Steve Madden adds photos to this collection weekly, so visit this page often to view and read details about In My Treks featured photos.
All photos in this collection are copyright 2024 Steven L. Madden.
SFP208 December 8 2024
Old North Church
Knoxville’s Fourth Presbyterian Church warmly welcomed us when we joined the Old North Knoxville Victorian Holiday tour.
Fourth Presbyterian was established in 1886 and their sanctuary opened in 1913.
Magnificent stained glass windows are original and, thus, more than 110 years old.
SFP207 December 2 2024
Buck Again
I was back at Seven Islands State Birding Park four days later and saw the eight point Buck again.
SFP202 December 2 2024
Eight Point Buck
Today, for the first time, I hiked all trails at Seven Islands State Birding Park in a single day. Including Kelly Lane Greenway, I wallked twelve miles in the welcome sunshine.
I encountered this eight point Buck twice, first on the Outer Loop and later on the Inner Loop of Upland Trail.
SFP122 November 22 2024
Early American Yuletide
I visited a Knoxville TN home that is furnished with antiques dating to the 1700s and 1800s.
A week before Thanksgiving Day, the home was simply and beautifully decorated for the holidays.
I was transported back in time to an early American Yuletide.
SFP117 November 7 2024
Gentle Giants
Coastal Redwood trees, some more than 800 years old, reach their branches about 300 feet high to mostly-sunny but often-foggy skies.
I learned, by visiting Muir Woods National Monument, these gentle giants absorb moisture from fog and share life-giving water with ground plants around their massive trunks.
Botanists believe plants communicate and cooperate with each other for their mutual benefit.
SFP023 October 23 2024
Harbingers of Grandeur
We were on Jakes Creek Trail by 9am and immediately saw vivid colors all around.
Even before the sun’s rays reached us from behind nearby mountains, scenes like this were harbingers of grandeur we would experience for the next several hours.
SFP023A October 23 2024
Snippet of Autumn Color
My favorite among dozens of Fall color photos today was this collage I spied while lunching at a Miry Ridge Trail clearing in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Fallen leaves, light green Lichens and crimson Galax merged in this snippet of Autumn color.
SFP023B October 23 2024
View From Miry Ridge
Our view from the best Miry Ridge Trail clearing on this gorgeous Fall day.
SFP019 October 19 2024
Autumn Splendor
I paused at the junction of Bote Mountain Trail and Anthony’s Creek Trail to capture this colorful scene.
About ten miles into my Smokies loop hike, I had for hours viewed nature’s tapestry of Fall colors. And I would enjoy three miles more of Autumn splendor before day’s end.
SFP012 October 12 2024
Castle Rock
The sign says Castle Rock…singular. That seems odd considering massive rock formations like this line a half mile of Bird Mountain Trail at Frozen Head State Park near Wartburg TN.
I enjoyed my early fall hike so much I returned three days later to explore Castle Rocks (plural!) again.
SFP010 October 10 2024
Northern Lights in South Knoxville
An amazing late-night image of Aurora Borealis from my neighborhood in South Knoxville TN.
Typically seen in places like Alaska, Canada, Scandinavia and Russia, for some reason northern lights were visible in some southern U.S. states in 2024.
They are not necessarily visible with the naked eye. I was able to capture this image because a friend told me where in the night sky to point my smart phone camera.
The camera lens sees what my eyes cannot perceive.
SFP923 September 23 2024
The Arboretum
The brown sign beside I-75 reads:
The Arboretum
State Botanical Garden
After camping at and exploring wonder-filled Kentucky Horse Park, I visited the 100-acre public garden near downtown Lexington.
For five hours, I walked among 1200 native plant species, and captured images of dozens of distinctive plants.
After such a delightful first visit, I intend to return to The Arboretum each successive season.
SFP918 September 18 2024
Walker Sisters Cabin
Margaret Jane King married John N. Walker in 1866 after he returned from the Civil War. They raised a family of eleven children including six daughters who never married.
When Great Smoky Mountains National Park was created, the Walker Sisters were granted a special lease and continued to live on land they inherited from their father. The last unmarried Walker sister, Louisa, died there in July 1964.
You can visit their unique mountain home by walking a short distance from Little Greenbrier School in the Metcalf Bottoms area of the Smoky Mountains.
SFP817 August 17 2024
Silhouette of Jane Bald
Looking NW from Round Bald, a dramatic sky silhouetted Jane Bald at sunset.
I marvel at God’s handiwork each time I visit the Roan Highlands of Upper East Tennessee and Western North Carolina.
SFP816 August 16 2024
Cardinal Flowers
Colorful Cardinal Flowers bloomed beside Abrahms Creek in mid August.
Beginning from the Cades Cove trailhead, our small group shared Abrahms Falls Trail with dozens of Smoky Mountains hikers.
SFP809 August 9 2024
Happy Camper
This peaceful scene greeted me one morning while I camped at Panther Creek State Park near Morristown TN.
SFP731 July 31 2024
Morning Noon and Night
I hiked morning, noon and night the last day of July. And I was well rewarded.
First, by this Luna Moth on Will Skelton Greenway in Forks of the River Wildlife Management Area.
SFP731A July 31 2024
Morning Noon and Night
Second, by fields of Sunflowers lifting their florets to worship the early morning sun.
SFP731B July 31 2024
Morning Noon and Night
Third, by this Butterfly and Buttonbush beside a pond along Upland Trail at Seven Islands State Birding Park.
SFP731C July 31 2024
Morning Noon and Night
Fourth, by a spectacular sunset, beginning at Seven Islands State Birding Park.
The western sky became more colorful as I drove toward Knoxville, culminating in this shot of its skyline from James White Parkway Bridge over the Tennessee River.
It was a great day; morning, noon and night.
SFP719 July 19 2024
Hazard Cave
I could venture no further along Hazard Cave Trail in Pickett CCC Memorial Park near Jamestown TN.
Beyond the cave, the trail was closed due to damage from 85 mph winds on May 26 2024.
Five other trails in Pickett State Park were also closed. I wonder when they will reopen.
SFP702 July 2 2024
Clinch River Reflection
Trees near a Weir dam reflected on Clinch River one morning in early July.
Seen from River Bluff Trail across the river from Norris Dam State Park in East Tennessee.
SFP702A July 2 2024