Cherokee National Forest and Bald River Falls
My friend Charlie, his dog Tootsie, and I went to Cherokee National Forest in October 2006 to photograph the spectacular fall foliage. He took me to Fall Branch Falls, an area that I had never seen. It is a short hike, but in some areas it is quite steep and slick. At the lower end of the trail we had to go through this huge broken rock. The next photo will show what Charlie was using as a handhold!
I had long wanted to see Bald River Falls with ice, finally in mid-January 2009 we had sustained below-freezing temperatures for long enough to allow that to happen. I took this photo below the bridge. The trees on the right of the photo are covered in rime ice from the freezing spray that blows from the falls.
Bald River Falls during a drought. Even at a low water level, the falls are beautiful. The moss on the rocks was visible this time. This was a hot July afternoon and the place was crawling with people, I don't know how I managed to get this shot without anyone in it! A few minutes later, the middle ledge had a group of people frolicking on it.