Larry Treadwell
July 2025 - Hanging Rock State Park NC
About the Image(s)
Hanging Rock
Nikon D850, 24-70mm lens @46mm, f13, 1/160, polarizer and tripod.
Hanging Rock in Hanging Rock State Park, North Carolina is part of the Sauratown Range and rises 2143 feet above sea level. This formation is where the park gets its name. It was a 2 mile trudge up the trail on a rather warm evening. But the time I arrived I was convinced that there should be a ”1” positioned to the left of numeral “2” in the elevation of the peak. The sun broke through the clouds behind me just a bit before it actually set and provided of burst on color on the face of the rock that reminded me of the alpenglow that is so lovely on the peaks of the mountains in the American west. Until that moment the evening was quite ordinary and when the light appeared it didn’t last long. Obtaining this photo is not for the faint of heart as you need to get out on a ledge to have a clear view of the peak and I noted my courage is waning as I get older. At least the stroll down the mountain was easy but I needed my flashlight as darkness fell just moments after I took this shot. If you are in the Durham, North Carolina area I do recommend this little park, there are 4 waterfalls and 3 fairly nice scenic views. Processing was pretty standard however I did increase the saturation and add some luminosity to the sky to obtain some color as what was visible was quite faint. I also added some texture to the rocks and increased the blacks just a bit.
6 comments posted
Last month you commented about how much you like Hanging Rocks SP in N.C. and not being able to make the climb due to the snow and bad boots. I'm going to assume you did make it to Window Falls and perhaps as you walked down the rock stairs when you were half way down you so the cut off to the overview. Perhaps you also saw the "window" in the rock wall to the right. In December when I walked to that window I wanted to get a peek through to window to what lay beyond. Getting that peek required sliding about 8 feet down a 45 degree angled rock to the base of the wall where the window is located. I could see much BUT if I walked to the edge near the over look there was a not to be used rock ledge that took me to the back side of the window. If there was water running this would be impossible and you would be washed over the edge, but in winter there is almost no water. The vertical image shown here shows the path I walked on with ice frozen on the far wall. The ice wall was interesting. The second image below shows the cascade as it looked in winter with very little water on it. It is like standing in a tunnel with rocks all around and a small trickle of water on the ground, When the falls is full water marks on the walls show about 18 inches of water would be running through the tunnel---you could not get there when the water was high. I got a few shots and easily walked back out. But do not try this when water is running. Getting out was easy enough other than getting back up that 45 degree rock. Just thought you might like to see what the view is behind the window.
Posted: 07/26/2025 20:39:43
Posted: 07/26/2025 20:40:10
