HIKE TO BURGESS FALLS
(Click on any image to enlarge it)
(Click on any image to enlarge it)
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| Pentax K5, 18-135mm Lens, f/8.0, 1/190sec, ISO 400 |
Burgess Falls State Park and Natural Area, located on the Falling Water River, is a day-use park, noted for its natural beauty and four waterfalls that cascade down from over 250 feet in elevation. The last of these falls is the most spectacular, plunging more than 136 feet into the gorge.
The area was originally populated by Native Americans of the Cherokee Creek and Chickasaw tribes. These tribes used the land as a hunting ground until the late 19th century when a gristmill and sawmill began operating on the river. My dad’s mother was 50% Cherokee who married Judge Gilbert and migrated from the Kentucky/Tennessee area. I have learned over the years that there are a lot of Gilbert’s in these areas. The Falling Water River was used to generate hydroelectric power for the city of Cookeville from 1928-1944. In 1973, the territory became a designated Tennessee State Natural Area, protecting the diverse forest and aquatic habitats.
A steep trail ends near the top of the main waterfall. This is not an easy hike; the trail from the main overlook to the top of the main falls can be strenuous. Most people prefer to hike back to the parking lot along the service road. The one-half mile Ridge Top Trail is very scenic with views down the main canyon of Falling Water River. All trails are foot trails.
We took the River Trail which follows the Falling Water River. This 1.5-mile round-trip River Trail/Service Road Loop is a moderately strenuous hike, taking visitors past the waterfalls and ending at the main overlook. There are sections that include handrails whenever the trail takes a steep descent as well as steps and bridges. It has been 6 years since I was last there so there may be new additions to the trail. This is on my bucket list to re-visit soon.
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| Pentax K5, 18-135mm lens, f/8, 1/30sec, ISO400 |
The waterfalls consist of a 20’ cascade, 30’ upper falls, 80’ middle falls, and 136’ lower falls in height. Back then each of these areas was easily visible as we traveled the trail. Also, we went in February so the trees were without leaves which made visibility much better. It was also very cold. The below image is of the first major cascade. From my first trip out west, I became infatuated with smooth flowing water. Some call it creamy as well as the cotton-candy effect. Different shutter speeds and the force of the water flow can create different texture in the water. So it should come as no surprise that I shot and still shoot a lot of long exposures. I loved these cascades with their numerous tiers and strong flowing water. The water was really clear and it was a sunny day with lots of clouds. As the clouds moved they would shield the sun creating some great defused lighting for shooting water and waterfalls. When setting up for this shot I visualized the textures of the trees and wanted a creamy look to the water. Smooth and rough.
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| Nikon D600, Nikor 24-70mm lens, f/10, .3sec, ISO 100, EV+2 |
I think this next image is of the upper part of the 30’ upper falls. I really liked the way the light was hitting this as well as the coarseness of the rocks and colors in the background left over from fall’s foliage. There was a lot of contrasts here as well as vertical and horizontal lines. I used matrix metering or average metering. Because the sun was hitting the water between the clouds I composed my scene, then exposed for the brightest areas. Shooting in RAW with a full frame sensor made it possible for me to recover the shadows and dark areas in post-processing. The same holds true for cropped sensor cameras, compose for the highlights, and recover the shadows. If the contrast is too great I would bracket the shots and blend in processing.
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| Nikon D600, 24-70mm lens, f/8,1.3sec, ISO 100, EV+2 |
At the halfway mark, we came across the Middle Falls. There is an observation platform here and I don’t recall if there was a trail to take us down to get a closer view of this falls but I don’t think so. For me, this was a hard shot as it was noon, by the sun’s time, and the sun was shining right down on the water which can really blow out the highlights. Again I exposed for the highlights and recovered the shadows and darks in post-processing. This would have been a good candidate for multiple exposures and then blending them together later in post.
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| Pentax K5, Pentax 12.24mm lens, f/8, 0.8sec, ISO 100, EV+2 |
As you get closer to Burgess Falls there are several small little creek type falls or runoffs. These can make for some great photo-shoots. Some of these areas are shaded and wet and provide a perfect habitat for moss to grow. This adds a lot of green and yellow color to the subject. As we got closer to the falls we found areas were the dripping water had frozen to form some nice ice-cycles.
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| Pentax K5, Pentax 18-135mm lens, f/10, 0.5sec, ISO 100 |
Originally I was not going to include any images of the metal stairs to the base but after doing some research to see if it was still there, I learned that its supports eroded away due to heavy rains so getting to the base is no longer an option. As I write this I realize what a great opportunity we had and how fragile our ecology is. There are two images here, the first one is the metal stairs we went through starting at the crown of Burgess Falls. The second image shows the stairs and how much further we had to descend just to get to the base. From the stairs, we were able to get to a leveled earth area immediately next to the falls, about halfway from its top. This area was very wet and slippery due to the water spray coming off the falls. Doug and I continued to the base. Usually, I carry a 50-foot rope with me. It comes in handy when you need to climb out of a steep hill or ravine. The first image shows the inside of the stairs cage.
This next image is from the base of the falls looking back to the metal stairs. From here to the base was a challenge.
After the metal stairway, we stopped to photograph Burgess. Our point of view was a side look at the center of the falls. Even today I can recall the sound of the water it was so loud we had trouble talking to one another. I will link to a video clip I took. Not too far from this point, yet still not at the base, I set up for one of many compositions. The next image is probably one of my favorites. It reminds me of a veil.
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| Nikon D600, 24-70mm lens, f/11,0.6sec, ISO 200, EV+0.33 |
Finally at the foot of the falls. The power of this waterfall accompanied by its sound is scary and daunting while it is mesmerizing and tranquil at the same time. I could only imagine what this would be like during the spring rains. Doug and I stay here for an hour or two trying to get the right composition. I took hundreds of pictures looking upstream to the falls and downstream to the canyon and from numerous angles but this composition made me feel like I was spying on greatness yet hidden from the falls should it strikeout. The beauty of photographing with others is that each person gives their own view of what they saw. It always amazes me that three people in the same location photographing the same subject will produce three different versions.
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| Nikon D600, 24-70mm lens, f/10, 1/16sec, ISO 200, EV+2 |
Video Clip
John Gilbert
Gilbej49@gmail.com
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