Chasing Light: Hiking Hawksbill Mountain to Photograph Flowers
Stunning sunrise and pink Carolina Rhododendron
I cringe as I set my alarm for 3:50 am. I have a 45-minute drive followed by a 1-mile uphill hike to the peak of Hawksbill Mountain and I want to be there before the first light of sunrise around 6 am.
I am up and out the door by 4:15. Everything was prepped last night, including the oatmeal I had for breakfast. The fewer decisions I need to make at 4 am the better. Batteries were charged, gear was checked and re-checked, lunch and snacks were packed, water bottles filled, and clothes laid out. This allowed me to move quickly in the morning and not worry about forgetting anything.
The roads are empty of all but a few cars making it an easy drive.
The last two miles are on a rough and curvy mountain forest road. I take my time to navigate the rough sections and arrive at a small gravel parking lot across from the trail head. I know this is a popular location for photographers while the flowers are blooming, so I knew I would have company this morning …but the company I ran into was very unexpected! More on that later.
It seems busy, but it was really only a few people and 5-6 cars. I put on my headlamp, grab my bag and tripod, and head for the trail.
The trail is just over 1.1 miles uphill with 700’ of elevation gain to the peak. The first 2/3 of the trail is a slow steady incline. The last 1/3 felt straight up a mountain face …which I guess it is!! It took 40 minutes to hike.
I follow several photographers from North Carolina and their photos of this location are what inspired me to take this trip. I met one of those photographers along the trail. It is hard to recognize people in the dark, but I recognized her dog, Nellie, and made a quick introduction and let her know I followed her on Instagram. You can check out Lisa’s photography on IG @wildwoodblessing and Nellie @whoanellietheaussie .
She was taking a moment to remove some layers so I continued up the trail. Near the top, I came to a small open area with three or four branching trails. This was my first time to the top and I wasn’t sure which way would be best. Lisa came through a few minutes later and kindly showed me the right place to get started.
We were 30 minutes ahead of sunrise so we talked about photography, Linville Gorge, and family and kids, etc. She showed me some of the best locations to shoot. It was nice to meet a photographer whose work I admired on IG and so willing to show me the best vantage points.
We were the first two at the peak. One other person came up to watch and four other photographers came up just before sunrise. We all spent some time walking around and looking for a starting point.
It was windy and I knew that would impact my ability to get sharp images, so I shot between gusts and increased my ISO to allow faster shutter speeds.
As the sun neared the horizon brilliant color flooded the sky with pinks and purples.
Golden hour is a special, fleeting, moment for a photographer, especially when they are as brilliant as this one. I try to balance moments of observation with shooting. Sometimes, when I get so absorbed in shooting, I feel like I missed the moment even though I captured it on camera.
I strive to do both …make a memory and capture a memory at the same time.
It was a blitz of photography for the next 20-30 minutes as the lighting transitioned from the first pink glow to daylight.
As things settled a bit one of the other photographers introduced herself as Leslie …which happened to be the same Leslie I have followed on IG for several years! It was quite a coincidence that all of us picked the same morning to photograph this location. She introduced me to the other three photographers. It was nice meeting them. Here are links to their IG accounts.
Leslie @leslie_restivo
Luke @jeffreylukesutton
Andre @andre.daugherty.photo
Maddie @maddielikestoadventure
What a wonderful surprise to meet these photographers on a random Wednesday morning!
Lisa slipped away to a quiet corner of the mountain to enjoy a moment with Nellie. She indicated there were some other views she wanted to show me so I headed that direction.
She pointed out this location that is quite difficult to photograph and get all the blooms in the frame. I had to lay on the ground and lean against a boulder while hanging over an edge (Not a cliff, just a short drop)
I thanked Lisa for good conversation and all the tips on shooting locations around the peak. She had leave to get back the Charlotte.
The iced coffee in the car was calling my name, but I didn’t have anywhere specific I needed to be so I took my time and explored the west side of the mountain. The peak is a large mass of angled rock covered in tightly grouped rhododendron bushes, stunted pine, and various small deciduous trees. Narrow paths weave through the rhodies in various directions …many less than shoulder width.
The warm light of golden hour faded but it was still beautiful. Some high clouds rolled in muting the typical harsh sunlight to a soft glow. I took my time to explore the area and look for new compositions.
That’s all the images for now. I don’t want to overwhelm you! I shot 245 from this location with many still to review and edit. I will share them over time as I reflect back on this trip.
It’s funny how time works when you can step away from daily life and live outside of your daily schedule. It felt like mid-day already, but my watch says 8:10am! The coffee was calling a little louder so I headed for the car.
Back at the car I unload my gear, take a refreshing drink of cold coffee, and do a quick dude wipe bath and freshen up with some deodorant and a clean shirt. Based on the high clouds providing a nice muted light I decide to go chasing a waterfall in the heart of the Harper Creek Wilderness.
Thank you for spending a little time with me. I will share more of my hikes and photographs from this trip in future posts which include some waterfalls and vistas along the Blue Ridge Parkway.