cabin sweet cabin

There is hardly a pioneer's hut which does not contain a few odd volumes of Shakespeare. I remember reading the feudal drama of Henry V for the first time in a log cabin.
--Alexis de Tocqueville (1805-1859) French Historian and Political scientist.

Above: Fort Watauga at Sycamore Shoals State Park in Elizabethton, TN.

better days

Only he who has seen better days and lives to see better days again knows their full value. 
--Mark Twain (1835-1910) American Humorist, Writer and Lecturer.

I didn't find any information online regarding the history of this old cabin and smokehouse located near the trailhead at Laurel Run Park. Anyone know the background to this?

Here's my page describing the park and the hikes to the waterfalls found there.

Other Laurel Run Park Links:
Hawkins County website
Facebook page
TEHCC Trail Page

Update: Thanks to fellow photographer Richard Siggins for the link to this recent article discussing the cabin and its future. You can check out Richard's work here.

heart and mind

Look and think before opening the shutter. The heart and mind are the true lens of the camera.
--Yousuf Karsh (1908-2002) Photographer and Journalist. 

So did I mention I bought a new camera? I recently bought the Fuji XT-1 which is about half the size and weight of my Nikon D7000 even though it has the same sized sensor. It achieves this smaller form because it is 'mirrorless' with no mirror to flip up each time I take a shot.  Its retro looks and old style controls have gotten a lot of attention lately. I'm thrilled with it in terms of its compactness, ergonomics and most importantly, image quality. This was taken at Tipton-Haynes Historic Site in Johnson City, TN after sundown with the small 'pancake' lens (27mm) you see mounted on the camera above at ISO 2500.  If you look back a few days on the blog, the last five entries have photos taken with this camera (starting with 'Twilight').

Linville Gorge Wilderness

This rustic cabin serves as the information center for visitors to the Linville Gorge Wilderness. The gentleman behind the counter said it was built by college students back in 1983 using primitive tools. It's a good place to stop and pick up maps of the area in order to learn more about the numerous trails located in the gorge.  There are two main attractions which draw visitors to this side of the Gorge: Wiseman's Overlook and Linville Falls.  While there's direct access to Linville Falls from the Blue Ridge Parkway, there is an alternate, 'back' entrance and parking lot located not far from the cabin above on what is known as Kistler Memorial Highway (NC 1238).  To call this a highway is a stretch, it's all gravel and pretty rough in places. While you're in the area, be sure to check out Chestoa View, an easily accessible overlook just a short distance south on the Parkway. On the other side of the Gorge is the magnificent Table Rock - the trail and views from there are unforgettable.

More information on Linville Gorge and Wiseman's Overlook click here and here.

Directions: Click here.

Enclosing its own secrets

A wonderful fact to reflect upon, that every human creature is constituted to be that profound secret and mystery to every other. A solemn consideration, when I enter a great city by night, that every one of those darkly clustered houses encloses its own secret; that every room in every one of them encloses its own secret; that in every beating heart in the hundreds of thousands of breasts there is, in some of its imaginings, a secret to the heart nearest to it!-–Charles Dickens (1812-1870), English novelist

I usually go for much shorter quotes, but I wanted to share this quote because it's stuck with me for a long time now. And oddly enough, it's what came to mind when I first saw this lonely old, dilapidated farmhouse -- if only these walls could talk! Anytime I fly into Chicago, or any city for that matter, I look out and think about this quote from Dickens. And I usually find myself saying a prayer for the families in all the little houses far below -- each enclosing its own secrets, each heart with its own joys and pains, hopes and fears. And I look around the plane and realize that the same is true of every other passenger I see. There's something about this quote that brings out tenderness....