Hey everyone! Finally got the chance to get all these photos together from our Gatlinburg, TN & Smoky Mountain National park trip from Oct 28-30th. It seriously was an awesome little getaway adventure for the both of us. We had fun hiking the beautiful trails, and experiencing two seasons in one day. We witnessed beautiful [...]
Hey everyone!
Finally got the chance to get all these photos together from our Gatlinburg, TN & Smoky Mountain National park trip from Oct 28-30th. It seriously was an awesome little getaway adventure for the both of us. We had fun hiking the beautiful trails, and experiencing two seasons in one day. We witnessed beautiful landscapes, wonderful people, and a little fuzzy black bear. 
The weather was fantastic closer to sea-level, 60′s and a sunny blue sky, spotted with white puffy clouds. We couldn’t have asked for better conditions. We stayed in a condo in Pigeon Forge which was not too far from Smokies. We rode around the loop for some time just taking in all the beautiful fall colors, stopping to just breathe in fresh air and to relax. On Saturday, we drove around for awhile thinking of where we could go and what we could see.. Since this was such a spontaneous trip we didn’t really have any spots planned before hand, so we stopped in the heart of Gatlinburg, grabbed some breakfast and one of those little trail guide books, and came across a few pages with popular trails. Clingman’s dome caught our eye being the highest elevation point to experience the Smoky Mountains.. and soon enough we were on our way! As we slowly made our way up, we stopped a few times to venture off-the-beaten path, to grab some waterfall shots. Seriously couldn’t tell you what waterfall it was apart of but it was gorgeous anyways (you’ll see it later). I’m realizing in the middle of writing this, I’m telling you everything we did, and probably should just let the photos do the talkin’ But one last important thing on Sunday, our last day, we got up early and hiked up The Rainbow Falls trail, a 5.2 mi long trail roundtrip, that leads to an 80ft waterfall. It seriously seemed forever long due to elevation, but it was a great and eye-opening experience for both of us. We got to talk and bond, and just breathe and be happy together. Nothing to worry about besides how far we were from the top and where we place our foot next. No time restraints, no computers in front of us, no phones half the time. Just us our cameras, and mother nature. When we reached the top, we just so happened to be at the right place at the right time. One mantra I (Lauren) alway try to live by is everything happens for a reason. We were meant to be there at that time, when a couple asked us to take their portraits below the falls. Again, I’ll let the photos do the story-telling and you can put together the pieces when you see the photos near the end. Sorry this was such a long blog post, so much to talk about, words just aren’t enough really. If you haven’t ventured to the Smokies, what the heck are you waiting for?
Enjoy the weekend,
Lauren & Ryan
We were fascinated with the gradient of winter and fall in the same setting. It was just awesome!
Yea it was that cold at the top…
The photo on the left may make it into a large vertical print 
Why so many dead trees (fir)? An insect imported from Europe called the “adelgid” injects the tree with toxins, and the tree virtually starves to death. Super sad, but makes for interesting photographs.
One for the memory book 
Loved the lines the trail made against the snow-blanketed fir.
At 6,643 feet, Clingmans Dome is the highest point in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park!
Behind the lens of Lauren!
Behind the lens of Ryan! 
If you look close enough you can see Herbie… lol 
HERBIEEEE’s closeup! :) our little owl buddy we rescued from Clingman’s Dome. 
WE SAW A BLACK BEAR tearing up a log for insects. Ryan captured this, and he said he felt his heart drop when it stared at him! lol
Yep, Rainbow Falls was only 2.6 miles to the top. But it sure felt like a damn lifetime lol. Fun nonetheless 
A few of Lauren’s macro shots!
“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.”
The colors you see in the smokies this time of year is just simply incredible.
Bokeh bokeh bokeh!! 
Funny/amazing/cute story here.. A random couple asked us for some portraits below the 80ft Rainbow Falls. 
Oh yea… then this happened 
You can’t see us here.. but this is the same reaction we had on our faces.. lol 
Dannnnggg girllll such a beautiful ring.
We’ll end it on this one Thanks for viewing guys! 
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