Boone, NC || 11 Oct 2016
I was fortunate enough to have both Sunday and Monday off from work this week, so I took the opportunity to embark on another short journey out west. I ended up in Boone, NC yet again. I love the small-town feel, I love the mountains, and I love the chill in the air. My sister and brother-in-law were visiting the same town for a wedding and wanted to met up for a hike. I had my camera with me so I offered to snap a few photos of them for fun. We drove up to Elk Knob State Park. It was established in the last decade in order to protect the second highest peak in Watauga County from being developed for summer condos. My car hated both the trip up and down– the road I took was quite steep and narrow with some tight hairpin turns. The hiking trail wasn’t much easier– Elk Knob is steep and hilly. Fortunatley for us, it was graveled and well kept. That being said, my knees were throbbing by the end of the hike!
The views made up for the pain tenfold– I don’t particularly fancy landscapes from the peaks along the Appalachian mountain range, but I was entralled with the topography I was able to see from the end of the hiking trail. I also found that I was much more inspired to take more detailed nature photos along our journey. I saw hundreds of ferns growing on either side of the path, and I stopped every few minutes to snap a few shots of them. I also saw much more moss and lichen than I’m used to– I feel so connected with nature when I travel to the mountains!
I find it difficult to leave the mountains every time I visit. Luckily for me, I already have a trip planned for next weekend!
These are a few of my favorite images from the hike. If you are looking for portraits for your annual holiday card, or for any other occasion, head to my contact page or shoot me an email and we can set something up!
