The Winter Edition of Nature Photographer magazine in 2019
grabbed me with the front cover and layout inside showing winter at Blackwater Falls State
Park in WVA.
I love the
peace and quiet serenity of being outdoors in winter!! Unfortunately, my hubby and my photog friends
HATE the cold! I searched the web to
find a photographer familiar with the area.
Lucky for me,
Ed Heaton came on my radar. I’ve never been to West Virginia. So, I paid my $$, purchased my ice spikes,
and eagerly waited for January.
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| parking lot at Lodge when I arrived |
The closer the calendar came to January 9th, the
warmer and more rainy the forecast became!! After a 9 hour drive, I arrived at the state park on Thursday evening to
about 3 inches of snow on the ground.
With temps around 50 on Friday, it did
not last long. There was still some snow
and ice in shady areas when we set out to our first destination Friday
afternoon. We had to climb down an
embankment to set up. Those spikes came
in handy with the mud and leaves to keep me from tumbling straight down and
breaking a limb (or my head)!!
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Climb down to Douglas Falls -
thank goodness for spikes (aka "4-wheel drive shoes") |
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| Douglas Falls |
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| Snow remaining on rocks along banks of Douglas Falls |
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| icicles on side of hill near Douglas Falls |
One thing I like about winter photography is later than normal sunrises. Because I am NOT a morning person!! (In case you didn’t know that – LOL). We spent time on the Blackwater River, at Blackwater Falls, and Elakala Falls.
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| 200+ steps down to overlook of Blackwater Falls |
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| Blackwater Falls |
You may notice the water looks almost muddy. But it is not! The waterways in this part of the country are stained with tannins. “A blackwater river is a type of waterway that runs through forested swamps or wetlands. As the vegetation decays, tannins leach into the water, staining it a darker color resembling tea. The Blackwater River in West Virginia gets this color from the spruce and hemlock trees along its waterway.” That’s it for your educational lesson today.
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| Blackwater River |
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| Take Me Home, Country Roads |
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| river view |
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| Elakala Falls |
All in all, it was a constructive weekend, even if there was
little snow or ice. Time spent with Ed
and Zach Heaton and the other photographers who attended was pleasant. I
continue to learn things about my camera functions, develop a better eye for
composition, and try to slow down my process.
One thing is for certain, I will be returning to West Virginia!
#AlmostHeaven #WestVirginia #BlackwaterFallsStatePark #waterfalls
#naturephotography #rivers #EdHeatonPhotography
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