Sometimes things don’t go according to plan. When that happens, you can either choose let it get you down, or you can adapt and make the most of the situation. The latter is what Dana and Bryan decided to do. Our original plan was to meet somewhere off of the Blue Ridge Parkway, but because of the time of year, unpredictable weather, and a road closure, our plan was shutdown. I threw out a couple of spots that we could meet instead, and they quickly picked Roan Mountain. So the first boxed was checked: we had a location. But I was somewhat worried about one of the other boxes, the lighting. As I drove up from Asheville to Roan, there was nothing but clouds. While I believe a photographer can make a good photo in any condition, for a truly great photo there has to be beautiful light. What did excite me though was the amount of snow that was on the ground as we got higher up the mountain. And when we got to the top, there was a beautiful coating of snow, and yet nothing but thick clouds. I met Dana and Bryan at the Carvers Gap trailhead and from there we headed north on the Appalachian Trail taking photos along the way.
As we wandered further up the trail and out of the trees, the cold really hit us with a vicious wind. But Dana and Bryan were great sports and did not let that get their spirits down.
Soon the clouds began to break giving way to a beautiful sky and in that moment the sun not only warmed us but also rejuvenated our spirits.
After many photos up on the mountain, we began to head back down, stopping on the way for a few last photos as the sun dipped behind a distant ridge.