Early Spring, just prior to leaves. Acrylic on canvas 24x 30x 1.5 $215
There is a very short time in early spring where the ground foliage is grean and lush before the over head leaves. It makes for lush open views. It lasts for only a week before the thick forest canopy develops. The following is from the 2004 Appalachian Trail in NC journal.
I wake at sunrise, get everything ready, skip breakfast and walk. I keep a slow pace, hike Bald mountain, the morning fog lifts. I can see very far. I stop and air out my feet, ring out my socks. I try to let them dry for 20 minutes and relax. The trees have just begun to bud here. This lets me see long distances. Forest floor was more like a field of small, long stemmed small flowering plants. My feet are wet, my boots are good. No blisters. I descend. The trees lower down are in full leaves. It is dry. White flowers are replaced by wild purple iris, then replaced by small yellow flowers, replaced by fern replaced by nettles mixed with different tri-lillies. Climbed up then down 1000 feet in a single mile. Ate lunch at the shelter I was supposed to sleep at, three other north bound hikers were present. They had not seen any other south bound section hikers. (This is what I am) They seemed very friendly, very serious, perhaps a little stressed as the weight of their hike was sinking in. We asked each other about the trail ahead, asked about water sources. Wished good luck to all. When they left, one left a water bottle. His friend came back for it. “Don’t know if it's his.” I say. “Well, he will be glad to get it anyway.” his friend says as he takes it and leaves.
It was 3:00 according to the hikers and I was at my days scheduled end. "Aw hell," I told myself and kept going. Down, up, down mile 16 for the day. I am very very tired, no place to camp. At mile 17, I will sleep any where, I finally found a level place to set up camp. I throw down the pack, then preplan all further movement to decrease the number of further sit to stands. I am too tired to eat. I have eaten only a couple of granola bars and an apple all day. I prepare the camp, I am finally done. I look up right before entering my tent to sleep and see very large dead branches hanging over the tent. The wind picks up, they rattle threateningly. Shit... I can see it now, "28 year old killed when the stupid kid sets up tent under large dead branches." I clear more ground of twigs and rocks and move the tent. I sleep, the sun is still four inches from the horizon.
Big Basin Santa Cruz 16x 20x 1.5 sold
Up past Berry Creak falls Big Basin. I remember hiking quickly because it would be dark by the time I left. It was a very peacefull day for a very busy summer.
Tree over water 30x 40x 1.5 acrylic on canvas $295
Pine tree walk in NC acrylic on canvas 30x 40 x 1.5 $295
I painted the greens with thoughts of a nice spring.
Trail in the Pines acrylic on canvas 24x 30x 1.5 $215
This painting I reworked from the summer. I was playing around with different kinds of reds and browns and a new shade of yellow.
A Little Spring acrylic on canvas 16x 20x 1.5 $85
Blue Path acrylic on canvas 16x 20x 1.5 $125
I had fun trying out some new colors with this one. The painting was inspired by a recent backpacking trip to the Smokies. See boot trax smokies mountains icon for details.
Spring 30x 40x 1.5 acrylic on canvas sold
Appalachian Mountains
Water Fall's story: she was a through hiker on the Appalachian trail I met in Maine. This is from the Maine Boot trax Journal
She completed a 100 mile trail located in Southern Georgia in preperation for her Appalachain Trail trip. She told me a story about a getting caught in a flash flood while on that trip. She had set up camp between two dry creek beds that joined at the base of her camp. At twilight, a flash flood hit, turning the streams into swift rivers. The water levels continued to rise and started flooding her camp. Then the back of the camp steep hill/cliffs rose and were covered with thorns. As it continued to get darker she broke down camp. She misjudged the strength of the newly formed rivers. She started crossing the creek, carrying her broken down tent in her arms. Needless to say the current swepted her off her feet knocking her down. The stream carries her for about 30 yards, she loses her tent, and her glasses as well as suffers minor bumps and scrapes. With out her glasses she can only see the outline of objects if they are some three feet away. All of her equipment was now wet. She was effectively blind and the night and cold weather had set in. All this occurred at mile mark 40 on her 100 mile Georgia hike. In the past 40 miles she had only seen 3 people. She stumbled towards higher ground in the dark and finds a fallen tree. She spread her ground tarp over the tree to make a lean-to. The slope was significant enough that she had to dig in the soil to reduce the slope so that she could set up her stove. She cooked soup and tea to warm her self. The sleeping bag she used was very good quality and even wet it kept her warm. She said she acctually slept for an hour or so as she slid out of her shelter during the night to wake in the pouring rain. The next day she met her fourth hiker on the trail whose wife was meeting him at the next road crossing. Having very poor sight he lead her out, the wife drove her into town and she had new glasses in an hour.
She now hikes with disposable contacts. Interestingly, the experience gave her more confidence in her back country ablities. That storm broke records for rainfall in the state of Georgia and did it in time of drought. She’ll tell ya,”They call me Waterfall because I tend to fall down a lot and it always rains when I camp.” Later she would live up to her name.
Big orange tree 18x 24 x 1.5 sold
18 x 24 acrylic on canvas
We had good fall colors this year.
Pathways along the Great Smoky Moutains 30x 40x 1.5 acrylic on canvas sold, similar images can be recreated.
