2021/10/2 - BLACK BALSAM KNOB, GRAVEYARD FIELDS
DIRECTOR'S CUT EXTENDED EDITION

This is the Director's Cut Extended Edition for this album, meaning I have included many photos which don't meet my typical artistic standards because they hold special memories for me. If you are looking for a shorter and higher quality collection, or if you are not a fan of spiders, visit the curated Theatrical Cut at BLACK BALSAM KNOB, GRAVEYARD FIELDS - SPIDER FREE THEATRICAL RELEASE.

In September/October of 2021 I took a trip to Asheville, NC and walked my poor feet as much as they could take up and down the Appalachian mountains. Having read about the popularity of Black Balsam and Graveyard Fields, I then proceeded to make the mistake of visiting them on a Saturday. After driving in complete darkness for 80 minutes, I suddenly encountered something like thirty cars parked tightly along the side of a thin road. As it was still entirely night, I turned on my headlamp, accidentally set off my ripcord siren, and hurried up the trail ahead of the three cars of people who pulled in behind me. The dense fog made my light almost useless at times, and I worried that I would lose the trail due to it being mostly bare, wobbly rock. Eventually, the sky lightened and I found myself on top of a wide, bald hill, with several people just coming out of their sleeping tents. On the side of the Knob with the best view of the impending sunrise... youths. Lots of them! What kind of youths are dedicated enough to all stand in the cold and watch a sunrise together? Kids these days.

After another brilliant show by mother nature, I rushed down the trail, knowing that the limited parking at Graveyard Fields would surely be overflowing soon. I secured a spot, downed my canned breakfast, and set off to enjoy the loveliest autumn leaves I had seen all year. I took the much longer trail with an extra out-and-back along the top of a ridge, and saw nearly no one the entire time - just the way I like it. It was obvious that this trail saw much less foot traffic, as it was incredibly overgrown in many places. There was also some serious erosion pulling on the hilly sections, and, combined with large, loose rocks, the trail was a potential ankle-twister if you didn't tread carefully. A few monarch butterflies surprised me with their presence, and I did my best to chase them down without injury. When I rejoined the main trail, I was met with all of the people whose cars I could see parked across the valley. I chose not to perform any stunts at the waterfalls, because I value my knees.

While driving the Blue Ridge Parkway back to Asheville, I kept stopping at overlooks and saw dozens of monarchs having a rest stop on the goldenrod before continuing their migration. I hadn't expected to see a single one!