Here’s a throwback to an article I wrote back on Thanksgiving Weekend, 2015. I’ve added some extra shots to the end of this article that I have taken since then. This is one of those times when I look back and think, “Man, I was really not a great photographer back then.” So enjoy musing over my amateur photography and the incredible phenomenon I still marvel over to this day.
With time, nearly every hiker/photographer will find something specific they like to image. Some enjoy certain types of leaves, flowers, trees, mushrooms, rocks, sticks, fog, or a myriad of other things. Me? I found something slightly different. Buildings.
On the surface, this photo looks harmless, just another great view from the great granite ledges of Mount Yonah.
But a closer glance will reveal something incredible.
On a cool March hike in 2013, I was hiking Mount Yonah with a friend, and we noticed something looking to the south. This particular day was incredibly dry thanks to a recent cold front and void of the haze that so often lingers in the valleys below. This allows for things to be visible from a great distance, including cities.
I was still in my budding days of photography and had a cheap camera with a very dirty lens, but visible on the horizon was the skyline of Atlanta. As the crow flies, the tallest buildings in Atlanta lie approximately 72 miles from the cliff faces of Yonah. But, on a clear day, it stands out like a sore thumb on the vast horizon.
From the start, it amazed me how far away this could be seen. This man-made structure(s) was so amazing that it could be seen from over 70 miles away. From this distance, all the things we locals know and hate about Atlanta (the traffic, crime, air pollution, etc) disappear on a cool breeze, and all that’s left is its vastness. From here, Atlanta becomes a picture of both the largeness and smallness of mankind. God has allowed these great structures to be built, but yet it is still nothing more than a few pixels on the horizon from a [relatively] short distance away.
From that day forward, though, I would be fascinated by this phenomenon and continue looking for Atlanta from greater and greater distances. I got my best photograph to date from Blood Mountain in late 2014. I was also able to photograph Stone Mountain on this trip.
Blood Mountain lies approximately 74 miles from Atlanta, making it a new personal distance photo record. But the best was yet to come. In late 2014, I was able to snag it from Brasstown Bald, the highest point in the state, and possibly as far away as you can get.
This is a whopping 85 miles from downtown Atlanta. Amazing, to say the least.
Since then, I have also viewed Atlanta from Preacher’s Rock near Blood Mountain, as well as Hogpen Gap above Richard Russell (seen center frame below).
As you can probably tell from the varied success, these photos are incredibly difficult to take based on a number of factors (equipment, overall lighting, amount of haze, cleanliness of lens, etc). This can sometimes get frustrating, but it’s quite worth it in the end.
Charlotte can also be seen from great distances. So naturally, I decided to try my hand. A couple of weeks ago, weather conditions finally cooperated. With some help from a borrowed ultra-zoom lens, I was able to snag some fantastic photos from atop Rough Ridge on Grandfather Mountain, 82 miles away.
When I originally wrote this article in 2015, I mentioned wanting to set my own personal record of getting Charlotte from Mount Mitchell (around 90 miles). I accomplished that goal in May 2017. I’ve actually accomplished it twice since then, as I generally visit Mount Mitchell during the spring and summer months when the air is far too hazy to see that far.
The first time I actually caught it before the sun came up, and you can see the sun glinting off the buildings in the photo below. The sun rose from my vantage point less than a minute later. 
The next time was far more “classic” with just a low-humidity day. The buildings appear faint from this far of a distance, but they are still easily visible to the trained eye.
While we’re on the subject of distance, arguably the most impressive shot I’ve gotten to date was taken of mountains rather than buildings. In March of 2020, I captured the Smoky Mountains outside Gatlinburg/Cherokee from southwestern Virginia. These shots were taken from The Channels near Lebanon.
So, the next time you’re out hiking, take time to scan your surroundings. You might just be amazed by what you can see from the wilderness.
I’ll see you on the road…~TW
