Yes, the 9x12+/- cm Tri-X negative was scanned at 3,200 dpi and exported from scanner to disk as a 16 bit tif.
Regarding your screen shots of the tree tips. Is that selecting by Highlights only in PS CC and not is earlier versions like my CS5? Can you tell me a little more about the workflow between your two screen shots? This looks like it could be very useful.
Your question about whether my desire is to have a featureless sky. Yes, although I've never given a great deal of attention to exploring a more featured rendering. I've been assuming I could look at that after I get the image to be as I originally printed it in the darkroom (it's close, if not there) and to figure out this tree tips issue so my remaining images don't have me so overwhelmed by the thought of painting pixels. (Actually the pixel work was a little meditative, but, enough is enough.
I'll have to come back to your final comment.
BTW, I uploaded two additional images to the Dropbox folder; they're called Pike Island & Fallen Tree. (If they don't open in the preview mode, download them and they'll open right up in PS. Something weird is going on with Dropbox.)
Thanks for your comments.
Michael