January 27, 2025

WARMER WEATHER!

The temperature this morning was 28 degrees—compared to the temperature yesterday of 17 degrees. The skies have been clear to partly cloudy with lots of sunshine until today. Today I have clouds, fog and snow—and probably no sunshine today!

Cherokee Orchard is the only road that is open this morning. With snow falling here at the lodge, Newfound Gap is probably receiving even heavier snowfall and lower temperatures.

I met an interesting day hiker a couple of days ago. I was sitting in the sun on a cabin porch and I offered to share my sunny spot with him. He was originally from New York, but had moved to the Knoxville area. I introduced myself as WILDCAT, so he said that I should call him NEW YORK.

He offered to share his thermos of hot chocolate with me and we visited for a while. While in New York he was a chef for the Windows of the World restaurant in the Twin Towers. He just happened to be on a trip to Florida on that fateful day when the Towers were struck by aircraft!

Later he moved to East Tennessee and decided to hike Mt LeConte. At that time he was very overweight and someone encouraged him to loose a significant amount of weight before attempting to hike up the mountain.

Hiking up the Rainbow Falls Trail in the snow in January represents a major accomplishment in this man’s life.

I spent about six months in 2015 serving as a Trail Chaplain on the Appalachian Trail, practicing being a good listener. I think that it is amazing that our paths should cross up here at Mt LeConte Lodge!

Aw shucks! That’s just one of the things that Winter Caretakers are supposed to do—“do unto others as you would have them do unto you”!

HAPPY TRAILS!!
WILDCAT/Bert