Last Sunday I went for a hike on the Appalachian Trail at Woody Gap again, except this time I hiked back the other way. I knew there was a tree that sat at the base of a sloped rock that is sometimes covered with water at about the 1/2 mile mark. The tree has a large burled area at its base where it clings to the rocks. I had visited here once before but could not get a good angle on the tree and did not have a wide enough lens. This time I came prepared with my 65mm wide angle and got the shot I was after.

I then hiked another mile to the top of the ridge. That last few hundred feet is almost straight up but the ridge has a nice granite outcrop that over looks the valley and surrounding mountains. There is a tree there as well that provided a nice frame for the top half of the image. There were no clouds in the sky so the tree’s branches help break up the expanse and let the viewers eye observe the valley below. I might have hiked a bit farther but there seemed to be lots of hikers out that day, and several young ones were making the trek from Georgia to Maine. So my 3.2 round trip pales in comparison. I only took the two images this time but there were some nice little flowers I should have shot. Its a reminder I need to carry a smaller format for the “extras” that I don’t feel warrant the big camera. I really enjoy the discovery of the trail each time I visit.

Here is the burled tree and its surroundings. The image is best printed using a split grade method. I find the image rather busy and need to determine a way to bring in the 3 dimensional qualities of the natural site. There are several cropping possibilities.

Technical: Ilford Delta 100 4×5 ISO100, 65mm, f22, 1/4second, EV 8-14, 11 on zone V. Developed Pyrocat HD 22 minutes minimal agitation, printed split-grade on Ilford MGFB Classic in LPD 1:1.