The Power of Water Unleashed
Water and Stone Creating New Topographies
I have been visiting this one area on the mountain by my house for the past year, studying fungi and erosion and the interaction between water and land. The frequent storms we had in 2024 led to a lot of changes in the landscape, but nothing as dramatic as what has happened since Helene. (This mountain is also in much better shape than numerous other areas, as there is an abundance of rhododendrons that hold the soil in place. Consequently, the landscape retains elements of beauty that are harder to detect in other places.) When the water pours over the rocks, it breaks them up and carries them down stream, as well as undercutting and widening the banks of rivers and creeks. We often talk about how water carves canyons, but we aren’t always present to witness the extreme events that lead to the greatest changes. In the past, my understanding of the power of water was more abstract and I assumed it took place over geological time. Though what has happened to the land in Western North Carolina is tragic, I have found it fascinating to see how extreme events, which are becoming more and more frequent, can have instantaneous and dramatic effects.
Stella’s Creek at Rhododendron Trail
This creek once had a small rock bridge that a Kawasaki Mule operated by the person who manages the trails here could drive across. The bridge is no longer stable, as rocks have been dislodged and rearranged and the creek is much wider now. Firm banks have been fragmented and shattered and the ground everywhere has become unstable.
Exposed
Prior to Helene, some of this tree’s roots were exposed, but now several feet of the bank’s earth has been washed away exposing a whole network of roots and mycorrhizae that was once hidden from view. How long the trees will survive and whether they can redirect enough of their remaining roots in other directions is something that will only be known with time. Of course, additional storms will worsen the erosion, yet it was also strangely beautiful to see the form of these roots and how they echoed the cascading water behind.
The Ominous and Beautiful Power of Water, Looking Glass Falls
Though the image above was made after Helene, when this area was open again and it was safe to visit, I was still sensing the ominous power of water and wanted to make an image that captured my emotions about this 1 in 1,000 year event. As I stood at the base of the falls, my thoughts drifted to my first experience of the profound power of water. When I was standing at the bottom of the Bernardo O’Higgins Glacier in Patagonia in 2016, an arch calved and the whole ground shook and I had to run from the rising water. I was both terrified and struck by nature’s power when it is unleashed, but also strangely drawn to water’s ominous beauty.
The images above are of Looking Glass Falls and the Creek with downed trees after Helene. This is not the first time such storms have powered through our area. Every time there is a big storm or periods of heavy rain, the waterfall appears quite dramatic. However, during Helene and the days following, multiple landslides blocked the area and the water reportedly rose as high as the top of the waterfall (https://www.instagram.com/exploringnc/reel/DAeZ6Kig0rS/).
Another area I visited recently was the Turkey Penn Trail along Mills River. Parts of the banks, especially on the sides where the rhododendrons were growing didn’t look horrible, but where the course of the river had shifted and water had flowed with great force, many trees were downed. There was one area where the river narrowed, and that was particularly obstructed by falling trees in a giant, impassable heap.
The image above are from the Chestnut Ridge Heritage Preserve in South Carolina. The South Pacolet River runs through the middle of the preserve, and this is the same river I photographed in Saluda that caused such extensive damage to the homes and landscape there. When my husband and I were walking, we could see evidence of previous high water from older storms, possibly even the storm of 1916. The eroded banks and damage in the photographs above was from Helene. Yet, I was also struck by how clear and beautiful the river was once again, the turbidity having abated and the colors from iron, copper, manganese and other chemicals that leached into the river during Helene having dissipated. It reminded me that nature does absorb the impacts of storms over time, though the course of rivers is often changed and new topographies are created. Bearing witness is important, perhaps as a deterrent to human activities that worsen these events and also so we respect the power of nature and don’t put ourselves in direct danger.