#appalaichiantrail

[mattyjonez]

#Dabbin in tha woods! They don't call em the #SmokyMountains for nothin. #GreatSmokyMountainsNationalPark #AppalaichianTrail (at Alum Cave Trail)

[photogroupinc]

Our photographer Jonathan Timme’s personal project...here is a summary of what he has done here (authored by Jonathan):

I learned via FB that a childhood friend (whom I hadn’t seen in over 25 years), Steve Mann, was hiking the Appalachian Trail. Almost instantly… the idea for this project was born. Inspired by the grit and character that one must possess to accomplish such a feat… I set out to contact Steve and get his feel on making his portrait.

Steve was a quick sell and seemed excited with the idea. I was also happy to learn that after a period of time on the trail, he had managed to connect and share his trek with a few other thru-hikers (all of whom appeared to be on board with the project). The logistics proved to be challenging and it was not easy to connect, but we finally managed to track them down just outside Smithburg, MD. Everyone was introduced via his/her trail name (as is customary on the AT), thus making the unreal nature of the adventure that much more fun.

My assistant and I had to backpack all of the gear to the campsite. That was pretty tough. Not to mention… we also filled a cooler with some good food and beer for everyone… a HUGE HIT! We ended up only shooting from roughly 6:30-8:00pm. Once it was too dark to continue… we packed up and hiked all of our gear back to the car in the black of night. Total blast.