The Great Smoky Mountains in Fall

… and boy, were they Smoky.

After weeks of preparation, I set off to summit Mt. LeConte via the Alum Cave trail, one of the most popular in the park, and a personal favorite to boot. This would be my first time reaching the top.

Over the three-day trip, the views only came out for about 20 minutes. I was able to snap a quick panorama without the tripod and stitched it together in Hugin. I’ll have to go back and get a better one soon. Honestly, I'll take any excuse to get back up there I can get.

Le Conte boasts the highest prominence (5,301 ft / 1616 m) of any peak in the Eastern U.S., topping out at 6,500 feet (2010m) above sea level. The mountaintop’s “mini-biome” features the coolest set of foliage I’ve ever laid eyes on – towering evergreens, ferns of every color, moss clinging to everything – all fed by a roaring wind that hurtles smoky mist up the mountain from every direction.

My trusty X-T2 and 16-55/2.8 were anchored to the right shoulder strap of my Osprey pack with a Peak Design Capture Clip. I found this setup to be absolutely ideal. The constant 2.8 aperture was crucial for the low Smoky light. The weather resistance was key, as light rain fell constantly and unpredictably. Keeping one lens attached at all times kept dust and water out of the sensor – a lesson learned from my last trip. Even done carefully and quickly, a lens change against roaring mountain winds can load up a sensor with shot-destroying dust. C1’s spot removal does just fine, but I’d rather not rely on fixing things in post.

I did have to dismount the lens once to let fog, which had built up in the rear lens element, dissipate. To the hikers and outdoor photographers here – is there any way to prevent this from happening?

This trip allowed me to thoroughly vet my new tripod. You can almost pick a tripod out of a hat these days, and I went with the MeFoto Backpacker, with my buying decision centered around weight and folded size. This tripod fits perfectly in my pack, doesn’t break my back, is easy to set up quickly, and seems to be plenty sturdy for my needs. I simply dismounted the camera from the Capture Clip and fastened it onto the ball head. Easy as you like.

A few work best in black & white.

Any questions/comments/suggestions welcome. Thanks for reading.

Nice set of images, and I enjoyed the narrative, too. The smoky's are really beautiful, especially in fall, but man oh man the traffic!

Nice but colours seem a bit overcooked. B&W shots are nice.

athensGA wrote:

Nice set of images, and I enjoyed the narrative, too. The smoky's are really beautiful, especially in fall, but man oh man the traffic!

Thanks, and agreed! Thankfully I have a back way in from Nashville, but there's nothing quite like getting stuck behind a bus the whole way through the park 

Martin Silenus wrote:

Thanks for sharing the trip writeup and beautiful photos, Ian. #7 is my favorite of the bunch. The self portrait is great too.

Thanks! I came out looking for a shot just like that, and while that one was crazy hard to edit, I do like how it came out.

Do you pack the camera away in heavier rain? Or is the X-T2's weatherproofing good enough to not need that? I recall hearing the Smokey's nearly qualify as a temperate rain forest, and it certainly looks like it.

I did – only once, when I got caught in the worst rain of the trip – just didn't want to risk having it out. They certainly feel like a rainforest, especially up at that altitude! I was actually forced to shave a night off the trip because I wasn't waterproof enough.

MrSee wrote:

Nice but colours seem a bit overcooked. B&W shots are nice.

Thanks for the note!  These were RAWs processed in C1 with Velvia and the Contrast RGB curve.  I definitely wanted to go vibrant, but there's always a turning point right?

I enjoyed your post and photos. I’m also enjoying your old 55-200. (Sent from my iPhone)

Papa48 wrote:

I enjoyed your post and photos. I’m also enjoying your old 55-200.

What a stunner!!! I definitely miss it, but I’m so glad it went to a good home.

Beautiful shots, especially the leaf photo.