“At the Touch of This Divine Light…”
“…the mountains seemed to kindle to a rapt, religious consciousness, and stood hushed like devout worshipers waiting to be blessed.”
Today was really a wonderful day. I still spend quite a bit of time each day meeting people and planning different projects and meetings, but today was the first day I had a good chunk of time to go out and do what I wanted. And I got to do it in style…
One of the perks of being an Artist-In-Residence is that I have access to a park vehicle essentially whenever I want it.
There are literally countless waterfalls and cascades in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, so I decided to start visiting some of them. Thankfully, most required some hiking, meaning less tourists and a chance for me to stretch my legs! I got some great video footage of these waterfalls, but I forgot to take pictures! (Sorry mom)
So with a bit of time left in the afternoon and no interest in going back to my apartment yet, I decided to try Clingmans Dome again. Two days ago my attempt to catch sunset was thwarted by massive clouds engulfing the mountaintop, but I had a feeling things would be different today…
I was completely humbled and enamored by the show that I got tonight. I got there over an hour early, so I could get an idea of how cloudy it would be. At 6,643 feet above sea level, it gets kind of cold (and windy!), so I was shivering by the time I left. But it was all completely worth it!
I never doubted that this would be a great experience, but today definitely reinforced all my excitement for my five weeks here. Hopefully I can accomplish great things this weekend!
Before I go, here’s the first video I’ve created so far in the Smokies! It’s a short timelapse of sunset tonight, and I’m really pleased how it turned out!
Music: “Great High Mountain” by Jack White