This weekend, The Gentleman Farmer took part in a Wilderness Photography workshop sponsored by TNWild, which is an advocacy group dedicated to protecting wilderness on the Cherokee National Forest for the benefit and enjoyment of current and future generations.
Bill and Laura Hodge are wilderness enthusiasts who love the Tellico Plains area and honored us by sharing their photography knowledge and ideas. Their assistance and encouragement were huge assets to everyone who participated in the workshop. I highly encourage all interested parties to friend TNWild on facebook and sign up for the next session. We opened with a classroom discussion on the science and art of photography and then hiked the rest of the day, practicing our hobby and enjoying each other's fellowship.
The area we hiked is just east of Tellico Plains in the national forest, just off of the Cherohala Skyway. This area is pristine. There are ideal opportunities for camping, backpacking, hiking, scenic driving and photography. I wasn't familiar with the Cherokee National Forest before this visit, but I will be sure to return. Many of the trails, campsites and views were similar quality experiences to the National Park up the road, but the area was much less crowded. (As an aside, Tennessee's U.S. Senators have agreed to support changing this area from National Forest to Wilderness lands, protecting it from development, encroachment and preserving its natural beauty forever. Thank you, Sens. Corker and Alexander.)
The first thing we talked about in our workshop was the word Wilderness, with a capital W. The definition of Wilderness, as it applies to federal law is as follows: (at least skim the bold parts, mmkay) A wilderness, in contrast with those areas where man and his own works dominate the landscape, is hereby recognized as an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain. An area of wilderness is further defined to mean in this Act an area of undeveloped Federal land retaining its primeval character and influence, without permanent improvements or human habitation, which is protected and managed so as to preserve its natural conditions and which (1) generally appears to have been affected primarily by the forces of nature, with the imprint of man's work substantially unnoticeable; (2) has outstanding opportunities for solitude or a primitive and unconfined type of recreation; (3) has at least five thousand acres of land or is of sufficient size as to make practicable its preservation and use in an unimpaired condition; and (4) may also contain ecological, geological, or other features of scientific, educational, scenic, or historical value.
To those of you who have emailed The Gentleman Farmer asking for updates, thank you for doing so. More photos from the farm will be coming soon. It's going to be a beautiful fall.
