Byron Reece Memorial Trail to Neels Gap on the Appalachian Trail

Last weekend I met up with a fellow large-format photographer at the Byron Reece Memorial Trail near Walasi-Yi, also known as Mountain Crossings. We hiked up the steep ascent of the Byron Reece trail to Flatrock Gap, and then veered left onto the AT where we hiked almost to Neels Gap before turning back.

I shot a dozen sheets of T-Max 100 film, mostly with my 58mm, 90mm, and 150mm lenses. Here's some of what I shot:

Summiting Cowrock Mountain on the Appalachian Trail from Tesnatee Gap

About 5 years ago my first experience on the Appalachian Trail was a little hike at Tesnatee Gap. My wife (girlfriend at the time) Meagan and I pulled off of the Richard B. Russell Scenic Highway to take a look and I was excited to hike a little on the AT. It was a bit arduous and we only went a little bit in as we were travelling.

This past Friday afternoon I wanted to go to the Tesnatee trailhead. I didn't realize that was where we had gone 5 years ago but I thought it looked familiar on the map. Meagan came with me again but she was not really wearing appropriate footwear. The hike at Tesnatee is pretty arduous, with some very steep ascents at the beginning and then for most of the second half of the hike up to Cowrock Mountain.

We were slogging up that second half when Meagan decided she was done and so I decided to quickly get up to the summit which I figured was close before we left. I kind of jogged up the rest of the way to the top which ended up being another four or five steep switchbacks up! I was exhausted by the time I reached the top, having also brought my 4x5 camera and kit, but I was treated to a phenomenal view and a fortuitous storm cloud passing by just as I reached the peak.

I quickly pulled my 4x5 out and a 150mm lens and snapped several photos. I used an R25 filter and a 2-stop GND filter on the lens. with T-Max 100 film dev'd in FX-39. Here was the view (cropped square):

I was lucky to grab this shot at just the right time. The cloud was too far to the left pretty soon after. Also, the negative is not the best. My FX-39 developer had apparently oxidized and started to fail. The negative is really thin and underdeveloped due to this but I was able to salvage the negative scan here. I've been researching some intensification methods to see if I can get the negative to a more usable state to print in the darkroom. If not this may be a situation where I actually get a digital negative made up to print it properly because I love this shot. We'll see.

Cowrock mountain is definitely somewhere I'd like to try camping. The sun will rise somewhere in this view in the morning I believe. Off in the distance you can see the famous bare face of Mt. Yonah. There's a couple other prominences on Cowrock that I will have to find another day.

Raven Cliff Falls

Meagan and I went out to a trail I've been meaning to hike for awhile now. Raven Cliff Falls Trail is located right near the start of the Richard B. Russell Scenic Highway, just slightly northwest of Helen.

This is a pretty nice trail - 2.5 miles to the falls and not terribly difficult save for a lot of roots on the trail. 5 total miles in and back. We took a nice morning hike starting around 8am and I brought along my Chamonix 4x5. The trail winds along with Dodd Creek and there are a variety of small waterfalls along the path. The cliffs and main waterfall were very nice but I couldn't get much a vantage point. I need to try again and bring proper footwear to wade into the water where I think I need to go to get a better view.

Here's a few images, all on T-Max 100 developed in XTOL:

 

I also shot a couple sheets of E-6 film but haven't developed those. I will when I have more E-6 to do all at once.

Ilford SFX in Pascagoula, MS

A little while ago I was given a roll of Ilford SFX 120 film by an Ilford rep at a conference. I had completely forgotten about that film. With many infrared films becoming extinct since Efke went the way of the dinosaur, I have been meaning to try out the Rollei IR films, but the Ilford is an interesting alternative.

This film is an "extended red sensitivity film." Ilford seems to not want to call it an IR film, perhaps for marketing reasons. I tried shooting this on the coast of Mississippi last weekend and tried both an R25 filter as well as my 700nm filter.

I found that this film should definitely be shot at an ISO of 100 in general, and with a roughly 700nm filter, shot possibly down to 50. The IR effect was not overly presented with the R25 but it did darken the sky and increase contrast in the clouds, which was my main interest.

Here's a couple photos from the coast in Pascagoula and at Point Park, looking towards the shipyard:

To show the difference between the R25 and 700nm filter, here's two images back-to-back with these filters (in that order):

 

They are pretty similar, so I don't see much reason to use the 700nm filter. It might've been how I shot it, or the altitude or other issues, so it's not definitive. I was guessing a lot with my exposures, with regard to the ISO and filter factors.

I definitely want to try this film more. The only bad thing I found, which you might notice, is a lot of spots on the negative. I believe this issue may have arisen from the film being shipped around the country with a rep until I received it, causing damage from humidity or other environmental factors. I will buy a few rolls and try some more to find out.

Once more to Three Forks

Last week I went again to Three Forks. No luck on rhododendrons blooming this year I guess but I made a pretty nice image down at the first "hidden waterfall" before Long Creek Falls. I call it "hidden" because you have to go kind of off-trail to get there. This waterfall is a wonderful spot with a nice pool. I shot this image in both color and black and white 4x5 with my Nikkor 90mm f/8:

I like the b&w better and I think I'll print it to 16x20 in my darkroom this week.

I also found a butterfly on the way out and shot this on Portra 160VC (cropped a bit):

Also, this week I am buying the last few things I need to start hammock camping. I am excited to do a few multi-day hikes and shoot some sunrises on the AT. Here's a cell-phone shot of me trying out the JRB hammock in my backyard:

Back to Woody Gap, Three Forks

As spring starts to bloom I've been out on the Appalachian Trail a bit looking for the rhododendrons to bloom (they haven't).

I've shot a few times here and there, at Woody Gap and Three Forks. Here's some photos:

 

 

 

 The above were taken with my Pentax 67ii. I went back to Three Forks on another day and hiked south towards Springer Mountain with my 4x5 and shot these:

I also shot a long exposure of this creek with my 6x ND filter:

And finally, this is my favorite photo of the day, and I made a couple of darkroom prints of it which turned out well:

Prescribed Burn - Valdosta, GA

My friend Sally has a farm in Valdosta where she grows pine trees. I was visiting Valdosta and she took me by the farm to see the trees right after they did a prescribed burn.

It was interesting to shoot the freshly-burnt tract. All photos were taken with my Rolleiflex, on Tri-X 400: