Great Smoky Mountains National Park offers almost innumerable opportunities for the nature photographer. The Smokies are on my photographic travel itinerary at least twice each year--for the spring wildflower bloom and the autumn color display. One must-visit spot on each trip to the Smokies is Clingman's Dome. At over 6,600 feet, Clingman's Dome is the high point of Tennessee, the highest spot on the Appalachian Trail, and--at approximately 40 feet lower than Mt. Mitchell in North Carolina--the second highest point east of the Mississippi River.

Altitude isn't the reason I make it a point to drive out to the Dome, however. Or, rather, altitude--in and of itself--isn't the reason. But the elevated vantage point does offer the potential for wonderful views and photographs of sunrise and sunset. The thick cloud cover that frequently covers Clingman's Dome and surrounding peaks often thwarts photographic aspirations for brilliant sunrise or sunset colors. But sometimes, as on this chilly October morning, early risers are rewarded with a display of breathtaking color. The show is very fleeting, however, and capturing an image of it requires quick decisions as to exposure and composition. A successful photograph is more than adequate payment for arising before dawn, driving to the mountain in darkness, and setting up photographic equipment in the pre-sunrise chill.