Foggy Morning on Roan Mountain

“I must go in, the fog is rising.”
― Emily Dickinson

I worked hard to get everything done Thursday afternoon so I could be in bed by 6:00 p.m.  Certainly not my typical bedtime, but I knew my alarm clock going off at

12:40 a.m. Friday would be a jolt to my system.  I set my alarm for that time so that I could be up, ready, and out of the door before 1:15 a.m. on my way to Roan Mountain State Park.  My goal was to be on top of Round Bald for sunrise.

I met my great friend, Jennifer, in Newland, on the way to the beginning of our hike at Carver’s Gap.

We put on our headlamps and made our way, through the dark, hoping for an incredible sunrise that would illuminate rhododendron flowers.  As is so often the case, what we were envisioning, didn’t happen.

The sun attempted several times to break the fog at the time my Dark Skies App let me know sunrise would occur.  Here is the closest we got to seeing sunrise.

After we were sure that the fog was in place for awhile, we made our way to Jane Bald, hoping to see blooming rhododendrons.  Once there, we were still enveloped with fog and found no flowers in sight.

On our way back towards Round Bald, we saw our first glimpse of pink.

While we were walking from  Jane Bald to Round Bald, the fog began to break and magic started to happen.

The light show continued as we made our way back to the parking lot through the part of the path that I call the enchanted forest.

Once we got to the car, we headed to the rhododendron garden to see what we would find there.  We were pleasantly surprised to find many rhododendrons in bloom in the gardens.

While Jennifer and I started our hike, we were passed on the trail by another photographer.  He passed us again heading back to the parking lot shortly afterwards.  I imagine that he missed all of the beautiful light that we experienced after that sunrise that was obscured by fog.

I am so incredibly thankful for a glorious morning on balds and in the gardens with my friend Jennifer!