Appalachian Splendor

Long before I fell in love with the arid and sage-covered mountains of the American West, I spent as much time as possible exploring the Appalachian chain. This photo was shot one evening along the Appalachian Trail, at a place called Max Patch, located on the North Carolina/Tennessee border north of the Smokey Mountains (If memory serves me well, it’s just south of Hot Springs, NC). It was late summer. The sun was dropping low on the horizon when I came upon this barren ridge. I stayed there, shooting a roll of kodrachrome, enchanted by the light and the shadows of the ridges. When it was finally dark and the stars of the great scorpion were popping out in the southern sky, I stumbled on down the trail until I was under a canopy of leaves, where I bivouac for the night. I post this picture in honor of Appalachian Intellectual. As a member of the National Guard, he's being called up and deployed to Iraq. He’ll have to leave these beautiful mountains behind. Stay safe AI!