September 1-4, 2021

Photography on the Road Episode 2: Smoky Mountain Adventure Photography

Welcome to episode 2 of Photography on the Road!

In this episode Trevor and I spend 3 days in the rainy mountain tops of the Great Smoky Mountains. It took us 2 whole years to get here! Well it was only an 11 hour drive to get there but it was a 2 year battle to get Trevor to go on this camping trip with me. This Trip was actually suppose to be a Montana Work trip but it ended up getting canceled so why not use the free time to go on a short 4 day trip to the Great Smoky Mountains.

This was the trusty rig we used for our travels out to the Smokies. A 2015 Toyota RAV4. All of our gear fit into the back of it with ease. Shout out to my mother for letting us use her car for this incredible trip.

*a very unexpected trail to the campsite*

There seemed to be an abundance of wild life where we had set base camp. I was hoping to see a bear but unfortunately none decided to show up.

This was the last trip I used my 1DX Mark ii on. This was bitter sweet for me. The 1DXii is by far my favorite camera I’ve owned. It’s an absolute tank and took everything I threw at it. I’m so glad that I was able to bring it on one last trip before I switched to the Canon r6. See why I love the 1dx mark ii. It rained every day while we were in the mountains and having gear you trust is key. We didn’t have any form of covering for our cameras so anytime it rained they were getting wet. Speaking of gear let me tell you the one piece of gear that saved me on this trip.

If you have ever gone on a hike and came back drenched because you didn’t have a layer keeping you dry than you know how important having a rain jacket is. The Arc’teryx Beta AR jacket was the essential piece of gear for this trip. Staying dry is super important especially when camping. I absolutely love this jacket. I have been wearing my dads old arc’teryx jacket just like this one for years and decided maybe I should just buy my own. Full review on this jacket coming soon.

Base camp was located at Balsam Mountain Campground which is 5,310’ feet up in the clouds. Before we snuggled into our sleeping bags we were fortunate enough to capture the starry night sky. This was my first time shooting astrophotography. I forgot my tripod so I had to set my exposer and lay my camera screen down on the rocky ground. Another piece of gear I’m glad I bought before this trip was the Nemo Disco 15 sleeping bag. I am a side/stomach sleeper and having a sleeping bag that works with my sleeping style was crucial.

The first morning in the smokies, we woke up at 5am and set out for Chimney Tops trail. This was the highlight of the trip for me. Trevor on the other hand was not having it on this hike. The 4.40 total miles put a larger toll on us than we were originally expecting. Carrying upwards of 30 extra pounds of camera gear on our backs did not help with the ease of the climb.

The very last section of the trail was unfortunately closed but there was no way that I wasn’t going to get myself to the top. Although I don’t condone doing this it was well worth it. Summiting a peak of a mountain even of this small size is a feeling like no other. Being above the clouds while the sun is still coming up was such a beautiful site to see.

At this point it was reaching 9am without coffee so Trevor and I drove up to Newfound Gap and made some aeropress. This gave us the energy to go on our next trek, Clingmans dome.

Clingmans Dome is a mountain in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina. It sits at 6,643' feet with a beautiful drive up to the parking lot where you are welcomed with a mildly steep 1 mile hike to the top. My personal opinion, parking lot has better views than the summit.

After our hikes and lack of genuine food we headed back to camp for the night. This would be our last night in the smokies. We had a lovely vegan buffalo Mac&Cheese for dinner which is just what we needed after this long day. We changed our original plans and opted to drive to Nashville the next day to get some of the best vegan food you’ll ever eat.

*actually crying over this donut and coffee*

If you are ever in Nashville there are three places you can’t miss. Honest Coffee Roasters has the best cup of coffee you’ll ever get the pleaser of drinking. Pair it with an incredible donut from Five Daughters Bakery. The ultimate lunch/dinner stop has to go to BE-Hive. All three of these places have a ton of incredible vegan options, hence why I love them so much, but honestly if I weren’t vegan I still would put this in my top places to stop in Nashville. They’re just that good!

This was such an incredible trip and although it took us two years to get here, the wait was worth it.

Thats all for this episode. Thanks so much for watching and reading. I love you. As always, live you life, have fun, and we’ll see you next time.

- Alex & Trevor