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Entries in South Mountain State Park (3)

Friday
May202011

The Epic Hike From High Shoals To Chestnut Knob...

Chestnut Knob Trail 2618

 

Ever since I started visiting South Mountain State Park, I have fell in love with the rugged terrain and pristine wilderness that the park offers. It is the first place I tried my hand at shooting waterfalls, capturing the blurred water with slow shutter speeds that give it that 'silky' effect.

 

 

High Shoals Falls in SMSP May 18, 2011 2600

 

 

Favorite Falls 2 May 18, 2011 2602

 

I am always drawn to High Shoals Falls and the moving water that flows there and there is something that I find pleasing about water in motion.

 

 

Daddy and Daughter at High Shoals Falls May 18, 2011 2601

 

 

High Shoals Trail Loop Sign in SMSP May 18, 2011 2604

 

Since my Daughter had done so well on the previous trip to SMSP and easily hiked the High Shoals Fall Loop Trail, I asked her to if she wanted to hike with me one day to the Chestnut Knob Overlook. She replied with a, "I'd love to Daddy!".

 

White Diamond, Chestnut Knob Trail 2627

 

 

I have also acquired a brand new Sony NEX-5 Micro 4/3rds Camera that mixes a little of the compactness of a point and shoot camera with a DSLR's sensor and interchangeable lenses. I wanted to test this camera and see if it could shoot waterfalls as well as my beloved Canon T1i. All the shots in this entry were taken with my NEX-5 and I begrudgingly left my DSLR at home to make sure that I gave my NEX-5 a decent workout. More on the camera later.

 

So, off we went to SMSP to hike to the base of High Shoals Falls and immediately backtrack to a few tenths of a mile shy of the parking area and begin the climb to Chestnut Knob.

 

The Weather was nice and cloudy which works great for shooting waterfalls and the temperature was in the low 60's which keep us cool.

 

The hike up to Chestnut Knob was pretty strenuous for the first 3/4 of a mile or so but it eventually becomes easier.

 

 

Jacobs Fork Overlook Sign in SMSP May 18, 2011 2605

 

About 7/10ths of a mile up the Chestnut Knob Trail you can take a short hike to the Jacob Fork River Gorge Overlook. From the overlook you can peer down into the Gorge and see High Shoals Falls from a distance as well as hear the roar of the river!

 

Jacobs Fork Overlook in SMSP May 18, 2011 2607

 

During my entire trip, I only missed my DSLR once, and that was here. I would have liked to used my 18-250mm Sigma or 300mm Pentax to zoom in on the falls from this overlook. Everywhere else the 18-55mm Kit Lens and 16mm F 2.8 Pancake lens on the Sony NEX-5 worked great.

 

 

Daddy and Daughter Jacobs Fork Gorge Overlook in SMSP May 18, 2011 2609

 

I also added to my Sony NEX-5 Gear a new lightweight Manfrotto pistol grip lightweight tripod with quick release plate/mount. It is always great for waterfalls and self portraits and this one weighs very little! Worth carrying in my humble opinion.

 

 

Here is a link to my video I took of the Gorge. 30 seconds of pure relaxation.

 

 

Azalea Blooms 2612

 

The Azaleas were in bloom and a joy to see. The last few times I visited SMSP it was before the vegetation had awoken from it's Winter slumber, so it was a joy to see nature smiling at me along the hike.

 

 

Only critter we Saw on the trail 2615

 

With Spring Weather snakes sometimes cross the paths that humans walk. I was worried that we might encounter such a creature but this Eastern Box Turtle was the only reptile we encountered. In fact after leaving High Shoals Loop, we never saw another person until we returned to the parking lot at the end of our hike.

 

 

Chestnut Knob Overlook Sign 2619

 

We finally reached the top of Chestnut Knob and our steam power had just about ran out. About 100 yards before these signs we had spent about 20 minutes resting and eating granola bars.

 

 

Me happy to be near the overlook 2617

 

The last 2/10ths of a mile to the overlook is actually downhill from these signs on a rock and root infested trail. 

 

 

Chestnut Knob Overlook 2620

 

This is the view from the Chestnut Knob Overlook. What a beautiful view! Although it didn't show up in the video I shot or the photos, we could make out the skyscrapers of Charlotte on the horizon shrouded in the haze.

 

 

Daughter Chestnut Knob Overlook 2624

 

My Wonderful Daughter on the Chestnut Knob Overlook with the Jacobs Fork River Gorge in the background.

 

 

 

After admiring the view for some time, we headed back down the trail eventually made it back to the parking lot. We hiked 7 miles total, doing some side trail exploration and had a great time.

 

I wanted to cover a little on the Sony NEX-5. I found it to be a great compact camera to take with you on the trail. The interchangeable lenses are a neat feature and I really love the 16mm lens for shooting Panoramas and video. I like how I can add my beloved Neutral Density Filters to the lenses to shoot waterfalls as well as a polarizing filter to do the jobs I need it to. I find that with the 18-55 lens, I do a bunch of shooting wide angle and in that range but I will be adding that 18-200mm lens in the fututre to cover all my bases. I really love the panoramas I shot with the NEX-5 but I didn't include them on here as they are TOO WIDE for my website template. You can see those in my Flickr Photostream easily accessed by clicking on the slideshow on the right.

The menus in the NEX-5 are not laid out like on a digital SLR camera and sometimes it can take a little while to setup a shot. With shutter and aperture in one menu, white balance in another and various other settings spread through out the camera. I have a good handle on how to find what I am looking for now and the menus are not complicated, just laid out different than my Canon Cameras. Maybe someone who shoots with a Sony DSLR might think it is just fine.

 

I hope you enjoyed hiking along with me. Thanks for reading.

 

Mark

Sunday
Mar132011

Hunting The Ever Elusive Perfect Waterfall Shot!

Waterfall Hunter! 2304

 

My Wife thinks I have a one track mind and she is correct. Once I try something I am not happy with the outcome unless it gets close to perfect as possible. That is why I had to hike back up to High Shoals Falls three times, as I was unhappy with the first shots and wanted to try them again. I think I nailed how to get that silky/blurred moving water effect but the light was all wrong. I still think I could do better, but I am happy with what I got.

 

Some people wonder what kind of gear I carry and a bunch of it is based on the Boy Scout Mantra, "BE PREPARED". That be prepared applies to camera gear as well as basic wilderness gear. 

 

For waterfalls you really get great shots if you use Neutral Density filters. They basically act like sunglasses for your camera, which allows you to keep your shutter open longer to get that beautiful blurred water without over exposing the scene.

 

 

 

Waterfall Hunter! 2305

 

For shooting those longer exposures, sometimes as long as 2 seconds, you need a stable platform to keep your camera still, so a tripod is a must. I also use a delay to prevent camera shake.

 

I also carry extra batteries as well a spare lens and a point & shoot.

 

 

Waterfall Hunter! 2307

 

I carry my extra camera gear in my Maxpedition Versipak shoulder/hip bag and it gives me a safe place to hold my lenses and filters as I swap them out. Nice to have with you!

 

 

Waterfall Hunter! 2311

 

 

I also carry my Spec-Ops Brand backpack that I can lash on my tripod and carry 3 liters of water in a hydration bladder. I also have my first aid kit, snacks, water purification system, rain gear and survival kit in case I have to stay put for whatever reason.

 

 

Waterfall Hunter! 2309

 

 

Waterfall Hunter! 2308

 

If the light is good and you hold your mouth right, you might be able to capture some decent shots of moving water. These two are some of my favorites I took in South Mountain State Park, but...

 

 

Waterfall Hunter! 2310

 

... this one of my Daughter and I standing at High Shoals Falls, to me, is priceless!

 

Thanks for reading,

 

Mark

Monday
Feb282011

High Shoals Falls & South Mountain State Park Redux

Hiking Trail Sign

 

Being that again, I had off Monday, I decided to head back to South Mountain State Park and try and reshoot High Shoals without the sunlight burning out the top portion of the falls like on my last visit. Today was going to be perfect as the sky grew overcast so no over powering  sun today. 

 

Chestnut Knob Trail Sign 2271

 

My original plan was to hike to the falls and then to the Chestnut Knob Overlook for a full day of hiking, but with a severe line of storms headed our way between noon and mid afternoon, I figured that the falls was something I could accomplish before the front came through.

 

 

Bridge 2261

 

 

High Shoals Falls 2263

 

This time I bypassed all the little cascades and hit the falls first. Much better light for waterfalls this time!

 

 

High Shoals Falls 2262

 

After filling up my memory card with many shots of High Shoals Falls, I had to go back down and photograph my favorite little cascade.

 

 

Favorite Cascade 2265

 

 

Small Cascade 2266

 

 

Small Cascade 2260

 

So many little waterfalls, which to me, I find more beautiful than High Shoals Falls. I could spend hours at this one spot.

 

So then I climbed back up to the falls, made a left and took the trail to the top.

 

 

Top of the falls 2270

 

Took this one braced on the rails.

 

 

Ham Radio 2267

 

For those of you who do not know I am also a Amateur Radio Operator and so is my wife. I took along my Handie Talkie so I could check in with my wife ,who was at home, about the storms that were heading our way. Once we made contact through a repeater located on Walker Top Mountain, she was able to tell me that I had plenty of time to finish my hike. Nice to have a way of getting help or information when you need it and your cell phone does not work.

 

 

Benches near the ampitheater 2273

 

Finally after a great hike, these benches were tempting me to come and relax for a few minutes, but being so close to the vehicle, I opted to continue on.

 

So a great trip and I was able to capture the waterfall with no sun. I also took a chance of getting rained upon and came away unscathed. I cannot wait to go back when there is a little more Spring in the park.

 

Mark