View allAll Photos Tagged TableRock
After a day to restore body and bike, 63-mile ride from Bandon to Gold Beach. A beautiful day along the coast. Caught up with fellow cyclists that I met in Pacific City.
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Looking westward with a wonderful view of the setting sun from Table Rock Mountain on the east rim of Linville Gorge all the way to Black Mountain, the tallest ridge in the background I sit and contemplate what is ahead and what is behind.
Linville Gorge is a unique and fascinating geologic feature in western North Carolina that has the nickname of the grand canyon of the east. From the top of Table Rock Mountain one can hear waters of the Linville River flowing through the valley almost 2,000 feet below.
These shots were taken along Carrick Creek, part of South Carolina's Table Rock State Park. While the Carrick Creek portion is rather tame, this is also used as a starting point for rigorous hikes to Table Rock and Pinnacle Mountain. It's a great place to begin an adventure.
The destination this weekend was to the crest of Hawksbill Mountain and the ephemerally beautiful Carolina rhododendron that adorns it. I started the trail up to the top around 4 AM and it was evident with my flashlight shining back at me that the mountain was wrapped in fog, or rather cloud, at this altitude. My thoughts were that I might get above it at the top, but no such luck. Energy from the rising sun burned it away, however, leaving fog in the low valleys and a dramatic sky overhead.
That morning progressed from gloom to what led to this image... a good impression of what rises above Linville Gorge, from Wiseman's View across the gorge on the right to Table Rock on the left. You can also see the Black Mountain Range obscured by cloud in the distance on the right, where Mount Mitchell, the highest mountain east of the Mississippi, lays along its spine.
This panorama consists of 6 vertical images stitched in CSS Photoshop Adobe Camera RAW, with a final output of 72"x24".
~Lake of Solitude~
A kayaker taking in the peace and solitude of an early autumn day on Lake Oolenoy in Table Rock State Park, South Carolina.
This beautiful park is located approximately fifteen minutes from the historic mountain town of Pickens, which I call home these days.
I feel blessed to live in such a beautiful part of the world and to be able to call the Blue Ridge Mountains my home.
Wishing everyone a safe and prosperous weekend ahead, and thank you for stopping by to view my photos.
© 2020 Johan Hakansson Photography, All Rights Reserved.
This morning's sunrise at the Linville Gorge Wilderness.
For those of you that don't know about the US Forest Service plan to burn the Linville Gorge and you care about the 1964 Wilderness Act designation go to: www.savelgw.org/
I picked these around the Lodge at Table Rock in South Carolina.
Explored! Highest position: 199 on Tuesday, June 20, 2017
Happy Independence Day, America!
I don't think another country in the world can rival the U.S. in terms of its sheer abundance of natural diversity. From deserts in the Southwest to humid swamps in the Southeast, this country offers a climate and landscape to practically satisfy any desire.
While it's easy to get your focus pulled into all the negativity spread around the world today, it's important to take a step back and simply enjoy a walk in our beautiful nature, and allow its soothing sounds to dissipate these problems.
I think that's why I enjoy being outside so much, exploring and photographing the beauty of the outdoors; it allows me to focus on what's really important - being alive, and immersed with life.
Wherever you are, and whatever you do on this 4th of July - and each and every day in between - I hope it is what you enjoy doing. And if not, I hope that what you ARE doing is bringing you one step closer to getting to do what it is you love to do.
Wishing everyone a wonderful rest of this U.S. Independence Day week!
And as always, thank you for stopping by to view my photos.
© Johan Hakansson Photography, All Rights Reserved.
In SoCal, the thin dark line on the horizon is what you want to see, if you're in search of gorgeous sunsets. It's the LA/OC haze pushed out to sea by a high pressure inversion and light offshore winds--kind of a mini Sana Ana condition.
The haze was there in the morning, and sat there all day. When the wispy high clouds began to sweep in, the makings of a great sunset were in place, even though the day was otherwise dull, gray, and dreary, As the sun approaches the horizon on days like this, it's filtered by the haze and casts a gorgeous warm light on the clouds.
The most spectacular sunsets in my memory happened almost daily in the pre-EPA sixties during autumn months, when heavy smog was the norm. Although I hated the smog in those days, I do miss those deep red sunsets.
This yellow table-rock near the rim of the Grand Canyon is a striking contrast the red sandstone that is more common in the canyon.
The Grand Canyon is part of the Colorado River basin which has developed over the past 70 million years. The Grand Canyon became an official national monument in 1908 and a national park in 1919.
It has been a while since I have posted anything, due to a prolonged cold that hit me on New Year's Eve, from which I am still in recovery.
This image was supposed to have been my last for 2015, but it will instead by my first for 2016.
I captured this dramatic scene while camping out at Caesars Head State Park at the Foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in South Carolina early one morning back in November 2015.
The weather turned out dreary, and heavy fog was moving in and out of the valley like ocean tides.
When I thought the weather was giving way to some warming sunlight, new layers of heavy clouds would roll in, leaving me in disappointment once more.
I used a hand towel to cover up my camera, which was getting wet from all the fog, but the towel was, obviously, only soaking up the dampness and getting more wet as time went by, leaving me wondering how much longer I could remain, for the sake of my equipment.
Looking across the valley floor into the distance, I could see nothing but white...but I knew The Rock was out there, somewhere, looking back at me.
When my watch timer indicated I had been at this spot for two-and-a-half hours and no sign of breakage in the clouds was evident, I began to consider packing up.
And then, almost precisely on cue with my thoughts of perpetual disappointment, there was a Revelation - Mother Nature calmed, the clouds cleared, the sun so eager to shine its warmth upon the Earth, unveiled itself before me.
And as its light shone upon The Rock and the final remnants of autumn colors in the valley below, the clouds illuminating with the golden-hour light, a deep sense of gratitude empowered me as I clicked the shutter...
I hope you like the result? Your comments are welcomed, your Faves even more appreciated.
Thank you for taking the time to read my story and view this photograph, and I hope it finds you well and safe.
Here's to a excitement-filled and opportunistic 2016!
Johan
Copyright 2015 | Johan Hakansson Photography | All Rights Reserved.
After a day to restore body and bike, 63-mile ride from Bandon to Gold Beach. A beautiful day along the coast. Caught up with fellow cyclists that I met in Pacific City.
Scouting the Blue Ridge with a camera is always a favorite for me and Linville Gorge is continually at the top of the list. I was here with friends, who also know the joys of the gorge, in the dead of night at Wiseman’s View to attempt a shot of the Brown Mountain Lights… we got a few more lights than we bargained for. This storm dumped a good bit of rain on us and shuffled off across the gorge. I got quite a few shots of lightning dancing across the ridge there at Table Rock, a mile and a quarter from where I was. I’ve always loved thunder and lightning… this storm did not disappoint, as there was no lag time between zap and boom!
I managed quite a few photos of strikes along the ridge, though this one is the most remarkable. It’s obviously a particularly hot one, ionizing the air around it noticeably as brilliant plasma. It blinded me for a few seconds, as it was about as dark as it gets there. I've never seen one quite like this before, but after years of exploring Linville Gorge, nothing surprises me anymore. The folks camping up there at the ridge that night, however, likely can’t make that statement. Neither can the bears of the Charmin clan up there, who probably used their entire supply afterward. I would have loved to have heard their stories the next morning, although being campers, they are not too far removed from fisherman and their antics... just the same, a well-stated tall tale is often much more entertaining than the truth. As for me, after a long day in the wilderness, I slept the sleep of the just that night at the Parkview Lodge. My stories the next morning had photos to back them up... ha!
Wilderness has important lessons for us all and stands in contrast with areas where humans and their works dominate the landscape. It’s an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by people and where we are only visitors.
After a day to restore body and bike, 63-mile ride from Bandon to Gold Beach. A beautiful day along the coast. Caught up with fellow cyclists that I met in Pacific City.
After a day to restore body and bike, 63-mile ride from Bandon to Gold Beach. A beautiful day along the coast. Caught up with fellow cyclists that I met in Pacific City.
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The mighty Table Rock lit by the evening's last light as seen from Caesars Head State Park in South Carolina.
This enormous granitoid gneiss is the beacon of South Carolina's Upstate and rests at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Inhabited by the Cherokee in the days of yore, these great people referred to this area as Sah-ka-na-ga, meaning the Great Blue Hills of God.
According to Cherokee legend, the Great Spirit, Wakan Tanka, would use the top of this mountain as a table from which to eat his meals, hence its current title.
I feel blessed to live within a short driving distance of this beautiful area, which offers miles upon miles of hiking trails and other outdoor activities.
Have you ever visited Table Rock State Park in South Carolina? If not, I highly recommend the trip!
Thank you for stopping by to look, and many blessings for a prosperous week ahead!
© 2019 Johan Hakansson Photography, All Rights Reserved.
Reflections of Table Rock Mountain in the lake below. This was taken from the side of a bridge with cars whizzing by at 50mph! Although the lake wasn't totally smooth - we were there midday - I liked the rippled reflection.
After a day to restore body and bike, 63-mile ride from Bandon to Gold Beach. A beautiful day along the coast. Caught up with fellow cyclists that I met in Pacific City.
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Bandon Beach, one of the most breathtaking sights of Oregon coastline. The place is beautiful, peaceful, and pristine.
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After a day to restore body and bike, 63-mile ride from Bandon to Gold Beach. A beautiful day along the coast. Caught up with fellow cyclists that I met in Pacific City.
Looking into Grafton Notch in Maine on a recent winter afternoon. Ice fills the potholes on this summit while some wild looking low clouds flow over the other side of the notch. I love winter hiking, the scenery is so amazing when it's all covered in snow! I was well protected in the woods on the way up on this hike, but as soon as I came out onto the open ledges I was blasted by wind, not crazy wind but enough to make it interesting while I photographed the scene.
After a day to restore body and bike, 63-mile ride from Bandon to Gold Beach. A beautiful day along the coast. Caught up with fellow cyclists that I met in Pacific City.
The Linville Gorge is located in western North Carolina. It's a wonderful wilderness area. What better way to take it all in but from atop Hawksbill Mountain. You can see Tablerock in the upper left section of the photo.
Thanks for viewing my photos. Comments are always welcome.
Please visit www.reidnorthrupphotography.com to purchase prints.
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Copyright © Reid Northrup, 2019. All Rights Reserved, Worldwide. Please don't use my photos in any way without permission.