. One of the things I really really wanted to do on this trip was to catch the train of llamas carrying goods up to Mt. Le Conte Lodge as they crossed behind Grotto Falls! Everyone successfully woke up and arrived at the trail head by 6:30 am in the pitch black armed headlamps and flashlights we were all almost ready to go. The temperature plummeted over night and while watching the llamas get packed up we discovered the two youngest didn't have quite enough layers on to make the trek. Again we parted ways with our friends and didn't meet back up til night. My husband had to put our son up on his shoulders since he refused to head the direction of the falls .He did do a good job lighting the path for Daddy. The sun rose as we neared the falls. We chose to shoot from opposite sides of Grotto Falls. It seemed like forever waiting for the llamas to arrive and we were joined by three more tourists. Aside from bells the llamas moved quietly, swift and gracefully along the trail and behind the Grotto falls. For them it was mundane work done frequently throughout the year but for a mere visitor as myself it was magical to witness in person! The photo above is actually a quick snapshot as I was filming a video. Click on the photos below to view in more detail. After showing our son how "cool" it was to walk under the waterfall he was noticeably chilled so my husband quickly carried him to the car. I stayed behind to catch a few more shots and then hurried off after them. I met a lot of other folks on the way down who were disappointed to have missed the llamas. I guess the old saying, "you snooze you loose" is true. I caught up to my family about 25 ft before the end of the trail. The parking lot was now full and the Roaring Fork Motorway was crowded. Someone once said that " The Great Smoky National Park is a photographer's paradise,' he failed to mention the number of other photographers you'd have to compete with to get that great shot with (everyone vying for the same spot). The Roaring Fork Road was beautiful with lots of rushing mountain streams old homes and mills. We took turns photographing and waiting in the car with little man and his swollen lip. He didn't want to leave the cabin that morning and threw himself to the floor in a tantrum so hard he split his lip. Good thing I had left a box of Capris Sun in the car, they made for good ice packs for that fat lip. We found ourselves back in Gatlinburg when we reached the end or Roaring Fork Motorway. Unsure of how to get to where i wanted to go I decided we would check out Laurel Falls. Evidently a lot of other people thought that was a good idea too. The parking lot was overflowed with cars a mile in each direction so we scrapped that idea and continued on to Cades Cove to get caught in bear jam without seeing the bear. Eventually we made it to the John Oliver Cabin. I dare say he and his family had a pretty nice spot. Our son snoozed in the stroller as we explored the grounds and thanks to another couple we got a glimpse of a Mama bear with three cubs. Unfortunately they were a bit too quick for the camera. We explored more cabins and churches as we drove around Cades Cove. The visitor center was nice and there was an old mill in bad need of repair but still was nice to see. Honestly I just like the water wheels. We photographed some whitetail deer out in the meadows not that we don't have lots of them here in New York but it is nice to observe wildlife.
Tuesday we all got up and drove straight out to Deep Creek on the North Carolina side of the park where there was a little bit more color. Even though we had company at the start of this hike our son needed a lot of prompting to get him moving. The lighting was not good for Juney Whank Falls in the morning. I suggest photographing Juney Whank falls in late afternoon or evening. The boys had fun playing once our hike was under way but but my husband and I took too much time trying to get a few good shots for our friends and their antsy boys. We wound up parting ways at Indian Ladder Falls until late evening. Above my husband has set up a shot of Tom Branch Falls while our son is excited to push the button! Deep Creek loop is really pretty and must be amazing when water levels are higher. As usual we had to take turns shooting and watching little man. We stopped along the hike and had sandwiches for lunch on a bench near the creek. Our next stop was Mingo Falls, which is a beauty. The information I read on this waterfall was the the hike to it was steep but the stairs that lead to the falls made it really easy! Again lighting made trying to photograph the falls a major challenge but I did the best I could, using the HDR function seemed to help in getting some interesting shots! The other challenge in capturing Mingo Falls is that the best spot to shoot from is a wooden bridge which nobody would set still on (camera shake)! Being rather terrified of snakes I chose to stay up on the bridge/ trail to avoid any sort of encounter. Once we finally made it back to Newfound Gap road we took a few family shots in front of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park sign. From there we headed to the Occonalauftee Farm and visitor center. I was disappointed in it as I thought there were live demos and not just old buildings there. However we did have a special treat at Occonalauftee in that a few Elk made an appearance. Rangers are serious about yelling and scolding anyone who tries to watch these animals even if you are keeping a distance. They had some chickens running loose there and my child followed it out into an alleyway that the ranger said the Elk some times use to cross back to the river. I was quick to dart out and grab my child out of what could have been harms way (seriously need to invest in a leash for him). The ranger scolded me for protecting my child, she is lucky I chose walk away because at that point my rage was a lot worse than what it would have been like to be attacked by an elk! We stayed behind trees, fences and backed up as the Elk came closer and soon left long before the crowd of other onlookers. The first elk we saw was and adult female with what was most likely a yearling. Then in the distance came a small bull and when we thought that was all there was and even larger bull came across the field to say howdy to the the female next to the farm. How cool that experience would have been if without all the people or cars in the background, you know out in the real wilds! After seeing the elk we hopped back on Newfound Gap road and photographed overlooks until we ran out of light. The sights were pretty and the the road unfortunately busy. Traffic in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park is no joke! If we ever re-visit I think it will be a backpacking trip to avoid the slow poke traffic and spend more time in nature. As the sun quickly went down I found myself using the flash and flipping the camera upside down to highlight the landscape. All to soon the light was gone and the day done. It was back to the cabin for dinner, playtime and adult conversation! After we visited Grayson Highlands we hit the road for the Great Smoky Mountains. We stayed at a "Rustic Charm" cabin through Hemlock Hills in Pigeon Forge where we met up with friends. Although they arrived late the boys had great fun playing together! Our time in the National Park was cut a bit short by rain on Monday. We still manged to have fun and a great deal of frustration, mostly do to a very disobedient little boy. Most of Monday was spent exploring Ripley's aquarium! My son is a huge fan of the Octonauts so I thought he would enjoy the aquarium a lot. We were able to show him many of fish he has learned bout through that show like Mud Skippers, cuttlefish, sharks and Spider crabs.
The excitement (though he didn't appear that way) was too much for him and he took off running through the whole aquarium! All the while I was having a minor seizure thanks to people using flashes for their photography so I couldn't chase him. My husband thankfully caught up with and was so angry with him that I think the whole experience was quite traumatic for all of us. It took me a long time to find them again and when I did someone was put into the stroller and not allowed out for quite a long time. Ripley's Aquarium was quite busy that day as I had anticipated due to the rain adding to the stress. The aquarium itself is beautiful though not as big I as thought it was. I think it would be worth another visit when someone learns to be more obedient. They also had a play area that intrigued our toddlers but it was built for older children and proved to be a fight for us as they wanted the playground more than viewing the fish. I did let him out of the stroller to crawl through the Penguin Exhibit with his friend which proved to be great fun. We each picked out one souvenir and he chose a small penguin. Things calmed down greatly after we all had some pizza and bits of pretzel. I did not use any flash with my photography and some of the lighting did prove difficult to shoot. I used a high ISO and lower f-stop so some of the images are a bit noisy but I was able to wipe some of that out in post processing. The sun was out when we exited the aquarium, from there we explored Gatlinburg on foot. It is a unique area full of attractions and shopping begging for you to open your wallet. It was getting dark by the time we reached the car. My friend and I were pretty much exhausted while our husbands seemed plenty energetic. Hope you enjoy the few aquarium pics that turned out! |
Julie MetottNature Photographer, wife, mother, lover of outdoor adventure! Archives
November 2022
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