Places - 5 – The Great Smoky Mountains

We’re continuing our month dedicated to Bill Coleman and his ‘Enough-Dead-Presidents-Already!  Give-Me-Pretty-Pictures!’ request.  Since the last post included the shot from Cades Cove, I am prompted to wax lyrical about one of the finest places in the country.

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a jewel in the National Park system.  I believe it is one of the few eastern parks that can rival the western gems like Yellowstone and Yosemite. 

View from Clingmans Dome (20 October 2008)

Known for its biodiversity, this southern Appalachian Mountain preserve is home to over 17,000 documented plant and animal species.  Thousands more are certain to be discovered.  Designated a World Heritage Site, there is probably no other temperate forested area on the planet with as many different types of living things.  This is because the mountains are very old and life was never interrupted by the glaciers that covered the northern part of the continent.  That plus the altitude of the mountains make the area a complex overlap of southern and northern species where all find habitats to thrive.

Smokies Stream (13 June 2005)

I prefer overcast days for pictures like this. Bright spots

and shadows would detract your eye from the depth and

lushness of the scene.  A tripod is an absolute necessity

since the light is so dim.  A longer exposure is required.

As I noted in the last post, we’d been to the park several times before, but the day most of these shots were taken was extra special.  I had shed the work-a-day life just a few months earlier and I was on my very first solo road trip.  New car.  New camera.  My Third Act was off to a great start.  I was hauling my bowling balls to Baton Rouge for a tournament and visiting friends and Dead Presidents on the way.  The euphoria of knowing I did not have to be back at the desk on Monday was palpable.

After a night in a motel just outside the park, I got up and out with the early light...because those ‘magic light’ hours right after sunrise and before sunset are when the best pictures are taken...except when it’s raining.  So what, I say.  Rain and clouds and mist and fog can make nice pictures as well.

Up in the Clouds

Great Smoky Mountains National Park (13 June 2005)

The above shot was made on the way to Clingmans Dome...the highest point in the park where one can see for miles in all directions.  On this day, you barely saw the next tree over. It’s the roll of the dice when you plan only one day at a special place.  It could be a pristine, crystal day or you could be socked in.  “You pays your money, you takes your chances”.

Wet Wall in the Smokies High Country

Great Smoky Mountains National Park (13 June 2005)

After the anticlimax of Clingmans Dome in the fog, I made my way down to lower elevations. Before I left the park, the rain stopped and the lush, late spring forest looked wonderful.  The park gets abundant rainfall so the growing conditions are ideal.

All Green

Great Smoky Mountains National Park (13 June 2005)

For as long as I have been taking pictures, I have 
tried to make the definitive forest photograph. For me, 
the hard part is capturing the depth and full grandeur 
of the scenes.   This one comes closer because the forest 
floor is so uniformly covered with fresh ground cover.

Some will hesitate to visit the Smokies because the easiest places to stay if you’re not a wilderness camper are in tacky, tourist towns with lots of t-shirts, fudge and plastic stuff.  Deal with it and go with the flow.  Avoid the summer months if you can but even if you can’t, the park is worth it.