The Tennessee River passes through Lake Guntersville in northeastern Alabama near the Tennessee Border southwest of Chattanooga. This is a very old river that has played a pivotal role in the First Nations Tribal era and through the colonization of the United States.
In older times when animal power dominated transportation there was no safe or secure way to cross from the east over this long mountain range full of endless ridges and valleys. Early colonial settlers considered these mountainous ridges the far Wild West and rarely ventured beyond them.
Waterways such as the long and winding Tennessee River were the superhighways of the day, taking tribesmen and traders down from the Smokey Mountains to the lower deltas. Eventually American pioneers such as Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett ventured through the mountainous passes, settling on the Cumberland Plateau near where Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia meet along the Tennessee River, west of Nickajack Lake which would be located about 30 miles to the left of this image.
This is an image of Honeycomb Cove, part of Guntersville Lake on the Tennessee River in Northern Alabama. Before the series of 29 dams were built in the early 20th century the river was much lower and a number of lakes and coves did not exist so this area would have looked quite different back then. The town of Guntersville lies on the far bank of the lake in the distance in this photo.
The small island in the foreground is known as Goat Island and the small inlet in the bottom of this image is Pumpkin Hollow. The point just to the left of Goat Island is known as Fort Deposit Point.These lands are full of limestone caves and caverns, historical Native American sites and old pioneer homesteads and cabins. On the border of Tennessee and Alabama in the Cumberland Plateau lies the Paint Rock Valley.
Flanked by steep mountains and threaded by a meandering river, this place is so remote the residents of some of the outlying communities lived in a state of isolation that is hard to envision, electricity did not reach the valley until 1949.
I lensed this picture in the springtime as I was chasing a rainstorm across the Tennessee Valley from Muscle Shoals to Mentone, Alabama. I am shooting to the east for this image. I spent many years in my youth camping and fishing in this very cove. I used to love using the old rope swing on the side of the road to dive into the river.
I printed this image as a high resolution fine art print and a number of folks back in the area now have this hanging on their wall. It makes a very nice window into wilderness.
This image is from my ongoing project, "Where Eagles Fly";
About The Project
Where Eagles Fly - The American Wilderness Expedition is my personal mission to introduce people to these amazing locations that surround us. I am piloting a bush plane while exploring and filming throughout the remote back-country areas of North America to raise awareness of the 47% of the USA and 90% of Canada that remain unpopulated wilderness.
About The Author
My name is Zedekiah Morse and I'm a Bush Pilot, Photographer, Explorer and Filmmaker. I live in the Rocky Mountains and devote my time and resources to exploring as much of the world as I can by air. If you wish to watch a short film detailing how I do my work and this project, go here.
If you like what you see here upvote and resteemit so that others may experience these wondrous places.
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Thanks for your support and Yehaw!!
Thanks for this, have not heard of this river before, first time hearing it and also the discovery
Glad you liked it!
Amazing shot and post @skypilot, I really like your stuff!
Hey thanks so much! Really appreciate that.
So incredible views as far as the eye can see. The Tennessee river is a great time choice for those who love sports such as fishing and picnicking. The area is still far away from natural damage. I really like your mission to introduce people to these amazing locations. Honestly .. this is the first time I read your writing and shooting until the storyline is very interesting. Thanks @skypilot :D
Thank you, really glad you took the time to read my post. Yes the Tennessee River is still a very beautiful area! I am grateful for your support.
Wow, just some awesome beauty. Happy to see you back on here
Thanks so much, glad to be back.... though I must say it seems like not so many people are paying attention to what I am doing, which makes the support from my small community of folks such as yourself even more important so I really do appreciate your taking time to check out what I am doing.
You are very welcome. I love your photos and the explanations. Learn alot. Yes it's been kind of quiet on here a bit lately. Here's hoping all the upvotes increase for both of us. : )