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Smokies – Fall, 2011

Published at: 09:11 pm - Thursday November 03 2011

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Autumn always tugs at me to dedicate time shooting the fall colors, preferably somewhere in the mountains.  My best bud Carl and I have been doing this for the past 8 years.  This year Carl, Brent, and I planned a trip to the Smokies.  It has been years since I’ve visited, in spite of the fact it is so close to home, relatively speaking.

We drove from Atlanta, and the scenery through the north GA mountains and into the Great Smoky Mountain National Park was outstanding.  We arrived a little beyond color peak.  Some areas, particularly in the highest elevations, were already barren.  But by and large, the color was wonderful.

One of our first visits was to Cades Cove.  We visited on Friday, which was smarter than we realized.  We returned on Saturday, and cars were bumper to bumper and often standing at a dead standstill.  There were more leaf peepers than leaves!  But our first visit on Friday was very well paced and leisurely.

The first stop was the John Oliver cabin.  The Olivers bought land in the Cove in 1826 and this cabin site remained in the family until the Park was established. The house is typical of many found on the eastern frontier in the mid-1850s, and reflects the skills and techniques brought into the mountains by descendants of British and European immigrants.  The round logs were scored first along their length with a felling axe, then hewn with a broad axe. The notched corners need no pegs or nails, as gravity locks them together. Chinks (open spaces between the logs) were filled with mud to seal out wind and rain. The stone chimney was laid in mud mortar. Windows and doors are typically small, to conserve heat, and maintain the strength of the building. Split wooden shingles, the most common material used here, cover the roof.  The structure was quite unbelievable given it’s time period and for being almost 200 years old.  It took a year and a half to build.

The split rail fence in the foreground is near and dear to my heart.  My dad built one of these around our home property in Tennessee when I was a small boy.  I remember fondly driving out to the countryside to find and pickup the rails, then driving them home and helping put them into place.  The fence created an icon of sorts that represented our home in the small town where I grew up.

John Oliver Home - Cades Cove

Brent, Mark, and Carl

Posted in: GSMNP (Smokies), Landscapes, People by Mark 3 Comments

It’s The Journey!

Published at: 08:10 pm - Thursday October 13 2011

I am honored to be a board member of It’s The Journey, a non-profit that devotes itself to GA breast cancer victims.  We sponsor a weekend walk each fall (click here: Atlanta 2-Day Walk for Breast Cancer) for which proceeds are granted to GA organizations that provide assistance to breast cancer victims, as well as education and prevention programs.  All of the recipients are local … the money stays in GA, primarily in the greater Atlanta area.  It’s an awesome cause.  Approximately 70-75% of our funds go toward the cause.  We consciously strive to keep overhead and administrative costs very low.

This was Kathy’s first year to participate.  She walked the full 30 miles and raised over $1,000.  I am SO PROUD of her.  She’s hooked!  This was my 6th year as a crew member and photographer.  Thanks go to my good friend Glenn Martin for involving me in such a worthy and wonderful cause.

2012 will be the organization’s 10th anniversary, so we’re planning for big things to happen!

Mark & Kathy @ Atlanta's 2-Day Walk for Breast Cancer - 9/2011

Posted in: People by Mark 1 Comment

Sushi Bar @ Selfridges, London

Published at: 09:10 pm - Friday October 07 2011

A couple of business colleagues and I visited Selfridges Department Store on Oxford Street one evening.  What a treat!  This is a HUGE upscale store with everything from candy to couture.  We entered the store at the food store entrance, which included a couple of restaurants as well as a small market with a butcher, fresh bakery, specialized coffees and teas, and most any unique food you could think of.  It was unbelievable.

I was mesmerized by this moving sushi bar.  This image was taken from outside through the department store window.  I love the lines of this image, and even though it is quite busy, it pulls me back into the scene to find new things as opposed to distracting me.  Street photography is not something I am comfortable with or gravitate toward, but I forced myself into it this evening knowing I would learn and enjoy the experience.

And no, I did not have sushi!

Selfridges' Sushi Bar

Posted in: Cityscapes, London, People by Mark 1 Comment

Red Brick Mansion

Published at: 08:10 pm - Friday October 07 2011

There was a wonderful 2 blocks full of red town homes on my morning London walk from the hotel to our office.  They were quaint with clean lines.  Very eye-catching, with a wonderful sense of continuity because they were all virtual carbon copies of each other.

I was in somewhat of a rush on the early morning that I photograph the previously posted phone booths, but I took a few moments to setup and capture this isolated image of one of the red mansion entryways.  I love the architecture, symmetrical features, and the added details of the flower box and the wrought iron fence.

Home in Marylebone

Posted in: Cityscapes, London by Mark 1 Comment

Icons Remain

Published at: 11:10 pm - Sunday October 02 2011

I was amazed while visiting London that phone booths were relatively easy to find.  Given almost everyone has mobile phones these days, it’s hard to imagine any significant demand for pay phones.

I was happy to find these two.  A friend from my office gave me strict orders to get a photo of a red phone booth during my trip.  I thought for sure this would be an almost impossible order, but no problem!

Phone Booth in the Marylebone area of central London

Posted in: Cityscapes, London by Mark 1 Comment

Paddington Station

Published at: 10:10 am - Saturday October 01 2011

I’ve always thought the European trains and train stations are way cool.  They are a great way to commute, and some of the stations have SO much character.

I took the London Heathrow Express from Paddington Station to Heathrow airport on my return.  A work colleague and I were in a minor rush, so I wasn’t expecting time to grab a photo.  However, she had trouble with her pre-purchased ticket and was having to deal with this at the kiosk.  Wellllllll … never miss an opportunity, right?  So I pulled the camera out of my bag for a few quick snaps.   Although handheld, I was able to get a few decent image.  I dragged my shutter a bit while leaning against a wall for stability in order to get people movement while keeping the rest of the frame sharp.  Hope you enjoy this.

If I ever return to London, I may have to visit Paddington and devote more time to shooting the station and trains.  😉

Paddington Station - London

Posted in: Cityscapes, London, People by Mark 2 Comments

London Eye

Published at: 10:09 pm - Wednesday September 28 2011

Recently I had an opportunity to travel to London on business.  It has been several years since I last traveled to the U.K., so it was good to get back.  London is an exciting and vibrant city, full of pedestrians and “buzz”.  I always try to travel with my camera while on business should the opportunity afford itself to shooting, particularly when visiting abroad or somewhere new.  I don’t always have time to shoot, but it’s well worth lugging my gear along just in case.

One night our group went to eat at OXO Brasserie atop the OXO building next to the Thames.  Knowing this was near the London Eye, I took my camera and tripod along.  The group left for the hotel after dinner, but I stayed to walk around and photograph.  I wandered around from 9pm-1am shooting and exploring … just my type of adventure!

Here are a couple of my favorites.  I had never visited the eye before, and I had no clue that the adjacent County Hall would be lit with multicolored lights that change throughout the evening.  What a nice treat.  The London Eye was completed in 2000, and it was originally known as the Millennium Wheel.

London Eye from across the Thames

London Eye and County Hall

Posted in: Cityscapes, London, Water by Mark 2 Comments

Goats?

Published at: 09:09 pm - Thursday September 08 2011

Who said cats are curious?  Our most frequent visitors were mountain goats, around the camp as well as during our hikes.  These guys and gals wandered around my tripod as you can see.  Note:  this image was taken with a 35mm fixed focal length lens, which means I was only about 5-8 feet away!

Curiosity Didn't Kill The Goat

Goats Wandering Across the Trail

Posted in: Backpacking, Colorado, Landscapes, Wildlife by Mark 2 Comments

Remnants

Published at: 09:09 pm - Thursday September 08 2011

The weather for the remainder of the trip was outstanding.  This was taken on Wednesday, day 3 of the trip as the final clouds were clearing out.

Clouds Clear the Peaks

Posted in: Backpacking, Colorado, Landscapes by Mark 2 Comments

Drying Out

Published at: 09:09 pm - Thursday September 08 2011

After setting up camp, things needed time to dry out.  :-)

Hillbilly Clothes Line

Mark's Humble Abode

Mark's Humble Abode

Posted in: Backpacking, Colorado by Mark 2 Comments

Chicago Basin

Published at: 09:08 pm - Tuesday August 23 2011

Hiking distance from the Train to the Chicago Basin:  4.5 miles.  Not bad, huh?  No big deal.  Most anyone can walk 4+ miles in an afternoon at a slow pace, right?

Oops, I forgot a few pertinent details:  Elevation increase of 2,500ft (to 10,800ft above sea level); 50lb. pack; rain; pouring rain; hail; pouring rain again; more hail; pouring rain; 3rd round of hail;  downpour and hail again!  6 hours of hiking with fully loaded, wet packs, and we were still 1.3 miles short of our destination.  That’s right … 6 hours, and we had only covered 3.2 miles!

The rain and hail were overwhelming.  And along with them came cold body temperatures as our sweat and rain soaked bodies felt the mountain temperature descend to the 50’s.   We were wet and whipped.  The final straw that broke the camel’s back was that a trickle of a stream across the trail had become a roaring lion.  We could not get across, so we setup camp short of our destination.  It was a relief, to be honest.  Jerry, Betsy, and I were safely tucked into our tents by 7pm, and we didn’t come out until 6am the following morning.  Forget food.  We only cared about 3 things:  Getting warm, dry, and rested!

Upon talking to several experienced hikers the following morning, this was the worst mountain storm any of them had been caught in.  And, while the hail did not accumulate much at our stopping point, the Chicago Basin area we were destined for only 1.3 miles ahead had 5 inches of accumulated hail.

The weather and trail cleared on Tuesday morning, so we repacked and forged on after breakfast.  We arrived at the Chicago Basin well before noon, emerging from the prior 4.5 miles of wooded trails into a wonderfully large meadow protected by mountain peaks in all directions.

Single Track Trail Leading into the Chicago Basin

Posted in: Backpacking, Colorado, Landscapes by Mark 2 Comments

From Train to Trail

Published at: 04:08 pm - Sunday August 21 2011

Train Conductor and Boilerman

Conductor and Boilerman Watch Backpackers Unload at Needleton Trailhead

The train ride was a fun experience.  One of the things that impressed me was the personnel operating the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge (D&SNG).  These guys were the “real deal”.  One often finds new technology underneath the covers and behind the facade of today’s replication of the retro.  Not in this case.  This was THE steam engine and train of years gone by, not a replica.

Checkout the Conductor and Boilerman in these images, and tell me they don’t look authentic to the first of the century!  Hats, overalls, gritty faces, callused hands, coal stained denim and skin, broad shoulders, Paul Bunyan-esque boots  …  They were both impressive and professional.  The Conductor handled every backpack personally, loading it into and out of the cargo car.  The Boilerman ensured the engine operated flawlessly, and at the stops he looked over everything closely from rails to cars to the locomotive.  And trust me, we could afford no slip-ups on the ride because the rail bed ran literally on the very edge of 1,000+ ft. cliffs.

I could not help but translate these images into B&W.  The textures and implied time frame would allow no alternative.

This is the point at which we exited the train.  As you can see, there were many backpackers unloading at the Needleton trail head.  The Conductor told us about 60 packs were loaded for this trip, and 50+ the day before.  And as a matter of fact, there is a sign at the trailhead which mentions that 100,000 backpackers enter this trail yearly.  Some take on extensive camping and challenge the (3) 14’ers in the area, while others work their way along a portion of the trail for a day hike.  Jerry, Betsy, and I were simply amazed at how few people we saw during the 5 days we were along the trail and in the basin!  I venture to say we only saw 20 people or so, in spite of the numbers entering the trail each day.

This is where the Vibram soles meet the dirt!  The beginning of 5 days of backpacking and camping with no cell phones, transportation, or contact with anyone except those we would see along the trail.  We are at approximately 8,500 ft., and in about 4.5 miles we’ll be near 11,000 ft.  As for the train …. it would be on it’s way momentarily.  This is Monday, and we have a date to rendezvous with it on Friday at 4pm.

Posted in: Backpacking, Colorado, Landscapes, People by Mark 2 Comments
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