George Steffanos

4 Threaded Spouts

May 5, 1983, 41 years ago today: There was a nice view along the way from Ramrock Mountain's ridge crest and there were some excellent vistas from the summit of Big Cedar Mountain.
#backpacking #hiking #outdoors #landscapephotography #Georgia #nature #forest #mountains #AppalachianTrail

Beneath a very hazy whitewashed sky we are looking out from high on a mountain through and around the tops of leafless trees just beginning to show signs of budding. Below us are the rugged foothills and the valleys carving them. They are cloaked in the intense greens of a far more advanced spring season, although even down there we see few areas where the trees are still budding and leafless.

08:32 AM - May 05, 2024

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A fence #Gate can be carelessly left open. A stile like this lets hikers climb over a fence while keeping livestock inside.

Old overgrown pasture near Yellow Mountain Gap, Appalachian Trail, Roan Highlands, NC/TN border, June 3, 1983

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A soft blue early morning sky. A rustic fence line with rough wooden posts and barbed wire runs across a very overgrown field filled with trees and tall brush. A triangular wooden style allows you to go over the fence. Across a narrow valley morning sun and shadows are playing across the wooded slopes of a lofty mountain.

08:09 AM - May 05, 2024

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4 Threaded Spouts

May 4, 1983, 41 years ago today: Dave and I only made nine miles today. We were tired and sore and got off to a late start. The terrain was heavily wooded with no real views,
#backpacking #hiking #outdoors #landscapephotography #Georgia #nature #forest #mountains #AppalachianTrail

Beneath a hazy very soft blue sky we are looking out from high on a mountain. The still leafless branches of a tree frame the right and top left of the photo. There are small round swellings where they are just beginning to bud. A nearby long swayback ridge runs across the entire view. The ridge is covered with a forest of trees growing out bright spring green leaves or covered with pinkish buds. Beyond, a series of other hills and mountains cascade into the hazy distance.

10:17 AM - May 04, 2024

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4 Threaded Spouts

May 4, 1983, 41 years ago today: I went to bed right after dinner but was not destined to get much sleep.
#backpacking #hiking #outdoors #landscapephotography #Georgia #nature #forest #mountains #AppalachianTrail

Beneath a hazy very soft blue sky we are looking out from high on a mountainside. The slim branches of a shrub beginning to grow out small leaves only slightly obstruct the view to our left. We are looking out across foothills covered with forests of trees growing out bright spring green leaves or covered with pinkish buds. The dusky teal of evergreens is scattered throughout. In the hazy distance beyond the foothills is a flatter lower-lying country fully cloaked in the greens of a more advanced spring season.

08:50 AM - May 04, 2024

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#Caution Beware of flying sprites.

The little square brick house atop the dam where the dam faeries live. Cornelis Pond, Woodtick Recreation Area, Wolcott, Connecticut. June 13, 2019, 6:09 PM.

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Standing on a large jumble of boulders and leafy shrubs beside the base of a small concrete dam. The dam empties into a pond. A small square red brick building with a pyramid-shaped roof sits atop the far end of the dam, accessed by a fenced green metal walkway. A forest of tall hemlocks and hardwoods begins at that far shore. The sky is overcast and drizzly, but a daytime crescent moon has managed to poke most of the way through the haze and clouds.

07:53 AM - May 04, 2024

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Just past peak at the beaver pond. Marino Pond, Plymouth, Connecticut. October 26, 2019, 4:31 PM.
#hiking #photography #outdoors #landscapephotography #hikingadventures #nature #Connecticut #autumn #October #forest #foliage #autumnvibes #naturephotography #trails #pond

Beneath a deep blue autumn sky with streaky white clouds, we are standing near the shore of a pond. It is a very calm day, the pond is a mirror for the sky and for trees on the far shore. A grove of very tall trees across the pond is cloaked in golds and oranges starting to turn the golden brown and burnt orange tones of past peak autumn foliage. A two-lane country road curves gracefully past them to our right. The trees across the road are not quite as tall and present more past peak tones. In the foreground the tall grasses have turned golden brown. Among them are small plants with red or yellow leaves. A pair of slender leafless birch trees are on our right.

11:46 AM - May 03, 2024

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6 Threaded Spouts

May 3, 1983, 41 years ago today: At a spot called Three Forks, four miles from Springer Mountain, the Appalachian Trail crossed a fire road beside the convergence of three streams
#backpacking #hiking #outdoors #landscapephotography #Georgia #nature #forest #mountains #AppalachianTrail

Beneath a gray overcast sky, we are on a trail in the middle of a forest of trees that are still leafless. It is very early spring up here, the grass is just beginning to grow on the forest floor. There are a few patches of bare dark soil and numerous fallen leaves from last autumn as well. A dense fog is engulfing everything. An old-fashioned hiking stick is lying in the trail near us: a fallen branch stripped of bark and side branches.

09:36 AM - May 03, 2024

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5 Threaded Spouts

May 3, 1983, 41 years ago today: Temperatures dropped considerably last night when the wind kicked up and stayed down today.
#backpacking #hiking #outdoors #landscapephotography #Georgia #nature #forest #mountains #AppalachianTrail

Beneath a gray overcast sky, we are in the middle of a forest of trees that are still leafless. It is very early spring up here, the grass is just beginning to grow on the forest floor. There are a few patches of bare dark soil and numerous fallen leaves from last autumn as well. A dense fog is engulfing everything. The author (then 24 years old) is standing next to a large sign: "Springer Mountain Elevation 3820 Southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail. A mountain footpath extending 2000 miles to Mt. Katahdin in Maine."

08:28 AM - May 03, 2024

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Street #Lamp tries to outshine the full moon

The throbbing excitement that is Waterbury, Connecticut around midnight on a Monday. South Main Street and Mill Street. July 31, 2023, 11:31 PM.

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It is nighttime in the city. The street lights and a few lights inside building are on. We are standing in the driveway of a school, which is to our left. Straight ahead across a street is a church, partially hidden by a large foreground tree and the glare of a nearby street light. A street runs along the right side of the pic. One car is waiting at a red light. The stores along the street are all closed for the night. A bright full moon is towards the top left of our pic, beside the top of a flagpole flying a U.S. flag.

08:14 AM - May 03, 2024

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Autumn leaves floating down the Mill River. Sleeping Giant State Park, Hamden, Connecticut. November 4, 2022, 2:18 PM.
#hiking #photography #outdoors #landscapephotography #hikingadventures #nature #Connecticut #autumn #November #forest #foliage #autumnvibes #naturephotography #trails #river

We are standing next to a large tree trunk on the bank of a river. The ground is relatively flat here, the slow current creates gentle ripples making interesting patterns in the reflections of trees along the riverbanks. The forest on both sides is past peak autumn colors, lots of golden brown and burnt orange. Many fallen leaves are covering the forest floor and floating down the river. The bright sun and blue sky are not visible other than what is mirrored on the river's surface.

01:50 PM - May 02, 2024

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"Devils Cornfield" just before sunset, Death Valley National Monument (now National Park), California, March 1984.
#hiking #photography #landscapephotography #hikingadventures #nature #California #nationalparks #DeathValley #desert #Southwest #outdoors #spring #springtime

On flat ground covered with very light colored sand and small rocks dozens of stalky squat shrubs with small green leaves are growing. A line of lofty rocky mountains line the far end of the plain. The sky is a deep desert blue. The sun is low on the horizon offscreen to our left, casting long shadows across the plain and the mountains.

11:55 AM - May 02, 2024

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5 Threaded Spouts

May 2, 1983, 41 years ago today: I woke up to the sound of freight trains. One after another, they came clattering up from the distant mountain range to the west,
#backpacking #hiking #outdoors #landscapephotography #Georgia #nature #forest #mountains #AppalachianTrail

We are standing near a tent pitched in a small grassy meadow. It is very early spring up here, the grass is just beginning to grow and the trees surrounding the meadow have naked branches. The sky is gray and a dense fog covers the entire scene. In the foreground a sign tells us that we are at the summit of "FROSTY MTN ELEV 3400" (Frosty Mountain, elevation 3400 feet).

08:44 AM - May 02, 2024

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3 Threaded Spouts

May 2, 1983, 41 years ago today: At 4:20 p.m. on the afternoon of May 2, 1983 — a very warm day for early May — I was at the Visitor’s Center in Amicalola Falls State Park in north-central Georgia.
#backpacking #hiking #outdoors #landscapephotography #Georgia #nature #mountains #AppalachianTrail

Standing high up the steep slope of a mountain looking down at forested foothills and valleys far below. The sky is hazy and whitewashed, but bright and sunny. The forest down below is very green. Leaves are just starting to come in up here and are still small. We are climbing a rocky dirt fire road up this steep slope. There are wooden guardrails, broken in a couple of places, protecting any drivers who use this road from a very steep drop to our right. Like the road, that slope is also naked reddish clay soil and rocks. The forest presses up against the left side of the road. Some distance below us the steep drop-off on our right eases slightly and there are trees on that side as well.

07:50 AM - May 02, 2024

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#Grass

Hump Mountain, Tennessee/North Carolina border, June 3, 1983.

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It is about ten miles on the Appalachian Trail between Carvers Gap and Hump Mountain. Virtually all of it on a grassy ridge crest between 5000 and 6000 feet elevation.

Standing in a long, rolling meadow along a lofty ridge crest beneath a soft blue sky with hazy clouds. The lush green grass is speckled with yellow dandelions and small clusters of tiny blue flowers. There are a few dark gray boulders and rock outcrops, particularly up ahead as the meadow ascends towards a lofty, grassy mountaintop. The flanks of that mountain are wooded, but the crest remains grassy and sometimes rocky.

07:37 AM - May 02, 2024

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View of New Haven, Long Island Sound and Long Island, Giant's Right Leg, Sleeping Giant State Park, Hamden, Connecticut. April 25, 2024, 4:38 PM.
#hiking #photography #outdoors #landscapephotography #hikingadventures #nature #Connecticut #spring #forest #mountains #seacoast #trails #springtime

We are standing upon a bumpy, irregular outcrop of gray rock framed by cedars and leafless hardwoods to our right and below, and a beautiful white pine to our left. The sky is a beautiful robins egg blue with one very narrow broken line of thin clouds near the horizon. The valley a few hundred feet below us is a patchwork of forests and buildings. A lower mountain rises near the seacoast a few miles away; to its right is a medium-sized port city. Across a strip of deep blue water another coastline is visible. To the left of the low mountain, the wetlands near the mouth of a river are visible.

01:54 PM - May 01, 2024

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Rocky cliff meets a cedar grove, Giant's Chest, Sleeping Giant State Park, Hamden, Connecticut. April 25, 2024, 3:23 PM.
#hiking #photography #outdoors #landscapephotography #hikingadventures #nature #Connecticut #spring #April #forest #mountains #rocks #trails #springtime

Ascending a long, craggy outcrop of gray rock beneath a cloudless deep blue sky. Golden brown dormant grass just starting to turn green, a few small leafless shrubs and a baby cedar grow out of some of the cracks. A beautiful grove of mature cedars begins at the edge of the outcrop to our right.

12:17 PM - May 01, 2024

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8 Threaded Spouts

September 25, 1983: I became briefly lost while returning down the side trail from Moxie Bald to the AT.
#backpacking #hiking #outdoors #landscapephotography #Maine #nature #mountains #forest #AppalachianTrail

We are atop a mountain, looking out over a series of striated gray granite outcrops along the crest, partially covered by a forest of stunted dwarf spruce and fir sprinkled with a few hardwoods covered with bright golden autumn leaves. We are looking down at a huge valley dominated by a very large lake reflecting the very hazy very pale blue sky. In the misty distance beyond the lake a series of forested low mountain ranges cascade to the horizon.

09:41 AM - May 01, 2024

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Two massive rock outcrops #Frame the scene.

They let small herds of horses freely wander and graze these high grasslands. Mount Rogers / Grayson Highlands, Appalachian Trail, southwest Virginia. July 27, 1983.

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A rugged green landscape of rolling grassy meadows with some green shrubs and a few trees, mostly pines. Two massive gray rock outcrops frame the scene on the left and right sides in the foreground. On the right, farther away across the grasslands is a third massive gray rock outcrop. Beyond that outcrop and to its left, a grassy knob is capped by several more outcrops. To its right are the forested flanks of a higher ridge. The outcrops are partially covered with green grasses and small green shrubs. In the hazy distance, perhaps a couple of miles away, we see the forested flanks of more distant ridges beneath the bright hazy white sky. A small herd of about a dozen horses graze the grassy plateau below.

09:07 AM - May 01, 2024

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Forest floor spring evening, Sleeping Giant State Park, Hamden, Connecticut. April 25, 2024, 6:08 PM.
#hiking #photography #outdoors #landscapephotography #hikingadventures #nature #Connecticut #spring #April #forest #evening #trails #mountains #springtime

Walking a footpath bathed in golden early evening sunshine and lengthening shadows through a forest of mature leafless hardwoods. The forest floor is covered with new shoots of brilliant emerald green spring grass and leafy plants. Small shrubs growing between the tree trunks are also sprouting bright green leaves. Walking towards the sun, which is offscreen top right, backlighting the greenery.

11:50 AM - Apr 30, 2024

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11 Threaded Spouts

September 2, 1983: The trail descended past a water source called Hairy Root Spring (sounds yummy, doesn’t it?) to the shores of Wachipauka Pond, the mountain tarn I had just seen from above.
#backpacking #hiking #outdoors #landscapephotography #NewHampshire #nature #mountains #AppalachianTrail

Beneath a bright overcast sky, we are standing in a narrow dirt road alongside a forest on our left. The right side of the road has a grassy shoulder several feet wide. To its right is a rustic wooden post and wire fence with flowering shrubs and tall weeds growing along it in spots. To the right of the fence is the corner of a green field of grass several inches in height and white wildflowers. A single line of trees borders this field. The dirt road and fence continue past this wind break to a very large grassy field with a small tilled rectangular patch near the road. The forested slopes of mountain rising several hundred feet above us borders this field.

10:06 AM - Apr 30, 2024

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#Drift

A driftwood-covered beach along the Pacific coast of Washington, March 1984.

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A break in the rain on a stormy day. We are in bright sunshine although the sky remains mostly cloudy. Storm waves are breaking on a deserted beach of dark beige sand. Past the high water mark, the beach is piled with bleached driftwood, the remains of many trees. Naked rock cliffs rise steeply from the beach. A dense forest of evergreens runs right to the edge of the cliffs up top.

09:44 AM - Apr 30, 2024

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Sunny footpath in spring, Sleeping Giant State Park, Hamden, Connecticut. April 25, 2024, 4:03 PM.
#hiking #photography #outdoors #landscapephotography #nature #Connecticut #spring #April #forest #mountains #sunshine #naturephotography #trails #springtime

Walking a footpath bathed in sunshine through a forest of mature leafless hardwoods. A patch of mountain laurel shrubs not far ahead retains its leaves year-round. The rest of the forest floor is covered with new shoots of brilliant emerald green spring grass. A small shrub growing in front of a tree trunk on our left is sprouting bright red vegetation. Walking towards the sun, two shafts of sunlight are reaching down towards us from the top of the pic.

01:46 PM - Apr 29, 2024

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2 Threaded Spouts

July 7, 1983: A ledge just above the AT along the ascent had a 180-degree view stretching from southwest to northwest. To the south, Skyline Drive snaked around Hogback's
#backpacking #hiking #outdoors #landscapephotography #Virginia #mountains #nature #forest #nationalparks #AppalachianTrail

Standing atop a high rocky cliff, looking out between 2 shrubs at a scene of almost unbroken forest. There is a valley below us and a rounded ridge dominates the midground. On the side facing us, a small break in the trees allows a glimpse of Skyline Drive, the 2-lane park road. Beyond this ridge rises a loftier and more rugged section of the Blue Ridge in the distance. There are several glimpses of the drive winding around or over this crest. Lower ridges fade into the haze along the horizon.

09:39 AM - Apr 29, 2024

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Many cultures' mythologies associate the moon and #Pearl -s (and I doin't have any pics of pearls).

Enhanced almost full moon sunset, Scoville Reservoir, Wolcott, Connecticut. June 15, 2021, 8:49 PM.

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A pale blue sky tinted orange along the horizon. A few long thin clouds drift past. A large (enhanced) almost full moon is top right. Evening on the shore of a large lake, the forest on both sides and along the far shore is silhouetted in the fading light. A leafy shrub front left is silhouetted against the lake, as are dozens of lily pads floating on the surface. Several geese are swimming near the righthand shore in the distance. A pale reflection of the moon is to our right.

09:10 AM - Apr 29, 2024

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6 Threaded Spouts

September 14, 1983: A note at Speck Pond Shelter informed me that Frye Notch Shelter, which I had been hoping to reach tonight, was still under construction and presently lacked a roof.
#backpacking #hiking #outdoors #landscapephotography #Maine #nature #forest #mountains #AppalachianTrail

Beneath a clear blue sky with a few streaks of cloud we are standing atop a mountain peak, looking across a deep sag in the ridge to an even loftier mountain with wooded flanks and a long ridge crest connecting two summits. The lower and closer of the summits has an extensive alpine area climbing up to it, with naked gray rock and scrubby green vegetation.

08:44 AM - Apr 28, 2024

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Sudden blue sky. Lingering winds #Tear the overcast apart. Above the clouds inside a disintegrating storm. June 1, 1983. Beauty Spot, Unaka Mountains, North Carolina / Tennessee border.

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The sun has broken out on a stormy day and the downward sloping meadow before us is bathed in sunshine. Shreds of dissolving clouds stream past us. In the distance, banks of still substantial clouds reflect the bright sunshine. The lush green grass of the meadow is sprinkled with hundreds of yellow daffodils. Farther down the mountainside, the meadow is broken up with pine trees and hardwoods sporting bright white or yellow blossoms. Beyond the trees, other mountain ranges and green valleys can be glimpsed through the shredding and dissolving storm clouds.

08:19 AM - Apr 28, 2024

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14 Threaded Spouts

September 13, 1983: The Appalachian Trail descended alongside Moss Pond's outlet brook to Gentian Pond. A trail shelter was perched atop a small ridge flanked by the pond on one side and
#backpacking #hiking #outdoors #landscapephotography #NewHampshire #nature #forest #mountains #AppalachianTrail

$A whitewashed evening sky with banks of clouds along the far horizon. Walking an alpine ridge crest along naked gray fractured granite surrounded by leafy ground cover starting to turn gold. Ahead the crest descends to and climbs over a wooded section with 3 large patches of open green alpine scrub, Next is a deep gap and then the crest arcs right as it ascends again over a series of lofty peaks and knobs. There are glimpses of more distant mountain ranges to the right and left.$

09:05 AM - Apr 27, 2024

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Coastal #Storm pounds some wetlands along the Oregon coast in March 1984. The sun burns through for a few minutes. The rain continues and even comes down a bit harder.

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A stormy day along the Pacific Coast of Oregon. The sun burns through for a few minutes. The rain continues and even comes down a bit harder. We are hiking through some coastal wetlands. In the foreground is a patch of tall water grasses of green and pale gold. Just ahead and to the left is a small lagoon sparkling blue in the sunshine. It is teeming with water grasses and other aquatic plants. Beyond are pale golden sand dunes, some of which also have some plant life on top. Beyond the dunes is a strip of coastal forest along the horizon.

08:09 AM - Apr 27, 2024

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