White Oak Sink, GSMNP
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This 2-mile hike was recommended to us by a volunteer at the visitor center in Townsend, and it was an excellent recommendation. Most of the hike was along an old railroad bed and stream.
White Oak Sink is a very tall waterfall, as illustrated by the 2nd image below with Carl standing to the right. “Sink” is the name given to falls like this where the landing point of the water takes it underground, rather than into an open stream that continues to flow across the landscape. The deep, black hole at the bottom was most mysterious because of the disappearing water and the fact it looked bottomless. I am not sure how far away the water resurfaces.
We spent all afternoon here waiting for the sun to set. Bright sunshine hit the falls most of the afternoon, often displaying a small rainbow on the lower part of the falls. My images of the rainbow were not very good due to the extreme contrast of the sun hitting the water, but our wait was well worth it. I prefer the first image personally, but the 2nd shows the scale of the falls and was much harder to come by because I had to traverse the hillside at the risk of falling.
The hike was one of my favorite parts of the trip. The air was so fresh, as was the smell of the forest. The temperature was perfect with a slight hint of briskness in the air. The return included a very steep climb along one of two optional paths. Tough climbs no matter which route, and I was proud of both Brent and Carl for toughing them out.
White Oak Sink, GSMNP
Atop White Oak Sink, GSMNP
Love it!! Personally, I like the second one best (not because my ugly mug is in it) only because it depicts a trruer sense of scale, as you mentioned. I have a very similar image to number one but it does not convey the sheer size of the fall. I wish I had one like your second one so that I could convey to the people I work with the true size of the falls.
Love how you composed the first image with that foreground fern on the left!! Well done!
Thanks man. You make excellent points! My preference for the first stems from the cleaner foreground and the fern, but you are certainly right about image 2 giving a much better view of the scale. It was a great hike and experience. Thanks for being there!