We’re thankful for the light rain that fell overnight and this morning. I think we can all agree that we’d be okay with a lot more of it right now. Of course, we’d also like for temperatures to be about 10-15° colder along with that kind of moisture. We need a lot of help with the wildfires that are still raging across the region – particularly in North Carolina and portions of Tennessee and Virginia.
People with no other options must be content with what is offered – so we’ll take the light rain showers. The next real chance of any precipitation doesn’t come until Tuesday and Wednesday.
Appalachian Ski Mountain, Cataloochee Ski Area and Sugar remain the three ski areas open and operating today with (19) totals slopes open (seven at App and six each at Cat and Sugar.) Appalachian and Sugar will operate for day and night sessions and Cataloochee will go with day sessions only today.
Beech Mountain Resort and Snowshoe Mountain Resort are planning to open tomorrow (Friday).
Base depths dropped a bit over the last 24 hours and the next round of snowmaking opportunities come Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings with lows dipping into the 20s each night across the higher elevations. That bodes well for those of you who are ready to take a trip to your favorite ski resort of those that are already open.
Check the SNOW REPORT for all of the details of slopes open, snowfall on the season and for details on when the rest of the ski areas plan to open.
Make it a Weekend…
Thanksgiving weekend is special in most of our mountain communities for many reasons. There’s nothing like driving up, parking your car along some roadside, and just getting out and walking among the crunchy, rustling leaves left over from Autumn.
Drive to your favorite mountain and spend a day or the weekend. Visit any one of hundreds of Fraser Fir Christmas tree farm in the area and go pick out your own perfect Christmas tree and haul it back home.
I’m very thankful for the blessing of living in such a place.
If you’re reading this, consider giving yourself a break from the hustle and bustle of life and drive up to the mountains. Things just seem to go at a slower pace around here. Sure, we’re all hustling these days, but time slows down to some degree here where we live on “mountain time”.
As I wrap up this Thanksgiving Day Mountain Report…let me share a few things that I’m thankful for. I hope YOUR list includes many of mine and more. (By the way, these are shared randomly…)
1. I’m thankful for the thousands of firefighters from all across the region who have left their families and who are sacrificing their Thanksgiving Day and Weekend with THEIR families to fight these horrific fires and allow us to spend time with OUR families in safety.
2. I’m thankful for the light rainfall last night and this morning, and pray for more moisture to fall again soon.
3. I’m thankful for the smell of autumn. It’s hard to put into words, but the newly fallen leaves have a particular scent. It’s a mix of dewy dampness and nature against the crisp, clean air. It always felt so good taking in big, refreshing breath in Autumn. (Other than the recent smoke-filled air.)
4. I’m thankful for the brave souls who are our military forces and for their devotion and dedication to making our country safe.
5. I’m thankful for our law enforcement who do the same and often go unappreciated by many. It seems our law enforcement is under attack these days and these brave people are the only thing keeping our country from being ruled by lawlessness.
6. I’m thankful for leaves to play in. What? You haven’t had a leaf fight or played in leaves recently? We have to rake or blow leaves off our lawn about three times each Autumn. Piling them into mountains and taking turns jumping into them is an annual ritual in my family. Simple pleasures but being all together and having family fun is what life is all about.
(By the way, there’s tons of leaves awaiting YOUR visit to your favorite mountain.)
7. I’m thankful for whatever that coma-like syndrome is after you’ve eaten too much Thanksgiving dinner. Laying around, falling in and out of sleep watching Thanksgiving day football is awesome. I’m also thankful FOR the feast that we are afforded to dine on each Holiday.
8. I’m thankful for the seasons. We’ll be heading off tomorrow to find and cut our family Christmas tree. I guarantee you that it WON’T be the first tree that we find that seems suitable for our living room. No, no, no…even if that happened to be THE tree…we wouldn’t go for the first. In true Clark Griswold fashion we TYPICALLY visit one or sometimes two and three tree farms before we find the tree that will grace our living room for the next five weeks.
The truth is – the experience is NOT in finding the perfect Christmas tree – but in searching for it. My wife, girls, grandsons and I will roam up and down and around hundreds of trees before settling on one. A few times it HAS been the first one that we came across.
9. I’m thankful for a great way of making a living and a great team of loyal team members to do it with. While I might write the checks, these guys don’t work FOR ME, they work with me and I’m blessed to have an awesome crew.
10. I’m thankful for great health. Over the last few years my family has seen how fleeting good health can be as we’ve lost my younger brother and my dad.
11. I’m thankful to live in a country that despite what some would say with recent politics – is the best place on earth to live in. I’m thankful for the recent elections – no matter which party one each race – because to have the right to choose who leads us is a blessing as well.
In closing, I’m thankful for this little “hobby” of mine where I get to sit with each of you for a few minutes each day and share in your cup of tea or coffee and tell you a bit about what is going on in my little world known as SkiSoutheast. It is truly a pleasure and I hope that you guys get a little something out of the relationship.
Thanksgiving is such a special time of the year. A time to celebrate and give thanks to God for all that He’s provided and to praise Him while acknowledging His Almighty presence in our lives. It is time to make sure that those around you KNOW that you’re thankful for them as well.
email me when and if you like at: [email protected]