July 29, 2026

​The fog is refusing to give up the fight, spread nice and thick across all elevations.  There is optimism though, as splashes of sun sporadically slice through the gray veil with increasing frequency.  The injection of light is sort of sudden and jarring to the eyes, maybe because the glowing coneflower’s progression has been quietly subdued until this point.  It’s as if yellow beams of happiness are shining from both above and below now, uplifting the soul from all directions.  And the pollinators have surely noticed, buzzing and bouncing between blooms with an extra zip in their wings.  The same exuberance should be recognizable among hikers too, now and into the coming days.

Relishing the warming sunshine after a lengthy stretch of wet and dreary takes on extra special significance.  In fact, Mt. LeConte has recorded rainfall on 22 of the last 23 days.  Despite still being at a near 5” rainfall deficit year-to-date, that’s still less than half of what it was coming into July.  So there are some positives to be had on the nature front after such a moisture-ridden month.  In our case, maintaining a full water table heading into the dog days of summer and autumn - when conditions are at their driest - isn’t a bad thing.  Sunnier skies are inbound for Thursday and Friday.  Temps will feel milder, ranging from lower 50s to mid 60s at our locale.  Creeks will be running high after yesterday’s storms but gradually subside over the coming days.  Get outside and enjoy it if you can!