Early spring wanderings in the forest are some of my favorite times to spend in the woods. The electric green of new growth has so much depth, the temperatures in the south are comfortable and the woods are waking up from their winter slumber. This winter has been extremely wet, record setting in fact, which has lead to healthy steams and creeks.
This trip my buddy Jim (www.inwildlight.com) made the itinerary of where we would go. I really had no idea what we would see until we got there, which I really enjoy. So often when going out to shoot you have preconceived ideas of the shots you want to find. When you have no idea what you are going to see, you allow the area to unfold and explore. If you know what you want to shoot, I find it ends up not working out exactly how you want.
First stop after our 3 hour drive is Parker Falls. Rain storms overnight ensured there would be enough water in the creek. Following a short hike from a nondescript parking area we found the area we were looking for. (NOTE: you will need to cross the creek. Either bring waders or prepare to get wet.) For information on the waterfall area and how to find it, check the info here.
The creek and surrounding area was incredible. Beautiful canyon filled with new greens of spring. I could have easily spent all day at this one location and will certainly return. Jim and I fought with ever changing light from passing clouds. This made life a little difficult to get exposure correct but man was it a great spot.
Next location is Kinlock Shelter, just down the road from our first location. My first thought of the location was that we would see a stone, human built structure. I was wrong. First thing to note, the trailhead is obvious, the way to get to the Shelter is not. You hop on the trail at the historic marker. The trail spits out at a gravel road, turn left. Near the top of the hill you will find an unmarked trail to the right. Take that trail and follow it down to the bottom of the feature.
Jim and I didn’t fully appreciate the geologic wonder until you were right on top of it. From a distance it just looks like a black rock face. What you don’t understand until you are there is exactly how huge this thing is. It’s 300ft wide and 70ft tall. Being here you quickly understand how Native Americans have used this area for centuries.
The funny thing is, some of my favorite images are abstract shots that highlight the color on the rock wall/ceiling. The colors, texture and light make images that seem more like modern abstract paintings.
Again, this location is somewhere I could have spent all day. So much to see and so many things to photograph. I can’t wait to come back to this spot to photograph it at night and do some light painting.
The next and final location we wanted to hit was Auburn Falls. To get to these falls you must park at Thompson Creek Trailhead. (NOTE: you will cross creeks again. These aren’t as deep as Parker Falls but you will get wet.) This waterfall was the longest hike of the day at 2.3 miles away. Follow trail 206. After the 3rd creek crossing go off trail, uphill.
The hike itself was incredible. So many spring flowers lined the trail and the greens were spectacular. We saw more Trillium in this short hike than I had my entire life before.
Weather started to turn. Rain and socked in cloud cover haunted us the remainder of the day. And once we arrived at the falls rain began and I tried to find some cover to shoot from due to the fact that my beloved Fuji XT20 is not weather sealed.
Truth of the matter is I was pretty darn tired when we go to the falls. My creativity level has dropped with the lack of energy. Plus, as beautiful as the location was, the two prior locations were leaps and bounds better. With those factors in play i really only came away with one image of the falls I felt was decent.
Back at the car, tired, cold and a little wet Jim and I collected our gear and made our way back south. We spent most of the daylight hours in the woods taking photos, which is a pretty solid day if you ask me.
Thanks for taking a look and reading along. If you find an image you would like a print of, please let me know. Until next time!