On the evening of October 26, 2026, Badger was prowling the Blue Ridge Parkway looking for a vivid Fall sunset at favorite vantage points. I met with reasonable success, but knowing that there was another photo op rising nearby, I turned toward the eastern sky to witness a full Hunter’s Moon ascending above another favorite spot at the Courthouse Valley Overlook.
The valley below drops toward the French Broad River flatlands and the ridgelines to the east caught the last rose colored light of dusk as the moon climbed into a sky still holding that amber glow. I’d been chasing this scene for years – not the moon itself as moon photographs are ubiquitous. It’s the atmosphere and timing and composition that determines whether a lunar image feels like a postcard or a painting.
That autumn night the haze was just right, enhanced by the subtle smoke of a nearby controlled burn. The overall misty vibe at 5000′ elevation was enough to soften the horizon and thin enough to let the moon’s disk stay sharp. The evergreens in the foreground stood dark and patient, their tops lit faintly from below by the reflected glow off the valley floor.
Sensing an image of Epicity, I processed the frame in a Luminist style, trying to honor what the eye actually saw as well as what the camera recorded. The result sits somewhere between photograph and oil study influenced by Thomas Cole and Thomas Moran of the Hudson Valley School. The final image was eventually deemed “gallery ready” as they say.
Courthouse Valley is one of those overlooks that rewards stillness. No trail leads there and, unlike the rest of the parkway that evening, there were no crowds: just two picnic tables and a long view into the ever darkening skies. It’s the kind of place where you remember that you’re small but nonetheless important, and somehow that’s the best part.
Thomas Mabry is a KnoxTNToday contributor, who shares his love of nature through stories, photography and hiking adventures. Follow Honey Badger Hiking on Facebook for trail discoveries and outdoor adventures, and explore more of his photography on Honey Badger Images on Instagram.
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