I love photographing waterfalls. If there’s a waterfall close to where I happen to be, then it’s a pretty safe bet that I’m going to try to get some pictures. This waterfall is Grotto Falls, located off the Roaring Forks Motor Nature Trail in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. And, I’ll admit that, if not for my wife, I probably would not have gotten this shot.
We had been out that morning driving through Cades Cove, and it had been threatening rain the whole time. The sky kept getting darker as we made our way along the loop road that runs through the area. As we exited the Cove, I was convinced the rain was going to pour down at any minute. We returned to our rental cabin and waited for the rain to come. And we waited. And we waited. But, the rain wasn’t coming.
After about an hour, my wife announced that she had found a waterfall that we could hike to that wasn’t very far from our cabin and showed a description of it to me. As interested as I was in visiting the waterfall, I was just as convinced that we would end up drenched by the impending showers.
Finally, we decided to take a chance, and off we went in search of a waterfall. We pulled into the parking area, hiked the approximately 1-1/4 mile trail, and reached our destination – Grotto Falls.
The waterfall wasn’t exceptionally high – only about 25 or 30 feet tall – but it had an impressive amount of water. Compared to the waterfalls I see in Arkansas, this was the equivalent of Niagara Falls, and you could even walk behind it.
My wife walked around while I took pictures. We were there for 15 or 20 minutes with no one else around. We had the waterfall all to ourselves. Then, I began feeling some small raindrops hitting my on the head and decided it was time to start making our way back to the car.
Other people began to arrive as I packed up my equipment, and even more passed us as we headed back down the trail to our car. When we got to the parking area, there were several more people getting ready to make the trek to the waterfall. I realized then just how fortunate my wife and I had been to have had the waterfall all to ourselves even if it was for only a small amount of time.
And, the rain never did come.
Settings: 14mm, 1 sec, f/22, 200 ISO