I think fog gets a bad name. It's typically about what fog can obscure: living life in a fog, the fog of war, the fog of depression. Well, like our neighbor over in the mountains of western North Carolina, Carl Sandburg, I think fog has delightful qualities. For...
Favorite Trails: Porters Creek
Porters Creek Trail is a delightful meander in the Greenbrier section of the Smoky Mountains. Head east out of Gatlinburg on Route 321, then after about 6 miles, the Greenbrier entrance will be on the right. Eventually the road will turn to gravel and you'll pass the...
The Life of Wood
There are many old pioneer cabins in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Most of them were constructed from native wood, shaped with hand tools such as the broad ax, froe, adz, and drawknife. The wood in these buildings seems unique and different, with a life of...
Miles Away on Monday: Winter Sunrise
Bare trees, the welcoming glow of Smoky Mountain cabins at dawn ... a warm and friendly Kinkade-colored scene. It's that time of year when, surprisingly, winter has already started to lose its grip in the Smoky Mountains and Gatlinburg area. In a few short weeks the...
Smoky Mountain Spirituality
The picture above is the footbridge leading to the Ramsey Cascades Trail in the Greenbrier section of the Smoky Mountains. Yes, it's still cold and quiet around here. Another cold, snowy scene from the Greenbrier is below. But to warm things up on the waning days of...
Favorite Trails: Big Creek to Midnight Hole and Mouse Creek Falls
One of my favorite Smoky Mountains hikes is in the Big Creek section of the National Park, located on the eastern side, with the easiest access being from Interstate 40. Take the Waterville exit (451), which is the last Tennessee exit going east. Proceed through a...
Featured Photo: Midnight Hole
Midnight Hole is a petite waterfall with a twelve-foot deep emerald pool that gives the waterfall its name. Located in the Big Creek section of the Smoky Mountains, this is a popular swimming hole in the summer. This photo is often paired with Creekside Sweet Gum,...
Finding Deep Peace in Wild Places
These are stressful times. So much strife in the world, polarized beliefs, and intolerance. Some days it's too much for a sensitive person, and I have to turn off the news and turn off my thoughts. I use nature, and the grand expanse of Smoky Mountains at my doorstep,...
New Web Site
This is the web site for William Britten Photography and Gallery in Galtinburg TN on the edge of the glorious Smoky Mountains. I am currently rebuilding the site on a new platform, so I apologize for any occasional instability. As of late winter 2016 the site seems...
Featured Photo: Smoky Mountain Christmas
Emerts Cove Bridge is one of only two covered bridges near the Smoky Mountains in Sevier County (the other being Harrisburg Bridge off Rt. 339). Emerts Cove bridge is just north of Rt 321, just off Rt. 416 north of Pittman Center. The simplist way to see it is to...








