Monday, April 03, 2006

Of rocks and roots

Stretching across eastern Tennessee from Alabama north into Kentucky, the Cumberland Plateau rises more than 1,000 feet above the Tennessee River Valley to a vast tableland of sandstone and shale. Carved over time by flowing water, the plateau today is a labyrinth of rocky ridges and ravines. The region is laced with waterfalls. One of those waterfalls is Greeter Falls.

Greeter Falls was named for the Greeter Family, who had a homestead near the falls. The family sold the land to the state of Tennessee to add to the state’s natural area. The falls exist in two stages. The lower falls, pictured here, is a 50 foot tall cascade that has created a deep blue plunge pool. The upper falls, a 15-foot tall cascade, sits about 50 yards beyond the precipice of the lower falls.

The waters of the lower falls flow around a pile of rocky debris upon which a few hardy trees have stubbornly stood for many years. The gnarled roots literally hang on for dear life.

Click on picture to enlarge. Photograph © 2006 James Jordan.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

A stunner!! excellent exposure well done :)

Hillary said...

I actually gasped when this photo loaded! Wow.

James said...

leisa, thanks so much!

hillary, it's a pretty impressive sight in person. you have to descend into a 100-foot ravine to get to the lower falls. I wanted to capture the feeling on film. More to come.

Anonymous said...

Lovely tree roots and soft falls.

Ashley said...

I love the quality of the waterfall image and the framing by the tree and its roots. Gorgeous!