The view from the top of North Fork Mountain behind Champ Rocks, looking northwest toward the Allegheny Front. Dolly Sods and Roaring Plains are on top over there. This is a table mountain pine, Pinus pungens, in the foreground. There is a wealth of good subject matter for me here, but conditions are difficult. The mountain is a narrow ridge of sharply slanted bedrock, cliffs on the scree side (west), and a sharp slope of perhaps 45º on the eastern side, with nary a a flat spot where they meet. But the views are spectacular, and the trees – mostly table mountain pines – demonstrate their ability to adapt to this dry and rocky place. As you might imagine, getting a tripod-mounted camera into position without it or you tumbling off either rocky side and without stepping on a rattlesnake can be a challenge.

21mm Zeiss Distagon ZF.2, Nikon 800e, Lr 5, Ps CS6.