Monday, April 10, 2006

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!

10 comments:

  1. It might be tomorrow before I get around to publishing my bear stories...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks, Sage, I do appreciate that. You should tell them about the Katydid's of late summer. Thanks again!amsdg

    ReplyDelete
  3. What a beautiful image and tribute.

    ReplyDelete
  4. A great tribute and I whispered a prayer for your friend.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Beautiful photo (making me very homesick)...My thoughts are with AI.

    ReplyDelete
  6. As much as I have traveled around this great nation, I have spent very little of it in the Appalations. Something that I hope to remedy someday.

    I send my prayers with A.I. and all who are called to serve in our wars.

    ReplyDelete
  7. wow!

    lovely picture and post. you've given me lots to read and catch up on today!

    prayers out to al- i'll be reading him when i finish catching up on you... i can't believe its been so long. i'll blogroll you now instead of just bookmark!

    the grizzly foil sound awful by the way... euch. but now i am facinated*

    ReplyDelete
  8. I love the human scale of the Appalachians--the gentle roll. Not that I have any problem with the Alps!

    ReplyDelete