Mount LeConte from Clingman's Dome May 2008

Until the end of May 2008, I was never particularly enamored with the view from the observation tower at Clingman’s Dome. I’ve enjoyed hiking from the parking lot to one of the open fields along the Appalachian Trail, but by and large, can’t remember when I last hiked up the tower. (I can remember the day; it was winter, cold, and the leaves were off the trees.)

The day was a relaxed one, meet my family at the parking lot and we hiked from there (avoiding the paved trail) to the open area about a mile or so from the trail head. The forecast has been for clear weather but obviously that was wrong. The hike was interesting. We ran into a ranger and a solo hiker who said he averaged 25 miles a day on his summer-long hike from Georgia to Maine. I took few photographs from the fields as the only view was of the clouds. I’m not one to stick around and wait too long for the clouds to change so we headed back.

Because the grandchildren had not been to the tower at Clingman’s Dome, I suggested we divert to it. It was fairly crowded. I took several photographs with my D200 but decided the better view was a panorama with my Kodak digital. The sun was so bright I had to use my hat to shade the screen to align the images.

I took several panoramas, my family waiting patiently (or not, but they are used to waiting after all these years). This image was the last panorama taken. I thought I had overexposed it but a small adjustment to the contrast curve brought out the drama in the clouds without losing the luminosity of the mountain range.

In case you are wondering, Mount LeConte is the peak to the left of center, visible through the clouds.

Mount LeConte, Clouds, May 2008

Another photograph from May 2008, before the weather turned hot and the view turned hazy. This was the same late afternoon weather system that spawned the cumulus congestus clouds seen in yesterday's post. As before, this photograph was converted to black and white from the digital color image using a red "filter" and carefully adjusting the contrast to bring out the mood of the clouds and definition in the ridges. The actual view wasn't quite as dramatic as shown in the photograph - but it was pretty close. No photograph could do this view justice, however.

Thomas Ridge, Cumulus Congestus Clouds

Spring the Smokies is a wonderful time. (Of course, any day, no matter the season, is wonderful in the Smokies.) Spring, however, brings rain and beautiful clouds, before the haze of late spring and summer obscures the peaks and valleys. Seeing cumulus congestus clouds in and around the Smokies isn't exactly rare or unusual but seeing them when the view of the mountains is still sharp doesn't happen terribly often.

One day in May 2008, after school let out for the summer, my daughter and I set out on an afternoon hike to a waterfall. After a half mile of hiking, I realized the clouds were too beautiful so we turned around and drove to Newfound Gap, taking pictures along the way. The weather had not yet turned hot (it now has) and the clouds floated above the peaks without obsuring them. These were the kind of days that got me through law school. (Some now call them "mental health" days.)

Picking one image from this day was most difficult. I have another image of this view I especially enjoy. It, however, was taken with a "longer" lens (60 mm v 51 mm for the one above). While the clouds are more brilliant in the other image I picked this one because in the other, the magesty of the mountains does not seem as prominent.

I took this with my Nikon D200 digital camera and converted the color image to black and white. I carefully manipulated the contrast of the color image and then, in the conversion to black and white, added a complete red "filter" to add drama. I will shamelessly admit I edited out the overlook parking lot.