Kentucky is just packed full of natural arches. In fact, it’s ranked either second or third in the United States for the most natural arches. We are behind only Utah and possibly Arizona. East of the Mississippi, however, we are ranked number one! 

It has been a few weeks now since my last trip to the Great Smoky Mountains, but I’d like to take a moment to share the trip with you. 

Over the years I’ve come to spend more and more time shooting out in what some might call “bad weather”. There truly isn’t too much weather that I won’t get out and shoot in at this point (within reason, of course). Your ability to shoot in challenging conditions (and even enjoy it) all comes down to the knowledge you have.

If you look at my Instagram feed, Facebook Page, or anywhere else where I tend to post my photos, you’ll know that lately, I’ve had a small obsession with waterfalls. There’s just something about a cascade of water that is awe-inspiring, leaving me no choice but to photograph it. Oh, and my home state of Kentucky just so happens to be full of beautiful waterfalls! I figured I’d take some time to show off some of my recent waterfall shots and maybe tell some of the stories behind them.

We’ve been in the midst of a deep freeze here in the Bluegrass state, which has meant that the waterfalls across Kentucky have been freezing. Copperas Falls in the Red River Gorge portion of the Daniel Boone National Forest was certainly no exception! For weeks, I had been seeing hints online that the falls off Copperas Creek had frozen to the point of being a solid pillar of ice. Some were even suggesting that it’s the most the falls have frozen in several years. This was just too good of an opportunity to pass up! I messaged @Brian2774 on Instagram, and we made plans to head out to the falls shortly after daybreak on Saturday morning.

This was sure to be an epic trip!

I’d been obsessively checking the weather reports for weeks in advance. It looked like I would finally have a weather window to get the sunrise shot I envisioned. The plan was relatively straightforward. I’d drive down to the Great Smoky Mountains on Friday and get on the trail up to the summit of Mt. Leconte no later than 3 a.m. on Saturday. Then, I’d simply wait around and photograph the sunrise from Myrtle Point. How hard could it be?

Visitors to Kentucky’s Red River Gorge know that, at this point, there are very few truly hidden spots left in the area. There are some, however, and Sky View Arch is one of them.

Today, I was talking to a friend, and it came to my attention that he was unaware of CalTopo. This individual in question is an avid off-trail explorer in The Red River Gorge. It blew my mind that he had never heard of what is probably one of the greatest mapping utilities ever made for the backcountry explorer! So, today we are going to right this atrocity and take a look at just what CalTopo is and how we can use it.

Over the past few months, I have been acquiring some new gear. I’ve been quite anxious to get out into the woods to try it all out. Most of all, I’ve been wanting to try out my hammock setup. I finally got a chance to get out for a quick, solo overnight. I decided to head down to one of my favorite spots: Red River Gorge. Based on a suggestion from a follower on Instagram, I headed on down to Swift Camp Creek, located in the Clifty Wilderness.

Remember a few months ago when snow spoiled my plans to climb Mt. Leconte in the Smokies? Well, I decided it was finally time to go back and conquer the mountain! I reserved the hotel, made the four-and-a-half-hour drive down to Tennessee, and prepared to complete the hike the following day, which was Saturday.

This weekend, I took a trip to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The plan was relatively simple: hike to the summit of Mt. Leconte (via the Alum Cave Trail) and make a video for the YouTube channel in the process. In the days leading up to the trip, I packed my gear, watched the weather, and paid attention to the daily conditions up on Leconte. The weather forecasts were calling for snow.