The Cataloochee section of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a part of the park that I think about often… but rarely make it over to. It’s a substantial drive from where we live, and frankly you pass so many other beautiful spots to get there that it some times just doesn’t feel like it’s worth the effort. Terrible attitude, I know. Well a couple weeks ago one of my photography friends was in town and we were feeling froggy, so we decided to head that way for sunrise… which meant I had to leave my house around 3:30 AM! That was painful. At any rate, what I wasn’t planning on was the fact that the North Carolina side of the park was substantially behind the rest of the park as far as foliage, so when we showed up, you would have thought it was the dead of winter! Everywhere EXCEPT around Palmer Chapel. For whatever reason, there was a little splash of color right around this pretty little Methodist Church, and with the sun coming in from the side it setup a nice scene. All was not lost. My friend and I decided that we should definitely make this trip again in the fall as it looks like it could be quite spectacular when the trees are turning, so you may see more pictures like this in the future! It’s a neat place for sure.
–Dan Thompson