Today’s post is of an image I took last year in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The Smokies have to be my favorite place to visit. Everywhere you look there is something to photograph! 🙂 If you are a nature lover this is like Heaven. With so many trails to hike on it takes some time to really see it all. And speaking of hiking, to get to this waterfall takes a 5 mile round-trip. But it is so worth it. To get here you first have to enter Cade’s Cove, which is an exciting adventure all by itself. But once you get close to the start of the trail, you just don’t want to turn back. The trail is next to the river in some parts and surrounded by lush forest. The day I chose to go, the fog was really thick. Of course that just made it more enchanting to walk through the woods. When I arrived at the falls, I was awestruck at the beauty before me. While it’s certainly not one of the tallest waterfalls around, it definitely can hold it’s own. The pool at the bottom leads your eyes right to it with the rocky textures all around. This is a place where you can spend a lot of time just enjoying what’s around you. I actually found it a little difficult to concentrate on taking pictures because I didn’t want to miss out on seeing all the beauty in nature that was there. But I was able to divide my time to enjoy the whole experience. This day reminds me of one of my favorite quotes:
“Life is a journey, not a destination.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson
Info from the web: http://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/waterfalls.htm
Abrams Falls
Although Abrams Falls is only 20 feet high, the large volume of water rushing over falls more than makes up for its lack of height. The long, deep pool at its base is very picturesque. The waterfall and creek are named for Cherokee Chief Abram or Abraham whose village once stood several miles downstream.
The trail to the falls traverses pine-oak forest on the ridges and hemlock and rhododendron forest along the creek. The hike is 5 miles round-trip and considered moderate in difficulty.
Awesome pic! Enjoyed!
God Bless You!
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Thank you Dei! I appreciate the comments! May God Bless You as well!
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Great shot of a beautiful part of America. I was in the Smokey Mountains in the mid-eighties and still remember all the vastness of beauty and clean environment. I will have to take another trip there someday and see more of the wonderful nature that exist within the mountain ranges.
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Thanks for commenting Jim! Yes it really is a very beautiful place. I hope you get to make it back there again real soon and experience it again!
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Be sure and take some more great photos when you visit the Smokey’s.
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Thanks – hoping to get up there real soon!
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Great post today. I really enjoyed your photos very much. Thanks for sharing.
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Thank you for visiting my blog!
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Hi,
Very nice waterfall shot. The rock beside the waterfall on the left is like a waterfall itself with the way the rock has formed over time, I’m guessing that the water must flow very strongly over this rock as well in the rainy season to have those markings. A very interesting photo. 🙂
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Oh, and I love the way the tree roots are growing over the rocks as well, very unusual. 🙂
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I knew I had to incorporate that tree root into the shot just because it was so cool looking! Thanks again for the wonderful comments!
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Thanks for the comments Mags! It’s really amazing the way nature works isn’t it?
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Gosh, what a gorgeous waterfall! And the history and information you’ve shared here adds so much texture to the post, my friend!!
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Thank you so much Toad! Waterfalls are very fascinating to see in person, so a little bit of storytelling never hurts!
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Hi Michael.. this is a beautiful shot. What was the exposure? The waterfall has that beautiful look due to the exposure I guess.
actually there is a falls called black water falls near West Virginia. There is an identical falls in that place called swallow falls. When I get a chance I will post that picture for your reference.
Goks
http://goks3rdeye.WordPress.com
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Thank you so much Goks! The exposure time was 3.2 seconds @ f/22 which allowed me to get that silky look in the falls. I appreciate you stopping by and leaving your wonderful comments! I’m looking forward to seeing your waterfall picture as well.
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