As usual, the Smoky Mountains did not disapoint. We arrived on October 26, at peak color, with most of the leaves still on the trees. We had mostly good weather, and a few mornings with the perfect foggy atmosphere for capturing the Smokies. Turkey were in abundance, as were deer and the riding horses of Cades Cove. We spent an hour one night watching the storm clouds racing by under a nearly full moon.

One particular night was crystal clear, alloying me to count every star in the sky. I went to bed for the night, expecting a peaceful one, only to have my tent nearly flattened by winds. You could hear the roar of the wind approaching from miles away, the buildup ominous and wonderful. Then it would roll in, laying the tent flat and knocking dead limbs from the trees. The tent collapsed in on itself so I had to climb up and out of the doorway rather than walk through it. As with every other morning, I was out of camp hours before sunrise. How lovely that it decided to rain down hard that morning while I was away from camp, drenching the inside of the tent?

Still, I was in the Smokies and who was I to complain! My cameras were busy and I had no time to worry about such trivial things as damp bedding. I'd already made it through one night that week with damp bedding, I could do it again.

My one complaint was that I was losing hope that I might get to see a bear or boar this trip. I had the pleasure of seeing a lot of bear and an entire family of boar (7 piglets!) on my last trip back in April/May. The National Park is trying to eradicate the wild boar because they are not native and do SO much damage to the local flora. They'd removed hundreds of pigs this year, so I was unlikley to see any. Despite the damage they do, I can't help but be impressed when I see one of these porcine devils. I'm definitely more scared around boar than bear (though just as cautious, thank you! haha).

Imagine my excitement when, on the day before I was set to drive home, I came across the following scene: A family of four very large wild boar had treed a mother bear and her cub! The boar circled the base of the tree, causing the two bear to climb higher and higher. Just as I got into position (as close as I thought was safe), a giant boar appeared from the woods off to the side. He trotted with purpose towards the other boar. They, in turn, took one good look at him, spun and ran in the opposite direction as fast as they could. The new arrival then took to the brush and disappeared. The bear and her cub wisely chose to stay in thier tree!

The day I was set to depart was as amazing in its own way. The night before the temperature had dropped a good 15+ degrees, making my plan to put up with soggy bedding a bad one. I chose to chicken out and get a hotel room, checking out early to photograph just after sunrise. The fog was THICK! had wanted to photograph an historic church in Cades Cove, so I left her to it and hiked out into the fog. I crested a hill, turning in circles, unable to see anything beyond the fog shrouded hill. Two dozen feet from me a buck stood, staring at me intently for several minutes before bounding off. I hiked on, running out of film as the sun burnt the fog away. It was a zen inspiring outing, perfect for my last morning.

It was an exhausting, wonderful, too-short trip. I've been home two weeks now and I'm still hankering to return. As much as I love the eastern shore of Maryland, there's nothing quite like camping, hiking and photographing in the Smokey Mountains. This was my fourth trip and as is usually the case, my favorite areas appeal even more with familiarity. I'm excited at the idea of returning some time this winter so I can say I've visited in all four seasons.

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