For the last – I actually don’t know how many years now – I’ve spent a TON of time up at Tremont, exploring the streams and enjoying what that area of the Great Smoky Mountains has to offer. Last fall, however, I was really inspired while exploring around in Elkmont, and decided to spend more time there. This current series will share some of the fruits of those efforts, including this week’s Picture of the Week, Bluets in the Stream. What originally struck me about Elkmont were the chimneys, which serve as reminders to the area’s past, but I’ve since really fallen in love with the streams there: Jake’s Creek and the Little River.
While leading the Spring Photography Workshop, I happened to notice a lot of flowers blooming in and around Jakes Creek, which I thought was awesome. This particular bunch of bluets were actually blooming in the middle of the stream on a patch of moss that had found root in a pile of rocks; pretty unique! Now that I’ve been back multiple times since the spring, I’ve noticed all sorts of things blooming by the water. I’m not 100% sure, but given the proximity to where the houses were, I’m guessing some of what I’ve spotted must have been planted around by the families that used to live there.
More next week!
–Dan Thompson