Sunday, December 27, 2015

Christmas Gush of Whitewater from Massif


December 26, 2015
Little Stony Creek Basin of High Knob Massif
Spray From Upper Falls of Little Stony Gorge
Photograph by Wayne Browning - © All Rights Reserved


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December 26, 2015
Little Stony Creek Basin of High Knob Massif
Spray From Upper Falls of Little Stony Gorge
Photograph by Wayne Browning - © All Rights Reserved

Spray spread out from falls in Little Stony Gorge 
as whitewater gushed once again from the great 
High Knob Massif in wake of heavy Christmas rain.

December 26, 2015
Upper Tennessee River Basin
Beautiful Whitewater In Little Stony Gorge
Photograph by Wayne Browning - © All Rights Reserved

Moss can be seen undergoing sexual reproduction, amid this wet and unseasonably mild December, along bottom of the above photograph.

December 26, 2015
Upper Tennessee River Basin
Beautiful Whitewater In Little Stony Gorge
Photograph by Wayne Browning - © All Rights Reserved

An interesting rock below the Middle Falls made for a beautiful set of photographs as whitewater ran around and thinly over the rock to reveal distinct flow lines amid this turbulence.

December 26, 2015
Upper Tennessee River Basin
Beautiful Whitewater In Little Stony Gorge
Photograph by Wayne Browning - © All Rights Reserved

December 26, 2015
Upper Tennessee River Basin
Beautiful Whitewater In Little Stony Gorge
Photograph by Wayne Browning - © All Rights Reserved

December 26, 2015
Upper Tennessee River Basin
Beautiful Whitewater In Little Stony Gorge
Photograph by Wayne Browning - © All Rights Reserved

December 26, 2015
Upper Tennessee River Basin
Beautiful Whitewater In Little Stony Gorge
Photograph by Wayne Browning - © All Rights Reserved

December 26, 2015
Upper Tennessee River Basin
Beautiful Whitewater In Little Stony Gorge
Photograph by Wayne Browning - © All Rights Reserved

The many steep creeks draining the sprawling High Knob Massif generate not only majestic whitewater but also powerful water, filled with turbulence, that can easily sweep anyone off their feet and quickly downstream.

December 26, 2015
Little Stony Gorge of High Knob Massif
Up Close View of Turbulent Whitewater
Photograph by Wayne Browning - © All Rights Reserved

December 26, 2015
Little Stony Gorge of High Knob Massif
Looking Downstream From Above Middle Falls
Photograph by Wayne Browning - © All Rights Reserved

A rather amazing scene at the Middle Falls found an upturned tree laying down across the falls with 
a large rock in base of its trunk.

December 26, 2015
Little Stony Gorge of High Knob Massif
Large Rock In Base Of Upturned Tree
Photograph by Wayne Browning - © All Rights Reserved

December 26, 2015
Remnant Massif of High Knob Landform
Middle Falls of Little Stony Creek Gorge
Photograph by Wayne Browning - © All Rights Reserved

December 26, 2015
( Taken 53 minutes before next Photo )
Remnant Massif of High Knob Landform
Middle Falls of Little Stony Creek Gorge
Photograph by Wayne Browning - © All Rights Reserved

December 26, 2015
Remnant Massif of High Knob Landform
Middle Falls of Little Stony Creek Gorge
Photograph by Wayne Browning - © All Rights Reserved

December 26, 2015
Upper Tennessee River Basin
Beautiful Whitewater In Little Stony Gorge
Photograph by Wayne Browning - © All Rights Reserved

Water was running into the gorge from many places, and down the trail as well, to illustrate that the ground was full beyond capacity in wake of yet another heavy December rainfall event.

December 26, 2015
Little Stony Gorge of High Knob Massif
Water Running Out Of Everywhere Into Creek
Photograph by Wayne Browning - © All Rights Reserved

December 26, 2015
Whitewater Gushes from High Knob Massif
Heavy Spray At Upper Falls of Little Stony
Photograph by Wayne Browning - © All Rights Reserved

Abundant spray generates natural communities that are now recognized by the Virginia DCR Natural Heritage Program as being part of important life zones.

December 26, 2015
Upper Tennessee River Basin
Beautiful Whitewater In Little Stony Gorge
Photograph by Wayne Browning - © All Rights Reserved

December 26, 2015
Upper Tennessee River Basin
Beautiful Whitewater In Little Stony Gorge
Photograph by Wayne Browning - © All Rights Reserved

December 26, 2015
Upper Tennessee River Basin
Beautiful Whitewater In Little Stony Gorge
Photograph by Wayne Browning - © All Rights Reserved

December 26, 2015
Upper Tennessee River Basin
Beautiful Whitewater In Little Stony Gorge
Photograph by Wayne Browning - © All Rights Reserved

December 26, 2015
Looking Down From Top of Upper Falls
Turbulent Mass of Churning Whitewater
Photograph by Wayne Browning - © All Rights Reserved

December 26, 2015
Little Stony Gorge of High Knob Massif
Not Icicles But Water - Wet December 2015
Photograph by Wayne Browning - © All Rights Reserved

December 26, 2015 at 4:43 PM
Upper Falls of Little Stony Gorge
Photograph by Wayne Browning - © All Rights Reserved

December 26, 2015
Little Stony Creek of Clinch River
Upper Falls of Little Stony Just Before Sunset
Photograph by Wayne Browning - © All Rights Reserved

If you find yourself near the Upper Falls at sunset the best place to go is the open heath barren along Bear Rock ridge, which offers outstanding and rather unusual views amid the upper gorge.

December 26, 2015
Little Stony Creek Basin of High Knob Massif
Looking Southeast from Bear Rock Heath Barren
Photograph by Wayne Browning - © All Rights Reserved

December 26, 2015
Heath Barren of High Knob Massif
Sunset Above Bear Rock of Little Stony Basin
Photograph by Wayne Browning - © All Rights Reserved

December 26, 2015
Heath Barren of High Knob Massif
Sunset Above Bear Rock of Little Stony Basin
Photograph by Wayne Browning - © All Rights Reserved

December 26, 2015
Heath Barren of High Knob Massif
Sunset Above Bear Rock of Little Stony Basin
Photograph by Wayne Browning - © All Rights Reserved

December 26, 2015
Heath Barren of High Knob Massif
Sunset Above Bear Rock of Little Stony Basin
Photograph by Wayne Browning - © All Rights Reserved

December 26, 2015
Heath Barren of High Knob Massif
Sunset Above Bear Rock of Little Stony Basin
Photograph by Wayne Browning - © All Rights Reserved

December 26, 2015
Bear Rock of High Knob Massif
Post-Sunset Sky In Little Stony Basin
Photograph by Wayne Browning - © All Rights Reserved

December 26, 2015
Bear Rock of High Knob Massif
Post-Sunset Sky In Little Stony Basin
Photograph by Wayne Browning - © All Rights Reserved