Hurricane Helene did a number on Western North Carolina and upper East Tennessee. Badger has spent hours documenting the damage. There have been precarious situations and considerable time being uncomfortable mentally, physically and spiritually.

The question arises: When is time to recreate? To again enjoy the great outdoors?

My friend Timm Davis has been heavily involved in the Helene recovery efforts. He is a “boots on the ground” relief worker and specialist clearing trees tangled up in electrical wires, among other talents.

We decided we were both suffering from hurricane fatigue which is unusual in the Appalachians, for obvious reasons. Timm said that “Recreational Ethics” dictated a visit to the Tennessee/ North Carolina border for the first snow of the season.

For a photographer, snow and autumn leaves make for gorgeous compositions. We took advantage of the October snowfall to take a hike and then return to our duties.

Badger isn’t feeling so fatigued now. The morning high elevation jaunt has awakened my senses. While we are far from normal, fatigue is now a problem for another day.

Thomas Mabry – Honey Badger Images

Many of the HoneyBadgerImages are on display at instagram.com/honeybadgerimages.