Between Earth and Sky

   This is a scraggly pine tree that lives on the top of the mountain in Pine Mountain State Park in Pineville, KY. I was hiking with my dog on the Chain Rock Trail in the park when I turned onto an unmarked trail that I was fairly familiar with. It was a short and rough trail filled with many eroded roots and loose rocks but it was well worth the effort. The trail ends here at this strange area that is a steep climb up to a sheer cliff just beyond the pine tree. The knobby rocks give it an alien planet sort of feel. As I made it to this spot this tree grabbed my attention.
    The contrasts between the rolling gray rock and the crisp blue sky filled with bright white clouds made the tree appear almost majestic. The tree appeared so proud, all alone against the blue sky. Growing out of the rocks, exposed to the elements high on top of the mountain, it displayed mother nature's strength, endurance, and her amazing will to survive.  I raised my camera, and did my best to capture all of the things I saw that day, high on the mountain, in that scraggly pine tree that stood between earth and sky.