The Walls of Jericho is an interesting geological place straddling the Alabama-Tennessee border nestled among the southern end of the Cumberland Plateau. It has been called the Grand Canyon of the east but it reminds me more of the slot canyons of the American west but instead of sandstone walls, the walls are slick limestone. Instead of the gorgeous reds, the rocks are a pasty white stained by water and speckled with moss and lichen. It is a brutal day hike to get here and a place I have attempted to photograph numerous times. It is a finicky place to shoot. Fall is hit or miss (usually miss) with water flow, summer is too brutally hot with early spring being ideal due to the wildflowers dotting the landscape and the water flowing. However, afternoon is out of the picture due to day hikers interrupting your composition. It is 3.5 miles and 1000′ down to get there leaving a 3.5 mile, 1000′ climb out. Not to mention the last half mile is pretty treacherous hiking. I decided to awake early and attempt to get there before the sun was high. I wanted to avoid the day hikers. I wasn’t too worried about sunrise due to the high cliff walls blocking the early sun until mid morning. This proved to be fruitful. An ultrawide is a must and the thoughts of the new canon 11-24 being an ideal lens for this place. Alas, my 17-40L would have to do. In addition, i shot some Kodak TMAX100 on an old canon eos rebel body with a canon 50/1.8 lens. I was happy with the images captured and believe I finally was able to successfully capture this place after 9 years of trying and 11 years of hiking to this place. Hope you enjoy a few of these images.
