#blackwater canyon

Above is a sampling of the fall colors from this past weekend at Blackwater Canyon. Due to the extreme elevation change from the top to the bottom of the canyon, the leaf color is quite variable depending on location. The leaves at the higher elevations may be at peak color, while those in the lower section of the canyon may have barely changed at all (note the differences in the first two photos).

Above are the first two cataracts of Elakala Falls on Shays Run at Blackwater Falls State Park. Two more cataracts (even more beautiful) descend into the canyon below, but they’re only accessible after a fair amount of ballsy bushwhacking through rhododendron and hemlock thickets and perilous navigation over imposing sandstone boulders and outcroppings, which I would never do by myself. With Bear Grylls maybe. The falls are just part of the package, of course. Everything about this place - from the tortured root systems clinging to the moss-covered boulders to the rhododendron dramatically cascading from the sheer sandstone walls - is alive with an ancient and powerful self-awareness, extending back eons to the planet’s very origins. The geological history of the world is written into this rock, and it’s a story well worth getting to know.

This brave dude (not me) got a front-row seat to the breathtaking view from Lindy Point into Blackwater Canyon on Sunday. A cold, stiff wind blew relentlessly up the canyon yesterday - I was buffeted so hard I was barely able to take this photo with my camera perched on a heavy, metal tripod. 

The second cataract of Elakala Falls at Blackwater Falls State Park earlier today.