Planning is as important in photography as in any other endeavor, but the nature photographer can never control all factors involved in making a photo. Often, the scene nature presents is quite different from that the photographer anticipated. This image is a good case in point. I rose early one April morning and drove to Clingman's Dome, the highest peak in Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the high point of the Appalachian Trail (as well as the second highest peak east of the Mississippi). I anticipated a smoky orange sunrise for which this area is known; instead, I encountered heavy, low clouds. It was quickly apparent that, despite the weather forecast, this was no day for sunrise photography. I picked up my tripod and camera and turned to leave. As I did so, I looked straight into this scene. I was struck by the hazy blue hues of the distant mountains, the natural framing provided by the spruce and fir trees, and the sliver of light from the sun--by now well above the horizon but invisible through the cloud cover--that shone through a small break in the clouds. I made the photograph, and it has consistently been one of my most popular shots. One person remarked that this shot "captures the essence of these old mountains." That sentiment nearly perfectly expresses the vision I sought to record.