Chuck Sutherland

I've lived in the Sparta area for a long time, and I've come to think of it as home. It's an amazingly beautiful place that really doesn't get the respect it deserves for being a haven for outdoor enthusiasts. Here are a few of my favorite photos I've taken of my home county.   1. Rocking Rock  From this overlook on the north side of Coal Bank road one can see all the way to Monterey. 2. The Oldham Theater This beautiful old theater on Sparta's town square is a reminder of earlier times. It's recent renovation has reclaimed the space for use as a place for meetings and parties, as well as beautified the downtown. 3. Sunset Rock Our most utilized and accessible overlook on the north side of the Crossville highway. This overlook is west facing, making it an ideal location for viewing sunsets, as the name suggests. 4. Upper Polly Branch Falls This is a lesser known waterfall that is on the Bridgestone Firestone Centennial Wilderness Wildlif...

Since the beginning of January, Tennessee has been on average colder than the previous 4 years. Perhaps colder than more years before that. I cannot recall seeing as much ice in any previous year, with the exception of the ice storm we had in the 1990's. I have tried to make the most of this event and photograph as much frozen water as possible. It's like being in some new landscape. It's like travelling to another country. The same waterfalls I've photographed 100 times before now are suddenly fresh and interesting again. Or are they? I've seen so much ice in the last few weeks that it's not terribly interesting anymore. I hate to admit this, but I do get habituated to things pretty quickly, and soon I'm off seeking the next shiny thing. But I'm old enough to have some foresight now. And I know that in the heat of the impending summer, I will turn to my friend and say, "Remember when this waterfall was frozen? That was cool." We'll...

This is one of my favorite photo shoots that I've ever done. It was during a week whose mean temperature was 27 °. Fall Creek Falls State Park was empty. There was no evidence that anyone was at the park at all; no cars, and no footprints in the scattered shallow snow that covered the ground. There are few things in the world that I love more than having a place to myself. And because this was a solo trip, I absolutely was by myself. Donning gloves, I descended the cable trail to get to the base of Cane Creek Falls. I hope these photos convey the sense of beauty that I enjoyed there that day.

During the polar vortex of 2014, Kristen Bobo, Emily Davis, and Greer Crabtree hiked to Verble Hollow. Access is difficult and hampered by numerous cliffs. Gaps have to be found, climbing has to be done, gear has to be protected. Sufficient clothing for a trip in these frost conditions is difficult enough to travel in. In addition, I had caving gear, and photography gear. After a few hours we arrived at our destination. From a cave a stream emerges, plunges 80 feet, and disappears into another cave. This feature is known as a karst window in geology. What that really means is that geomorphologically, the caves used to be a single system, but collapse has provided a "window" into them. Karst windows crop out pretty much anywhere you have cave systems. What is special about this one, is that it is one among just a handful of other features which reveals not just a stream, but a waterfall. Other better known examples of this include Lost Creek Falls, Virgin Falls, and Rylan...

It was relatively warm on January 8th, 2014 when I went to Fall Creek Falls. After several days of temperatures hovering around 0 - 5 degrees Fahrenheit (-18 to -15C to everyone not in the United States ) a jump to just above freezing genuinely felt warm. I hiked to the bottom of the falls, removing a substantial amount of debris from the trail; Frost covered trees unable to hold their own weight break, and fall down to the trail below, icicles and ice dropping from the cliffs above, even a few rocks. But the pictures... That's why you're here, right? That's why I was there. Check this out...