precipitation and another 2” of fresh snow on what we had. The current snow depth is 19” with some very deep spots around the mountain. Exposed areas of trails where winds slam into the side of the mountain will have 2-3 ft drifts. Who ever breaks trail will have a full body workout. Be safe and enjoy. US highway 441 (Newfound Gap road) is closed. Cherokee Orchard will open sometime today. Looks to be a sunny day on the mountain, which is much needed! Solar panels need some juice to charge. Anyways, I’ll be out and about roaming the mountain with the snowshoes today. Stay tuned!

Early mornings on Leconte are the best. Fresh snow, hot coffee and oil lamps burning any darkness away. The morning is set. Snow shoes strapped on I made my way for Apollo overlook for sunrise. Crisp Mountain View’s as far as the eye can see. One can see Brasstown bald in Georgia. Absolutely beautiful morning folks. Have a great day! SEE YOU AT THE TOP!

​PNUT