Wilderness Can Be So Messy

Falls At Little Bear Trap Branch, 

Middle Prong Wilderness Area, NC  -  2014

(Click on photo to enlarge.)

As I was adjusting my tripod prior to making this photo of the falls, I was wishing that all those fallen trees weren't there cluttering up my composition. Let's face it, it's a messy looking fall. It is the natural course of events for trees to die or get blown over by storms, and then come crashing down. If their final resting place is a waterfall, leaves, branches, and other debris eventually get trapped against the trunks, and we end up with the mess we see here. And if the waterfall is in an area designated as "wilderness", that's just how it's going to remain - "natural".

Although I think the beauty of this fall could be enhanced with a little clean up, that's not going to happen in a wilderness area. Occasionally, hiking clubs or conservation groups are allowed to do some trail maintenance in a wilderness area, but only with the use of un-powered hand tools. So bringing in some chain saws to make John's photo look better is out of the question. Eventually, those trees will decompose and wash away, but I only had a three-day weekend, and waiting for that to happen was not an option. My photo of this fall will have to remain au naturel.