Great Smoky Mountains National Park | William Britten Photography

Category Archives: Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Ode to Mount LeConte

Posted by Bill on March 21, 2018 in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 0 Comments

Mt. LeConte in April | Pictures © William Britten use with permission only

Mt. LeConte is the third-highest Smoky Mountains peak, but to me it represents the skyline of the Smokies. As you approach from the north, Mt. Leconte is a Smoky Mountains landmark seen from 50 miles away, or further on a clear day. As you travel around the Gatlinburg area, there is LeConte, above you in the sky, showing you different views.

What is known as the Mt. LeConte massif is actually 5 peaks, with four of them over 6000 feet. West Point (6,344 ft), High Top (6,593 ft), Cliff Tops (6,555 ft), Myrtle Point (6,200 ft) and Balsam Point (5,840ft) comprise the majestic Smoky Mountains view that we all know and love. The topo map below from 1949 shows the details of the area. Click on the image to see a larger version.

The north side of the mountain rises a full mile from its base to the summit, making it the tallest mountain in Tennessee by that measurement. Storms that plow into this massive barrier dump immense amounts of rainfall into the watershed, fostering the diversity of plant-life for which the Smokies are famous, such as the amazing green rocks along the Roaring Fork.

Smoky Mountains in January | Pictures © William Britten use with permission only

The photo above was taken from high on Shields Mountain, about 10 miles north of the Smoky Mountains. And the photo below was taken from the Campbell Overlook on the Newfound Gap road, looking up to an early snow on Balsam Point.

The mile-high mountain also creates a weather phenomenon called “mountain wave winds.” Those of us living on the north side of the slope are familiar with the howling, near-hurricane-force winds that are generated when a storm front passes over Mt. LeConte from the south.

Mt. LeConte in October | Pictures © William Britten use with permission only

The William Britten Gallery of Smoky Mountains pictures is open and ready to welcome you on your next visit to the Smokies. Please stop in and say hello and browse all of my photos.

Best Early Spring Wildflowers

Posted by Bill on March 8, 2018 in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Wildflowers. 0 Comments

Bloodroot blooming in the Smokies © William Britten use with permission only

This time of year in our Smoky Mountains we are all itching to say good-bye to winter and welcome springtime and the wildflower season. These are my candidates for the best early spring wildflowers that may be found in March after some warm days and a bit of rainfall. Follow the links below for more information. Click on any of the pictures to start a slide show.

First is Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) which gets its name from the reddish sap of the root which was used by settlers for dye. The picture above shows the delicate bloom of this wildflower. Look for Bloodroot near the Porters Creek trailhead or the Cove Hardwood Trail.

Below is a picture of Spring Beauty (Claytonia caroliniana), which is fairly common and might be seen as early as late February. Try the looking along the Chestnut Top trail.

Another petite charmer of the bare March woodlands is Hepatica (Hepatica acutiloba). This tiny white, pink, or lavender bloom can be found in early March when no other wildflowers are to be found. A sure bet to find it is the Cove Hardwoods Trail.

Sharp-lobed Hepatica (Hepatica acutiloba) © William Britten use with permission only

Next up is Trailing Arbutus (Epigaea repens) which is actually a dwarf shrub. I have seen this near the top of the hill on the Chestnut Trop Trail, and it is also reported to be found along the Abrams Falls Trail.

The picture below is Dutchman’s Breeches (Dicentra cucullaria), which might be my favorite early spring wildflower. It’s always a treat to find this one, or it’s cousin Squirrel Corn. The trick is to look for the distinctive shaped leaves and then poke around for the blooms. The Cove Hardwood Trail is another sure bet for this one.

Those are my picks for the Smoky Mountains best early spring wildflowers. As always, if you get a chance please stop in at the William Britten Gallery on Glades Rd in Gatlinburg. All of my Smoky Mountains pictures are on display there. If you are a Facebook user, you can get my daily Smoky Mountains news and photos by becoming a fan of the William Britten Photography Facebook Page.

Snowy Smoky Mountain Panorama

Posted by Bill on December 28, 2017 in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 0 Comments

Snowy Smoky Mountains © William Britten use with permission only

This time of year can be absolutely breathtaking in the Gatlinburg area. Both of these images show a winter panorama of the Smoky Mountains with Mt. LeConte center stage. They were taken from a ridge way out on Upper Middle Creek Rd. about 10 miles or so from the Smokies. A long telephoto lens was used.

Please stop in for a hot cup of coffee or tea and to see the complete display of Smoky Mountain Photography at the William Britten Gallery in Gatlinburg, TN.

Bud Ogle Place in Winter

Posted by Bill on December 5, 2017 in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Photography Tips. 0 Comments

Bud Ogle Cabin in Winter © William Britten use with permission only

After a snowfall followed by frigid temperatures, I was out at the Ogle Place along the Roaring Fork in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. On this morning I was trying to keep feeling in my fingers with the temperature around 9 degrees!

Photographing scenes like the ones above and below presents a challenge of extreme lighting conditions. The sun had begun to light up the snow, producing very bright highlights, but the shadow areas on the porch were still very dark. The range of light is simply too much for the camera to record. So, a couple of strategies were used for these pictures. First, about 4 exposures were taken–some over exposed and some underexposed–and blended together. Second, I converted the image to black and white, and blended that in with the color version. Since these images have little color anyway, this technique serves to add some texture to the snow, keeping it from going to solid white.

The iconic Ogle Cabin nearly burned during the fires of November 2016. The fire came right up to the back porch, which would be to the left in the photo below.

If you’re in Gatlinburg, please stop in and visit me to see the complete display of Smoky Mountain Photography at the William Britten Gallery on glades Road.

Footbridge to Heaven

Posted by Bill on November 20, 2017 in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 0 Comments

Greenbrier Footbridge © William Britten use with permission only

This footbridge is one of the special places in the Greenbrier section of the Great Smoky Mountains. It crosses the Ramsay Prong of the Little Pigeon River at the beginning of the trail that leads up to the Ramsay Cascades waterfall, and from there on up to the Appalachian Trail. Standing on this footbridge affords a beautiful view either upstream or down. A great place to just stand and be still, listen to the endless sound of the water flowing down out of the mountains. A few days ago I posted an image taken from this bridge.

Greenbrier Footbridge in Winter © William Britten use with permission only

Above is a view from the same vantage point in winter. Even on a day like this, look at all the footprints of hikers on their way up the trail! The silence and solitude on this day were breathtaking. So was the frigid air.

And the photo below, there I am on the footbridge, looking tired after the grueling marathon of October in the Smokies.

Greenbrier Footbridge with Bill © William Britten use with permission only

Please stop in and visit me to see the complete display of Smoky Mountain Photography at the William Britten Gallery in Gatlinburg, TN.

Cades Cove: the Tipton Place

Posted by Bill on September 7, 2017 in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 0 Comments

Tipton Place © William Britten use with permission only

William “Fighting Billy” Tipton was Revolutionary War veteran and the first of the Tipton clan to acquire land in the Smoky Mountains. This was in the 1820s under Tennessee’s Land Grant program.

Colonel Hamp Tipton, a veteran of the Civil War, built the two story cabin above in the early 1870s. Miss Lucy and Miss Lizzy were Hamp’s daughters and worked as schoolteachers in the Cove.

The Tipton Place is one of the best examples of the settlers homesteads along the Cades Cove loop road in the Smokies. There’s a stand of old-fashioned bee gums in the back yard, and across the road is a double-pen corn crib and a fine example of a cantilever barn.

Bee gums © William Britten use with permission only

The barn pictured below is actually a replica of the original.

Please stop in and visit me to see the complete display of Smoky Mtns Photos at the William Britten Gallery along the historic Arts and Crafts Trail on Glades Road in Gatlinburg, TN.

Cantilever barn © William Britten use with permission only

The Road to Serenity

Posted by Bill on August 25, 2017 in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, philosophy. 0 Comments

Smoky Mountains photography: miles away © William Britten use with permission only

Welcome to Friday. A weekend! Gratitude for another day. The simple beauty of dawn drifting towards the fullness of the day, weather becoming whatever it will. The road beckons, cares and worries in the rearview mirror. Miles away.

Leave it all behind © William Britten use with permission only

There are many opportunities in the Smoky Mountains to let the road carry you away. Even some of the very popular driving areas like Cades Cove or the Roaring Fork can be deserted and ethereal in the very early morning mist. You can turn off the air conditioner, roll down the windows, and just be one with the softness of the moment. You’ll probably see some wildlife enjoying the quiet of their morning too.

Head east out of Gatlinburg on Route 321. After three or four miles, look for the right turn at the Greenbrier entrance of the National Park. Just follow the road, you can’t get lost. Get out whenever you want, sit by the creek a moment. Or keep on driving past Greenbrier, on over to Cosby. Turn right at the stop sign, toward Cosby campground. But go on by the campground and just wander for miles, way over to the Cataloochee Valley, watching the trees roll by. The road gets a little rough, but not for long. Keep on going for a real experience.

Serenity Road © William Britten use with permission only

Perhaps your road of wandering will lead you to the Arts and Crafts Loop along Glades Road outside Gatlinburg. If so, please stop in and visit me to see the complete display of Smoky Mountains Photography at the William Britten Gallery in Morning Mist Village.

Newfound Gap Loop

Posted by Bill on July 28, 2017 in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, philosophy. 0 Comments

Philosophical Friday again. This time it’s the classic situation that sometimes to go forward you’ve got to go backwards. The road up to Newfound Gap offers just such a case in point. The road climbs until it reaches a place on the mountain that is too steep for a road grade. What to do? Loop around in the ultimate hairpin turn to gain enough rise to continue on.

Please stop in and visit me to see the complete display of Smoky Mountain Photography at the William Britten Gallery in Gatlinburg, TN.

Along the Roaring Fork: Bud Ogle Farm

Posted by Bill on July 6, 2017 in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 0 Comments

Smoky Mountains Landmark © William Britten use with permission only

The Ogle family goes way back in the Gatlinburg area. In fact, Noah Ogle’s great-grandparents, William (1756–1803) and his wife Martha Huskey (1756–1826), made a life here in the early 1800s. Noah (aka Bud) and Cindy Ogle settled on this 400 acre homestead in 1879 and lived here until Noah’s death in 1913.

Bud Ogle Cabin © William Britten use with permission only

The Smoky Mountains forest has reclaimed most of the cleared land now, so it’s hard to imagine a family making a subsistence living here. All that is left now is the log cabin and barn. The cabin is “saddle-bag” style, with two cabins joined by a common chimney. The barn is the last remaining four-pen barn in the Smokies, consisting of four 11-square-foot livestock pens, covered by a split-shingled roof.

Just behind the cabin is a nature trail that meanders through a hemlock forest beside LeConte Creek to an old tub mill with wooden flume.

Bud Ogle Barn © William Britten use with permission only

To visit the Ogle Farm, turn at stoplight number 8 in Gatlinburg and go up the hill, entering the Smoky Mountain National Park via the Cherokee Orchard Road entrance. The old farmstead is an attractive location for photos anytime of year. I love to come up here after a snowfall, as compositions with the old log cabin and barnwood in a snowy setting make for especially attractive photos.

The Ogle cabin is one of my Featured Photos. Please stop in and visit me to see the complete display of Smoky Mountains Photography at the William Britten Gallery in Gatlinburg, TN.

Miles Away on Monday: Bicycling in Cades Cove

Posted by Bill on June 26, 2017 in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Miles Away on Monday. 0 Comments

I can’t think of a more idyllic way to get your exercise than to bike the Cades Cove Loop in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

From May through September on Wednesday and Saturday mornings until 10:00 the Loop Road is closed to motorized vehicles, so the entire glorious 11-mile scenic road is open for biking and hiking. Wow! This is one of the greatest experiences anywhere.

If you can’t schedule your ride for Wednesday or Saturday, bicycles and walking are allowed any day, but you should start early to avoid the traffic that builds up later in the day.

Please stop in and visit me to see the complete display of Smoky Mountain Photography at the William Britten Gallery in Gatlinburg, TN.

Cades Cove: Methodist Church

Posted by Bill on June 22, 2017 in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 0 Comments

Cades Cove Church © William Britten use with permission only

The story goes that the Methodist Church in Cades Cove was constructed in 115 days at a cost of $115 by a man who served for many years as the minister.

The current frame building was built in 1902, replacing the log structure that had served from the 1820s.

Please stop in and visit me to see the complete display of Smoky Mountain Photography at the William Britten Gallery in Gatlinburg, TN.

Inside the Methodist Church © William Britten use with permission only

Cades Cove: Primitive Baptist Church

Posted by Bill on June 15, 2017 in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 0 Comments

Cades Cove Baptist Church © William Britten use with permission only

The Primitive Baptist Church in the Cades Cove section of the Great Smoky Mountains was established in 1827 in a log structure that served the congregation until the current church was built in 1887. The graveyard behind the church has some very old tombstones with familiar Cades Cove names, such as Sparks, Oliver, and Shields.

Smoky Mountain Church © William Britten use with permission only — Primitive Baptist Church © William Britten use with permission only

During the Civil War, worship at the church was suspended because the congregation was sympathetic to the Union, while much of Cades Cove was not. The interior of the church is in fact primitive, with sturdy and stern pews facing a basic pulpit.

Primitive Church interior © William Britten use with permission only

Please stop in and visit me to see the complete display of Smoky Mountain Photography at the William Britten Gallery in Gatlinburg, TN.

Cataloochee: Palmer House Continued

Posted by Bill on June 10, 2017 in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, philosophy. 0 Comments

Palmer House creepy interior © William Britten use with permission only

It’s Philosophical Friday again, and we’re continuing on with yesterday’s post into the creepy interior of the Palmer House. The image above might be crying out “What happened? Where did the time go? It seems like just yesterday that Jarvis and his wife were rising at dawn, rushing out into the Cataloochee sunshine.” If walls could talk.

Beauty of Decay © William Britten use with permission only

I got lost for hours in the Palmer House a few weeks ago. The ravages of time can create beauty in the human detritus, similar to the erosion of a canyon in the natural world. The images above and below show layers of decay in the wallcoverings of the house.

And here is a close-up of a door with exquisitely cracked and peeling paint. Wow!

Finally, some old newspapers either before or after the wallpaper … who knows? But the furniture advertised sure was cheap. And the last one below … I love that report about the “gang of professional safeblowers.” Gotta be the 1920s or 1930s.

Old newspaper wallcovering © William Britten use with permission only

Please stop in and visit me to see the complete display of Smoky Mountain Photography at the William Britten Gallery in Gatlinburg, TN.

Cataloochee: Beech Grove School

Posted by Bill on June 9, 2017 in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 0 Comments

Beech Grove School © William Britten use with permission only

Beech Grove School was built in 1901 and was one of three schools in the Cataloochee area of the Smoky Mountains. The school term, oriented to the agrarian society, ran from November through January or sometimes through March.

Beech Grove had two rooms and is the only one of the three schools remaining in the valley.

Beech Grove School in the Smoky Mountains © William Britten use with permission only

Please stop in and visit me to see the complete display of Smoky Mountain Photography at the William Britten Gallery in Gatlinburg, TN.

Cataloochee: Palmer House

Posted by Bill on June 3, 2017 in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 0 Comments

Palmer House in Cataloochee © William Britten use with permission only

The Palmer House in Big Cataloochee Valley was originally built around 1860 by George Lafayette Palmer. It was a “dog-trot” house, with two log cabins joined by a common roof. By 1900 the Palmers were prospering, and the house was fancied up with siding on the outside and paneling inside. The homestead included a barn, springhouse and other outbuildings.

When the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was created, the Palmers moved out, and a Park Ranger moved in.

Palmer House and barn © William Britten use with permission only

Palmer Springhouse © William Britten use with permission only

From the outside, the Palmer House looks ordinary enough, even quite attractive. But on the inside things get a little creepy. This is the kind of stuff I could spend hours photographing … to be continued.

Please stop in and visit me to see the complete display of Smoky Mountain Photography at the William Britten Gallery in Gatlinburg, TN.

Cataloochee: Palmer Chapel

Posted by Bill on May 25, 2017 in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 3 Comments

Palmer Chapel in Cataloochee Valley © William Britten use with permission only

Cataloochee Valley is one of the hidden wonders of the Smoky Mountains. The best way from Gatlinburg is to schedule an entire day for the journey to Cataloochee. Either take the back road from Cosby, or exit 20 off I40 in North Carolina, then meander into Catalochee on NC284.

Palmer Chapel dates from 1898, and is still in great condition in a very picturesque setting. The photo above was actually created from three vertical panels. I use this technique when there is not enough room to step back from a structure and level the camera to make the walls perpendicular.

Church Interior © William Britten use with permission only

View from the pulpit © William Britten use with permission only

The image above shows the interior of Palmer Chapel from the preacher’s perspective! Services in the chapel were conducted by circuit riders from the Western North Carolina Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

Please stop in and visit me to see the complete display of Smoky Mountains Photography at the William Britten Gallery in Gatlinburg, TN.

Smoky Mountains Footbridges

Posted by Bill on May 7, 2017 in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 0 Comments

Smoky Mountains Footbridge © William Britten use with permission only

If you do much hiking in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, you’ve certainly found yourself in the situation pictured above.

Love them or hate them, footbridges are common along Smokies trails. Some are vertigo-inducing challenges, and others are tame alternatives to hopping rocks across the stream.

Most of them are simple log bridges spanning the creek, while others are much more elaborate, as in the snow-covered footbridge on the Ramsay Cascades Trail pictured below.

Please stop in and visit me to see the complete display of Smoky Mountain Photography at the William Britten Gallery in Gatlinburg, TN.

Spring Snow on Mt. LeConte

Posted by Bill on April 29, 2017 in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 0 Comments

A spring snow dusted Mt. LeConte on Tuesday night, closing the road to Newfound Gap in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It’s not unusual to see the contrasts of winter and spring in one scene as in the picture above. The summit of Mt. LeConte is around 6500 feet, while the green trees in the foreground are down around 1500 feet.

The photo above was taken from the same vantage point near my home in the Glades area of Gatlinburg as Smoky Mountain Moonrise, which shows snow on the summit of Mt. LeConte and fall foliage below.

Stop in and visit me at the William Britten Gallery in Gatlinburg, TN.

Click on the image above to view a dramatic hi-resolution version.

Smoky Mountain Cantilever barns

Posted by Bill on April 15, 2017 in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 0 Comments

Smoky Mountains cantilever barn © William Britten use with permission only

The picture above is from the Tipton Homeplace in Cades Cove in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It’s a great example of the vernacular architecture known as the cantilever barn. The style of hanging a large upper loft area over two cribs below is unique to the area in and around the Smoky Mountains during the late 1800s and early 1900s. Of just over 300 of these barns known to have existed, about 290 were in the two Tennessee counties bordering the Great Smoky Mountains.

To me, this style of barn architecture reflects the Appalachian mountain peoples’ clever and practical solutions to everyday problems. In this case, the climate around the mountains was very humid, which presented a challenge to keep the hayloft dry and mold-free. Solution: air circulation between the loft and the moist ground.

The example below is a modified cantilever, with supports on both ends. This is the John Messer barn along the Porters Creek Trail in the Greenbrier section of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It stands near the historic Smoky Mountains Hiking Club cabin.

On your next trip to the Smokies please stop in and visit me to see the complete display of Smoky Mountains Photos at the William Britten Gallery in Gatlinburg, TN.

Cantilever barn in the Smoky Mountains © William Britten use with permission only

Smoky Mountain Llamas

Posted by Bill on April 12, 2017 in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 0 Comments

A packtrain of llamas is used to carry bed linens and supplies to Mt. LeConte Lodge. The llamas are easier on the heavily used Great Smoky Mountains National Park trails than horses.

In the picture below the llamas are passing behind Grotto Falls. Normally, the packtrain makes the trip from the Grotto Falls Parking area on the Roaring Fork Motor Trail on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Departure is often just around daybreak, and return between 3:00 and 5:00 in the afternoon.

Llamas behind Grotto Falls © William Britten use with permission only

Those Crazy Kayakers

Posted by Bill on March 19, 2017 in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 0 Comments

Kayaking in the Smoky Mountains — Kayaking on the Little Pigeon River in the Greenbrier

Smoky Mountain Kayaker — Kayaking in the Smokies

Whenever the creeks of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park swell with rainfall, which is often in the springtime, the kayakers come forth.

It seems like a daring adventure to me, and a paradoxical compromise between going with the flow and aggressively making your own path.

These folks must watch the weather like tornado chasers, ready to strap the kayak on the roof of the car at a moment’s notice.

The confluence of the Ramsays Prong and Porters Creek in the Greenbrier section seems to offer an attractive, boulder-strewn course. And similar conditions can be found with a good launching area in the Chimneys Picnic Area.

Please stop in and visit me to see the complete display of Smoky Mountain Photography at the William Britten Gallery in Gatlinburg, TN.

Green Rocks of the Roaring Fork

Posted by Bill on March 17, 2017 in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Nature. 0 Comments

Something green for St. Patrick’s Day. Nothing greener in the Great Smoky Mountains than the moss-covered rocks of the Roaring Fork. Conditions on the north face of Mt. LeConte create an extremely wet environment and a rich lushness of plant life. There may be no better example than the amazing green rocks and boulders along the Roaring Fork creek, with moss so thick that it becomes a world unto itself.

The Roaring Fork makes it’s steep run from the summit of Mt. LeConte to the condos of Gatlinburg through a jumble of green-carpeted boulders. See the Featured Photo: Place of 1000 Drips for another example of how constant moisture gives the moss an exceptional foothold along the Roaring Fork.

Please stop in and visit me to see the complete display of Smoky Mountain Photography at the William Britten Gallery in Gatlinburg, TN.

The Life of Wood

Posted by Bill on March 8, 2017 in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 0 Comments

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 its own. Or perhaps it is the life of the pioneers that remains within the wood. The example above is a classic dove-tail joint used to stack the log walls and keep them tight. The cabin is one you can see in the Cades Cove area of the Park.

The two images below are from cabins at the Mountain Farm Museum near the Cherokee entrance to the Smokies. Notice the nifty crude hinges made from horse-shoes on the barn door in the lower right image.

The final two pictures below are from the Smoky Mountain Hiking Club cabin on the Porters Creek Trail in the Greenbrier Section of the Park. The first image shows another example of a dovetail joint.

Smoky Mountain Spirituality

Posted by Bill on March 2, 2017 in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, philosophy. 0 Comments

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 winter, there’s a gallery of quotations down below. If the words are hard to read, click on any image, and you should get a full size slide show. (put your mouse over the right or left side of each picture to rotate through the slide show) I’ve tried to set each of the quotations within a supportive image.

Finding Deep Peace in Wild Places

Posted by Bill on March 13, 2016 in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, philosophy, Spiritual Sunday. 5 Comments

Deep Peace in the Smokies © William Britten use with permission only

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, to recalibrate and rebalance. I feel lucky to live in such a spiritual place.

My Smoky Mountains photos reflect this search for deep peace and reassurance in nature. The image above especially captures the dark and moody woods juxtaposed with the bright and hopeful morning sunlight. It’s a place to sit by the never-ending cascade and contemplate the cycles of life. The sunlight changes by the minute and yet is forever the same. The rocks sit in the stream for eons, and yet they too are following a cycle of upheaval and settling.

The next time you visit the Smokies, try pulling off the road to sit by the deep woods cascades of the Roaring Fork or the awesome views of Cades Cove. And please consider a stop at the William Britten Gallery on the historic Arts and Crafts Trail along Glades Road in Gatlinburg. In my complete display of Smoky Mountains photos you may find a special memory to remember the peace of the mountains.

Autumn Snow in the Smokies

Posted by Bill on November 9, 2012 in Gatlinburg, Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 0 Comments

Smoky Mountains with Snow above Gatlinburg © William Britten use with permission only

The last week of October 2012, the long arms of Hurricane Sandy produced a Smoky Mountains wonderland of snow in autumn. The Smokies offered stunning photos from all the overlooks. The photo above was taken from the Gatlinburg by-pass, with the Park Vista hotel in the lower left corner, and the Roaring Fork Motor Trail heading up the valley in the center of the picture. This was the same location that produced some fabulous photos last April of a spring snowfall.

The photo below was taken from Campbell Overlook, showing the western shoulder of Mt. LeConte. Total snowfall in the highest elevations was nearly 3 feet!

Mt. LeConte from Campbell Overlook © William Britten use with permission only

The trail to the Chimneys is a favorite Smoky Mountains hike. In the photos below the Chimneys are the two bumps on the left side. This is a rugged climb under the best of conditions, but snow and ice make it a special challenge.

If you are visiting the Smokies, please consider a stop at the William Britten Gallery along the historic Arts and Crafts Trail on Glades Rd. in Gatlinburg. The gallery features Smoky Mountains landscape photos, as well as magnets, mugs, and notecards.

Chimneys after autumn snow © William Britten use with permission only

Cades Cove: Elijah Oliver Homestead

Posted by Bill on July 27, 2012 in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 1 Comment

All of the Smoky Mtns photos on this page are of the Elijah Oliver cabin. Elijah was John Oliver’s son, and he was born in Cades Cove in 1824. After a time away from the Smoky Mountains, he returned to Cades Cove after the Civil War. Notice the “strangers room” enclosed on the front porch. Smoky Mountains hospitality was so well known that hunters and fishermen travelled, knowing that the mountaineers would give them lodging at no charge.

This homestead is one of the stops along the Cades Cove Loop Road in the Smoky Mountains. Park your car and take the short hike to the cabin and outbuildings–it is very much worth the time and effort to see this fine example of an Early American log cabin and barn.

A Homestead Barn © William Britten use with permission only

Please stop in and visit me to see the complete display of my Smoky Mtns photos at the William Britten Gallery in Gatlinburg, TN. I’m located in Morning Mist Village, along the historic Arts and Crafts loop on Glades Rd.

Smoky Mtns photos © William Britten use with permission only

Smoky Mountains History: Rainbow Falls

Posted by Bill on July 24, 2012 in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, History of the Smokies. 1 Comment

Smoky Mtns photos: Rainbow Falls (colorized) © Knox County Public Library

Rainbow Falls has been a popular Smokies hiking destination since long before the formation of the National Park. LeConte Creek plunges near 80 feet over a massive cliff face that Harvey Broome called an “ethereal diorama,” creating the highest single-drop waterfall in the Smokies. The photos on this page were taken by Knoxville photographer Jim Thompson at various times in the 1920s and 1930s.

The trailhead to the waterfall is located on Cherokee Orchard Road, at the start of the Roaring Fork Motor Trail, just outside Gatlinburg. For most of the 2.6 mile route to Rainbow Falls, you will have LeConte Creek as your companion. It’s a steady climb as you begin the ascent of Mt. LeConte. If you follow the trail all the way to the LeConte summit, you will have gained almost 4000 feet in elevation over a 6.7 mile hike.

During the time of homesteaders, before the advent of the National Park, LeConte Creek was known as Mill Creek … so named because of nearly a dozen grist mills that supported the surrounding farming community.

Rainbow Falls, Winter 1925 © Knox County Public Library

Thompson’s notes on the winter scene above: “A Wintery phenomenon at Rainbow Falls, a stalactite 24 feet long and a stalagmite 36 feet high formed on Le Conte Creek during below zero weather. A misty stream is all that is left unfrozen to fall through the cylinder opening of the formation.”

Photos used with permission of C.M. McClung Historical Collection, Knox County Public Library.

If you’re vacationing in the Smokies, please consider a visit to the William Britten Gallery, located along the historic Arts and Crafts Trail on Glades Rd. in Gatlinburg. You’ll find my complete display of Smoky Mtns photos, plus magnets, notecards and mugs.

Smoky Mtns Photos © Knox County Public Library

Cades Cove: Henry Whitehead Cabin

Posted by Bill on July 20, 2012 in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 12 Comments

Henry Whitehead cabin in Cades Cove © William Britten use with permission only

Matilda “Aunt Tildy” Shields married Henry Whitehead after her first husband ran off. Henry built the house pictured above in the Chestnut Flats area of Cades Cove in 1895. Notice the brick chimney! This structure might be called the ultimate log cabin, or sometime called a “transition house” due to its near-perfect construction from logs sawed straight and flat at a nearby mill. Soon the mill-sawed lumber would replace log cabins with frame construction.

Look more closely, and you will see that behind the grand transition cabin sits a much more crude and smaller cabin of logs with a stone rubble chimney. Matilda’s brothers quickly built this cabin when her husband deserted her, and before Henry Whitehead courted and married her, and built her Smoky Mountains dream home.

Henry Whitehead Cabin © William Britten use with permission only

Matilda’s son from her first marriage, Josiah “Joe Banty” Gregory, became a prominent producer of moonshine in Cades Cove during Prohibition.

Please stop in and visit me to see the complete display of Smoky Mountains Photos at the William Britten Gallery in Gatlinburg, TN. I’m located in Morning Mist Village, along the historic Arts and Crafts loop on Glades Rd.

Look Up!

Posted by Bill on July 8, 2012 in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, philosophy, Spiritual Sunday. 0 Comments

In the Treetops © William Britten use with permission only

It’s a Spiritual Sunday again. Time to ponder whatever comes to mind. Like walking in the Smokies with your head pointed upwards. Watch the squirrels jump from treetop to treetop. Appreciate the soft sunlight filtering down through the canopy. Maybe spot a woodpecker at work.

These two Smoky Mtns photos illustrate a simple philosophy: look up! Studies show that a positive outlook and reaction to life’s unexpected detours are a key to happiness and longevity. It’s not always easy, and it takes some faith to know that the even the dark areas in your life’s picture add to the overall beauty. Just as in these pictures, it’s the contrasts between light and dark that give the scene some “pop.”

The treetops pictured above are some of the big trees along the trail above Laurel Falls. The photo below is a stand of Poplars along the Roaring Fork. They probably took over the cleared forest after the logging operations of the 1920s, or after the homesteaders moved out. They’re all competing for a small piece of the sunshine pie. No time to relax and stretch your limbs. No time to be an individual. You need to grow fast and straight to establish yourself, just like those around you.

Please stop in and visit me to see the complete display of Smoky Mtns Photos at the William Britten Gallery in Gatlinburg, TN. I’m located in Morning Mist Village, along the historic Arts and Crafts Trail on Glades Rd.