The Table and the Stool: I've photographed this mountain from other angles for previous posts but I was here early in the morning last week when the sun was coming up and liked the way the golden light began to fall across the scene and the rock face of Table Rock. I was in the park around 7 A.M. to photograph Carrick Creek but decided to stop by the roadway to grab this shot. As I mentioned before, the Cherokee people called this mountain Sah-ka-na-ga (The great blue hills of God). They believed the Great Spirit used the taller mountain as a table and the smaller one as a stool. Today, this is one of the most hiked locations in the upstate. It is considered very strenuous and is about 7.4 miles round trip. Table rock is 3124 feet in elevation and it takes about 5 hours to make the round trip hike plus whatever time you spend at the top. It is worth the hike though, the views from the top are awesome. A word of caution, take plenty of water, some food, and plan to start down well before sunset. I'd also suggest packing a head lamp as well, just in case. Being on top will fool you. When the light starts to drop on top, it is already dark below and darkness in the woods, on the side of a mountain, is very different than darkness in suburban areas. The trail is steep in places, is often crossed with rocks or tree roots and though well marked, can be difficult to navigate in the dark.
I have done this hike a dozen times and never regretted it once I arrived at the top. I'm planning to hike up again in October when the leaves begin to change and the weather cools a bit. I'll be leaving a little before sunrise and will begin coming down around 2:00 P.M. If anyone wishes to come along, let me know.
About this photograph:
- This was a six shot panorama stitched together in Lightroom.
- Shutter speed was 1/6th second for each shot.
- I used F13 aperture.
- Camera was set to my lowest native setting, ISO 64.
- Camera was my Nikon D810 in vertical orientation.
- Lens was a Nikon 24-120 F4 lens at 55 mm focal length.
- Shot on a Sirui tripod fully extended in the back of my pickup truck.