Gnarled Trees

The Highlands of West Virginia are generally cooler than other areas in the region, usually by 10 degrees or so, but the humidity can certainly be high. On the day that Gnarled Trees was made, the humidity was stifling. We stopped along Big Stoncoal Creek, to purify more water for the rest of our hike when I saw this lush scene of gnarled roots and soft moss. So, this image was made while standing on a small rock in the middle of a stream. I think one of the greatest pleasures of this image is seeing so many indigenous plants in one image: Red Spruce, Rhododendron, Moss, etc...