Great Smoky Mountains N.P.

[soydios]

For fall break last month I went to Tennessee/North Carolina's Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Taken with a D90 and 18-200mm VR lens (broad views with circular polarizer):
a trail
single photo from rock slide area on Boulevard Trail
panorama from rock slide area on Boulevard Trail (downsized and heavily compressed for web, full resolution is 13593x3725; stitched using Microsoft ICE)
panorama from Myrtle Point (downsized and heavily compressed for web, full resolution is 19779x2436; stitched using Microsoft ICE and Adobe Photoshop CS2 Automerge)
Blue Smoky Mountains

My computer just about died during the Photoshop Automerge.
Microsoft ICE is pretty decent for a free stitching program, and it's fast. The UI is pretty limited, but it does a better job than Photoshop CS2 Automerge, as long as your shot discipline is good. I needed to use Automerge on the Myrtle Point panorama because I moved a few feet between halves of the pano (oops).
The hike was a killer for me. It was somewhere between 15-18 miles and totally worth it, but I was beat once we got to the bottom. Terrain map. We hiked from Newfound Gap to Mount Kephart via the Appalachian Trail, then to Mount LeConte via the Boulevard Trail, then down via the Alum Cave Trail.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

Very cool

15-18 miles is a TOUGH hike... I'm personally in no shape to do something like that with a backpack on in one day, and I'd be too scared to attempt something like that without overnight gear because I wouldn't be sure if I could do that in a day, meaning if I couldn't, I'd find myself on the trail having to spend the night without overnight gear.

Did you happen to hit up Cades Cove or Clingman's Dome? Almost died on top of Clingman's Dome one time. I rescued three generations of one family from a cold night in their car at Cade's Cove a couple of days before the Clingman's Dome thing.

 

[soydios]

I went with two friends, one of whom has hiked the trail several times in the past (he says he's very sure he won't do it in December again).

Sadly we didn't get to see Cades Cove. We would've gone there if we had one more day.

 

[GrJohnso]

Nice shots... What's up with the hand rail (cable) along the trail? I've been on a few trails that should have one, but not used to actually seeing one like that... (cables on Half Dome tourist route not included)

- G

 

[IronWing]

That's not the Smokies, there's blue sky in those pictures!

Very nice photos. I have never seen the Smokies in the sunlight before. Always rain or snow and forever in mist.

 

[Eltano1]

I love the Smokies, Ironwing is right, weird to see the blue sky, but nevertheless, a beatiful place to visit. I was in Northen Georgia a month ago (Hellen, GA) and visited the Tallulah Falls, went around the circuit (down and up again, in total over 1100 steps), I'm so out of shape that my legs hurt for over two weeks (my wife was even worst, she suffered for more than a month).
We have only 2 days of SOME blue sky, the rest was rain and overcast, but I will go back at any time, I love the Blue Ridge, Appalachians that I can't get tired.

Eltano


BTW, really nice pictures, I have a long way to go, to take pictures like that, somehow I always I messed up in some settings.

I have a D40X, with a 18-55 and a 55-200, eventually will ask for advise on what other lense I need to add to my toys.

 

[soydios]

@Eltano: I was using a D90 with 18-200mm. Your D40x with 18-55mm should be able to take identical landscape shots. Use a circular polarizer to cut through the haze.

@GrJohnso: The handcable is there for inclement weather, namely rain.