Category Archives: Unusual Perspectives

Devil’s Head at Chimney Rock

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At the start of the Skyline trail just above the top of Chimney Rock, one may notice a menacing rock face peering out over the Gorge. On even closer inspection, it appears to have taken on the countenance of evil incarnate – it’s the Devil’s Head! How did this rock form itself into such a shape?

A long time ago a huge sheet of rock slid down the mountainside and broke into many pieces, one of which came to rest on this ledge. The facial features of the boulder are due to differential weathering of Henderson Gneiss rock. More resistant parts of the rock form the eyebrow, nose, chin and ear, while softer layers have eroded out, shaping the eye and the mouth.

Devil's Head at Chimney Rock

Devil’s Head at Chimney Rock

Devil's Head Rock Formation

Devil’s Head Rock Formation

An Image on the Mountain

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Can you imagine what the shape of the mountain looks like?  See the answer below the image.

An Image on the Mountain

An Image on the Mountain

Can you visualize a face of a sleeping man? Well, this is Grandfather Mountain, NC.  It was named “Grandfather” by pioneers who recognized the face of an old man in one of the cliffs. Many vantage points reveal different faces, so there is no one official profile of the mountain, but the most popular can be seen from the community of Foscoe, seven miles north of Linville and 10 miles south of Boone on N.C. 105.

2013 in Review with Sincere Appreciation

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The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2013 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 56,000 times in 2013. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 21 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

Ecuador – Head Shrinking Process

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Ecuador - Head Shrinking Process

Ecuador – Head Shrinking Process

This is less about photography and more about a fascinating history of culture.

The Jivaro clan who lived deep in the Ecuadorian, and neighboring Peruvian Amazon. were known for the ancient practice of shrinking human heads. Most Jivaro Indians considered any victory over the enemy as incomplete if they were unable to return without one or more enemy heads as trophies. More importantly, the reason behind shrinking the heads was to paralyze the spirit of the enemy attached to the head so that it cannot escape and take revenge upon the murderer.

The above composite panorama shot at the Inti Nan Museum outside Quito depicts the process of shrinking the heads.