Late on a spring evening, this storm moved in over the valley of Deep Creek. For a few minutes, the play of light and cloud swept across the drainage, highlighting first one peak and then another. Then the clouds dropped to the ground and the fantastic show was over. Most folks think of late autumn when they think of leaf color in the Smokies, but the variety of colors in early spring is pretty remarkable too. From the deep greens of the lower slopes to the yellows and reds of the newly leafed out trees higher up, the color rivals that of late fall.