Lost Creek Natural Area

Lora and I headed out to Lost Creek Natural Area to hike their new trail going to Virgin Falls. The trailhead has a nice parking area and it is just before you get to Lost Creek. It is a 4.5 mile hike through the woods up and down. You get to see Rylanders Cascades at .5 in. There is a few small streams all along this route and you come in behind the falls.

This is the most water I have seen coming over Virgin Falls and the first time that I actually went up to the top of the falls to see that it comes out of a cave.

After hiking back we went on to Lost Creek Falls, cascade and cave. The water was tremendous here as well. We also passed a unnamed waterfall on the way in that we stopped by on the way out for pics.

Since we had to pass by Fall Creek Falls on the way back, we stopped and looked at Cane Creek Falls and Rockhouse Falls by the nature center.

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Clear Branch Falls

Lora and I took a hike to 40' Clear Branch Falls today after she got off work.
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Savage Gulf Mountain Oak Loop

We needed a little exercise after all the Christmas eating so we headed over to the Savage Gulf ranger station and did the 9.7 mile Mountain Oak Loop. A little much after the fact, but you know us.

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Christmas 2019

We started with our first get together with Braedon. We took him to church, lunch, walked the Murfreesboro Greenway, Played basketball at station 3, and did dinner.

Next we took Melissa and the girls visiting Cherokee Caverns with Christmas in the Cave. Lots of lights, Mickey, the Grinch, and Cousin Eddie! Then surprised Marjorie and Niles at the Ponderosa after they arrived from Louisiana. Had dinner with them and the parental units.

Next was dinner with Lora's parents, Mitsi & Paul and Nick and Amy and Mumford after their arrival from Massachusetts.

Back to the McBride's for Christmas Eve and a hike on the AT at Newfound Gap. Couldn't make it to the Jump Off or the Chimneys before dark but still enjoyed the views and the drive on the new section of the Foothills Parkway. Christmas morning we got a kick out of Zeplin opening his gifts, then went for a hike at Laurel Falls. Carol took a tumble on the trail but bounced back up. Until a little later she discovered a bloody knee, yep stitches needed. Quick trip to the ER at Maryville, stitched up knee and elbow, good as new. She could still direct Christmas dinner, you can't stop her!

Another dinner at Lora's parents house with neighbors and friends and more food.

A quick trip to Chattanooga for lunch with Marjorie and Niles. We toured the Choo Choo afterwards and then we took a hike on the Riverwalk.

Cousins Party with Randy and Kathy hosting. Food, pool, karaoke, charades, and Dirty Santa. What happens at the Cousins Party STAYS at the Cousins Party :)

After all was said and done, Lora and I made it home to open our stockings to finish the season.

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Chattanooga Riverwalk

After meeting Majorie and Niles for lunch at the Terminal Brewhouse and tour of the Chattanooga Choo Choo, we took a hike down the riverwalk starting at The Passage Waterwalk area heading East. We walked to the Rowing Center and back.

Bridgestone/Firestone

Wayne wanted to explore the trails in Bridgestone/Firestone, so we met up in Sparta, drove to the trail area. Gate was closed for hunting, even though hunts were supposed to be over. We went to the Ranger Office at Virgin Falls and chatted with the guy with the maps. He shared his knowledge for possible future exploring. We found the way to Joe Holloway Rockhouse, and down the rocky roadbed to the River Trail. Nice camping area by the river. Some of the trees show beaver activity.

 Then on the Yellow Bluff to see the views from Boar Hog Gap Overlook, then Bee Branch Overlook for a lunch spot. It was cloudy and foggy while we ate, then opened up for the views. Then a drive out to Welch Point to see the view from there. Checking out the trail conditions and how they are blazed, lots of information gained.

It was raining a little bit driving to Sparta but we only had a little mist while hiking.

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Mountain to Sea trail - Segment 2

Lora and I headed to North Carolina to hike a 38 mile section of the Mountain to Sea trail. We chose this section of the second segment of the trail because it is in the woods. We have already hiked the section in the Smoky Mountains and this is the next section that doesn't include walking the road of the Blue Ridge Parkway. We started at the Licklog Gap Overlook Mile Post 435.7 of the Parkway. We carried with us the Segment 2 section of trail description off the Mountain to Sea trail web page, The trail description from Scott Ward, and a National Geographic map. We used all three.

We parked our car on US 276 at a parking area just down from the trail. We used Champion Cab to shuttle us and after an hour of miscommunication he finally found us. Super friendly guy named Rick. He took us back down the Blue Ridge Parkway and dropped us off at Licklog Gap Overlook (MM 19). There was a high wind warning and we felt every bit of it. We had about an hour to get the two miles we needed to get off the Parkway property which you are not allowed to camp on. We made it into the Nantahala National Forest and camped just off the road bed before the trail turned and headed down hill (MM 21.4). It was windy, but we had a warm fire going.

The next morning, with the wind blowing, I lowered my tarp to eat inside out of the wind. We packed up and headed out. As soon as we headed down hill we were out of the wind. It wasn't long before we passed a warning sign about a dangerous section of trail and thought "Great!" This part of the trail was mainly old roadbed and easy hiking. There are lots of water crossings which is great to have for hiking. Always needing water!

The trail headed off the road bed and soon we found the dangerous section of trail. They had actually already reworked this section and did a great job. Obvious storm damage. We appreciate trail builders!

The trail turns back onto old roadbed but after the rework stops so does the trail markers. You get a false since of security with flagging, but it also will lead you astray. (MM 29.7) After you pass through the gate which is two white poles follow the road and stay left and a confusing intersection. Lora did some trail dancing and ended up picking herself up off the trail after trying to walk through some brush. We camped at a horse camp just past Piney Mtn. Creek (MM 31.7). Beautiful stars and warm fire.

Day Three:
We followed road bed back up the mountain where we saw our large black bear crossing the trail ahead of us. We ate lunch just before climbing up to the Parkway. We saw our first person here which was a trail runner. After crossing the Parkway we headed into the Pisgah National Forest and then Middle Prong Wilderness Area. This area is unmarked trail. If you look back on your left you will see the Devil's Courthouse. This is where we found our first day hikers. Actually two groups. The Y-intersection (MM 38.8) is more of a trail on the right going up heading off the old roadbed. It is currently marked with pink paint which turns out that is the only pink paint to follow as the other pink paint will lead you off the trail. When you get to the bald, keep right of all other trails to stay on the MST. After you leave the Wilderness, the markings begin again.

At (MM 44.3) the trail turns left and the unmarked trail to the right will bring you to rock overlook. It connects with a paved trail which you will climb stairs and end up looking all over the mountains. There was a couple of ladies up here. We were looking at the signs pointing to all the other mountains and then we were looking for the Devil's Courthouse. We asked the ladies if they knew where it was and pointed out the fact that we were standing on it. Duh??!!

We spent the night next to the West Fork of the Pigeon River. (MM 41.2)

Day Four:
More beautiful forests. more views, and then the Graveyard Fields which are like balds with bushes and small trees. A grouse jumped up and scared Lora. Then down to Skinny Dip Falls where we found some brave souls actually getting into the water. We filtered water and then headed up to the campsite (MM 52.5). We got our tarps set up just in time as the rain came in. It rained all evening and at bed time the storms came in. Three thunderstorms during the night which with prayer never did hit us directly, but went around us.

Day Five:
We got up to dry but extremely windy conditions. Dropping the tarp to the ground again for breakfast. There were times that we both put our hands against the tarp trying to keep the wind from pulling up the stakes. We got on the trail with a few different crossings of the Parkway and lots of climbing for views. Lora did another dance on the wet leaves finding herself laying in the middle of the trail. Always dancing around. We did the final climb up Green Knob with the wind trying to blow us off the trail before going back down to cross the Parkway and down to our car. As we approached US 276 we saw blue lights. Then we noticed that a police car was behind our car thinking "Great"! The officer was extremely nice and said that someone that drives through here everyday called it in for him to check out.

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Ritchie Hollow Trail TTA

Joan led 8 hikers to Snoopers Rock via the Ritchie Hollow Trail. The trailhead is on a winding road following the Tennessee River, River Canyon Road, barely wide enough for two lanes. The trail is hard packed now, much better than the muddy mess Craig and I hiked when it was first opened. Lots of folks must have been packing it down. The waterfall was not much more than a trickle, but still beautiful. We got to the junction where all those pretty signs are directing you to the trails-no mileage info, so unless you inquired or studied a topo, just guess, but carry a lot of water and food in case you guess wrong.

The Cumberland Trail starts here, so we followed it to Snoopers Rock, walked around all the vehicles parked here, out to the Rock with gorgeous views of the river.

Great lunch spot with the crowd of people all enjoying this beautiful day. Anybody can drive here, but WE chose to hike.

Great group of hikers!

Head of the Sequatchie

Today Lora and I went for a drive up the Sequatchie valley up to the head of the Sequatchie River. This is part of the Cumberland Trail State Park. We visited with Larry and he gave us the history of the park. Then we did the hike around the park to see everything. It was beautiful day for hiking.

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Pogue creek / John Muir

Day One: 6.7
Overlook trail 0.95
Upper Canyon trail 2.05
Mesa Top trail 1.15
Moccasin Rock trail 0.65
Ridge trail 1.9
Day Two: 4.8
Ridge trail 0.6
Moccasin Rock trail 0.65
John Muir trail 3.0

Lora and I headed over to Pogue Creek Canyon for the weekend. We stopped by Pickett State Park to register our cars when we met the Ranger who we had met before at Frozen Head State Park. Telling him our plans, he questioned the section of the John Muir trail that we wanted to hike from Black House Mountain road to Hwy 154. He said that this section has not been maintained for years and he wasn't sure it was passable.

We left a car at the Moccasin Rock trailhead and drove to the parking area for Pogue Creek Canyon. We took the Overlook trail to the overlook and then took the Upper Canyon trail to the Mesa Top trail. We noticed that they had started another trail from the Upper Canyon trail heading out so it looks like future trails ahead. We had leap frogged another group a few times as we went. They lived here locally so we got some tips from them including that we missed our trail from Killdeer arch as we were turning around. You have to go through the arch and beyond an area that has no markings to continue on the trail. This is a beautiful Canyon both top and bottom!

From the Canyon we entered the Pickett State Forest and hiked to Pickett State Park doing the Ridge trail loop counterclockwise. On this side there is also an option to go over the ridge or under the ridge which we chose to go under. Very beautiful area. We saw lots of bear scat.

From Pickett State Park we headed back on the other side of the Ridge trail and made camp just past the Natural Bridge creek for the night. We got to listen to the owls as we sat around our campfire and also later in the night.

Day Two:
We got up and had breakfast and broke down camp. We continued our hike to Black Mountain road and then took the car searching for the John Muir trailhead. Since they took the signs down we had to look pretty good. There is a very large parking area just across from the trailhead. We saw where they had cut the trail signs down and found a round blue hiker dude sign on a fallen tree. Success! We went back to the car and got our pack out then headed down the trail. This trail has been used still quite a bit. We did have to break branches on the Rhododendron and Mountain Laurel and small trees to get through some areas. There are some bridges and we rock hopped the first few crossings. The seventh crossing we had to use crocs and then the eight crossing was a muddy, wide, and deep crossing with a bridge sunk in it. We found a log crossing up stream for this one which got us to the next muddy, wide, and deep crossing with a bridge sunk in it. We called it quits and headed back to the car. We found lots of bear scat on this trail too. From the looks of the scat, it's a BIG bear.

We stopped at Cumberland Mountain SP to see a raptor program called Wings to Soar. The bird handlers let the birds fly over the crowd. They make you flinch as they fly right over your head. The Golden Eagle was making a lot of racket until they let her come out and meet the crowd. The Bald Eagle was missing a wing and was blind in one eye, but was still majestic. The little screech owl doesn't look big enough to make all the noise he's capable of. Cool program.

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Cain Creek Segment Cumberland Trail

On a beautiful Sunday after church, we were off to explore a new segment of the Cumberland Trail being built, a continuation of North Chick. Not sure what it will be named, maybe Cain Creek segment? I had seen pics on the Chattanooga Hiking Club page, and sent an inquiry to Don for directions. Got to the gate on Barker Camp Rd and the gate was closed. We followed the trail to the right of the gate, the trail split, we took lower trail following flagging. It ended at the creek. Not sure if this is CT or trail for kayakers? We backtracked and followed the upper trail. Many road junctions to choose from. We found the entrance to North Chick trail, saw a white blaze going up the road. Lower parking area here maybe?

We decided to keep exploring, trying to follow Don's directions. We walked a graded roadbed downhill to the creek. Found Furnace Rock, or what we assumed was it. There was an opening for something; bear, fox, furnace, whatever. Nothing jumped out on Craig when he stuck his head in there. At the end of the road, there was Cain Creek, and a huge rock overhang. And beyond, high above the creek, Craig spotted the new bridge! Success! We found what we were looking for!

Underneath the overhang are lots of boulders and rocks. It's beautiful here with the creek rushing by. You can tell by the sticks under the overhang how high the creek gets. We climbed up to see the engineering work from the bridge builders wondering if they used manpower or a helicopter to get the bridge components in place. I don't recall seeing pics from the CT FB page about it. Since the trail isn't complete on either side, maybe they are not advertising it.

The ropes left by the kayakers came in handy to get up the ridge to hike out.

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Stone Door TTA

Murfreesboro TTA was going hiking at the Stone Door. I got ready, started the drive, along the way got some alarming news that my aunt had died. Started back home, got an update that my aunt was resurrected from the dead, so I turned around, and went hiking.

Most of the group was still at the trailhead when I got there so I didn't have to run the trail to catch them. Wayne did an outstanding job picking the loop to hike. It was a cool 34 degrees but the sun was warm. We had several wardrobe changes with shade/sun/going up/going down. The rim trail had pretty overlooks into the gulf. A little color was showing, not many reds, mostly yellows. Someone had stated they had never seen wildlife there. I said look! there goes some deer! Two of them leaping and bounding, white tails flying. And later on we watched a woodpecker and listened to him sing.

The new trail signs in the park are really nice, so much better info on them. We hiked to Alum Gap and then down the Big Creek Gulf rocky rocky trail. The creek was running, and when we got to the Sinks, the creek was high, the sink was bubbling, but most of the water was going on down the creek. Too much water for us to chance crossing to see Ranger Falls.

We hiked up to the Stone Door and saw some rock climbers on the wall beneath the overlook. Up on top we spent a few minutes enjoying the view, and watching the black buzzards soaring, catching the updraft going higher and higher.

It sure was a beautiful day to be in the woods.

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Short Springs SNA

Joan scheduled a hike with Dennis Horn at Short Springs SNA. It was a Sunday afternoon hike to see the fall color and for tree identification. I got there early so I drove to Rutledge Falls which is close by. It is on private property with access by the owners. Beautiful farm, really pretty waterfall just behind their house. A nice statue seems to add peace to the area.

The wildflower book I have is edited by Dennis Horn who is a charter member of the Tennessee native plant society and a member of the Scientific Advisory Committee for Rare Plants in Tennessee. We were chatting in the parking lot, and I showed him my book, he asked where I lived and showed me a rare plant that evidently grows on our mountain top not far from our house. Since it blooms in April and May I will have to wait to investigate.

Dennis pointed out different oaks, maples, magnolias, different leaves, explaining how to id trees without their leaves. Much study is needed. We saw beautiful waterfalls, thankful for the recent rains. Adams Falls had water falling coming from a spring in the side of the ridge. Machine Falls was flowing well and the water is so clear! There were some young guys flying a drone, and one had a remote controlled truck climbing the rocks.  Dennis left us behind at the waterfall and was gone by the time we got back to the parking lot. I should have had him autograph my book.

 

Rily's wedding and Brooks Lake

A trip down to Georgia for a cousin's wedding made into an adventure. We headed down to Brooks Lake campground making it just in time to get set up and leave for the wedding. The wedding was moved due to the rain so we got to do a little more exploring to find the wedding. It was beautiful and we got some family time in.

The campground is set up a bit different than most with sites set scattered across the fields with no drives or pads. There is water at the pavilion and the electric is mostly limited to 20amp service. There is a bath house, but no showers and no dump station. The area is beautiful with a big lake and the owners super friendly. We explored the campground and trail the next morning before heading out.

We headed out and explored the Black Shoals Park which has a Georgia Veterans Memorial Park. They have a fishing lake and a hiking trail. We explored it all and then started the drive home.

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Father / Son Trip 2019

Lakeshore Trail 3.0
Forney Creek Trail 0.4
Bear Creek Trail 2.8
Day One 6.2

Bear Creek Trail 3.1
Welch Ridge Trail 0.3
High Rock Trail 0.4
High Rock Trail 0.4
Welch Ridge Trail 0.3
Bear Creek Trail 3.1
Day Two 7.6

Bear Creek Trail 2.8
Forney Creek Trail 0.4
Lakeshore Trail 3.0
Day Three 6.2


This year, just for a change, we went with plan A. We all arrived on Sunday to start some home projects.  The usual tree cutting was a big hit again this year. No body even got hurt.

Monday we started the backpack while the women folk started spending. We headed off to North Carolina which with our drought we were pleasantly surprised with plenty of moisture over there. We headed down the "Road to Nowhere" and started on the Lakeshore trail heading West. The tunnel is right at a quarter mile long and right around there we saw all the people that we were going to see in the next three days.

We turned on the Forney Creek trail for a short spell before heading up the Bear Creek trail. We were going by Steve's description, which he memorized this year and left the printed addition at home. We were looking for a trail on the left which lead to a old settlement. We spent some time exploring the area off an old roadbed and never found anything. Shortly after we came to a split in the trail. On the right was a bridge and going up the hill was a no horse sign. On the left was a lesser used trail with no signage. Steve went left and I went right. We both came back with the same report "trail looks used and keeps on going." We decided to explore further. We did the same, but for longer. Same report. Chose on going left because of the no horse sign.

It was warming up as we approached our campsite #75. A big open campsite right on the creek with good access. Section of good hanging trees near the bear bag hanging area. We set up camp and ate dinner. Dad retired to his hammock and we stayed up a little later.

The next morning we made our packs into day packs and headed up the mountain. It was a long steady climb to the top. We stopped and ate lunch on the way. We continued on to the High Rocks for a wonderful view of the mountains below and an old tower house in disrepair.  Afterwards we headed back to camp for the night, cleaned up and ate dinner. Just about bed time it started to rain and rained throughout the night.

In the morning as we ate breakfast, I noticed a swarm of yellow jackets by the rock that we had used to clean up on the night before. Upon further inspection, there was a nest there next to the rock. Boy talk about lucky. We packed up camp and headed out.

We had a short rain shower on the way out and Steve did a massive fall on the trail after stepping on a wet long. He was a little slow on recovery, but made it the rest of the way out. We saw more people as we approached the tunnel again.

We got an ice cream in Bryson City and then headed home. The ladies had a great adventure on their own and we swapped stories over pizza.

Pictures:

Rock Creek SMHC

The SMHC came to hike Rock Creek from the Retro Hughes trailhead to the cascades and back.
Cindy brought a carload of hikers, 4 + her, I met them there. Doris had helped scout these southern segments of the CT so hearing her stories about the early days of the trail was neat. It started out cool, so I kept my fleece on going into the gorge and didn't take it off until we started back out. Rock Creek had very little water, but the pool at the bridge was nice. We had lunch here on the huge boulder. And there was a pool by the campsite. No rain for the last 45 days makes a huge difference in the creek gorges. No water at the cascade at all.

Coming into the gorge, one hiker saw a weird looking root on the ledge that looked like a snake; it was a snake. A big black snake that Doris managed to piss off. She got a little too close for his comfort so he coiled up and struck at her. Of course then we all had to pass by the pissed off snake...
Just don't understand.

Nice day for a hike, thanks to Cindy and the SMHC.

Pictures:

Alabama Georgia Weekend

We found an article in the Chattanooga Now about music and a movie at Paradise Garden in Alabama. Loaded the camper, and off we went. Found a really nice campground in Mentone, AL called Tranquility RV and Campgrounds. Small and quiet with a pretty little lake with a trail around it. SOMEBODY forgot to get the hot dogs for our dinner so we drove into Mentone to find some. We tried again to visit the church we had seen last year, St Joseph's on the Mountain...doors still locked. We heard music coming from one of the shops so we followed the sound and and settled in to listen to Jerry and Pixie Bloom singing 60's and 70's music. This couple is really talented!

Then back to camp for the hot dogs, and on to Summerville, GA to see Paradise Garden. We walked around the Garden looking at all the art pieces, collections, sermons, wondering if the chapel (which you can't go in) would collapse if you did go in. The Foundation is trying to preserve this place, it's going to be quite the challenge from looking at the roof and the foundation.... Artist/Reverend Howard Finster, well, just go see it for yourself.

 Artist Sam Wheelock was there to perform and introduce the documentary The Winding Stream. This was quite the history lesson and family saga of the Carter and Cash families and their impact on country music. Movie under the stars.

Sunday morning we hiked from the campground to the overlook of DeSoto Falls. The campground owner/aka marathon runner had a map on the back of his clipboard for us to follow. Took a pic, managed to find it.

Heading home we followed the scenic route to Johns Mountain Overlook in the Chattahoochie National Forest. The last two miles was a winding gravel road, a first for our camper, four wheel drive country! The overlook sure was a beautiful lunch spot. We ate in the shade of the camper. When the shade left, so did we.

Pictures:

Hooper Bald

TTA East TN chapter hike led by Rosemary. Two hikers were celebrating their birthday and this is Leslie's favorite hike. We met at Tellico Grain Bakery, dangerous because EVERYTHING in there looks and smells yummy. I think everyone came out with something. Mine was peach filled pastry, and a loaf of sourdough bread.
The drive up the Cherohala Skyway was beautiful. Sunshine and cool air, felt like fall. Wildflowers blooming in high elevations, purple, white and yellow. Asters all over, filmy angelica, some yellow ones I can't id. We hiked from the Hooper Bald trailhead to a retreat of some sort with cabins, covered pavilion and a nice view. We bushwhacked to the road to get to the parking lot for Huckleberry Knob. On the knob we stopped for lunch so I ate half of my pastry, mmm.

On the way back we drove the rutted bumpy gravel road to Whigg Meadow where the bird banders were working. They welcomed visitors, so we watched them remove a bird from the nets, band, weigh, and inspect everything. Leslie got to release the Meadow warbler. Added to her happy birthday.

After driving back to Tellico Plains we stopped at Iron Works Grill for a bite to eat. It was loud in there with football games on 3 or 4 screens and fans cheering. Hard to hear yourself think, but our server was great.

Both balds have historical significance.    There is writing engraved on a rock on top of Hooper Bald thought to be of Spanish origin with a date of 1615.  Also Hooper Bald was the site of a hunting lodge built about 1911.  In April 1912, a shipment of European wild hogs was delivered to the lodge.  A number of the hogs escaped from their pen and proliferated throughout the National Forests and the Smokies..  Huckleberry Knob is the site of a marked grave of Andy Sherman, one of two lumbermen who were walking from the mouth of Sycamore Creek across the mountain to Robbinsville on Dec. 11, 1899.  Both perished near the peak due to the bitter cold,   snow and fog.  Their bodies were found nine months later by a hunter. It is marked by a cross and a plaque. 


Pictures:

Arnold AFB camping trip

We took a trip over to Arnold AFB Famcamp for the weekend. Dad, Mom, and Lora went over on Friday and set up. I joined them Saturday after I got off work. Mom had been wanting to go here to see the beach that she took us to when we were young. The campground which wasn't here back then was really nice. She was a little let down by the beach which was no longer being used as a beach. We found the old Officer Club and the foundation of the pavilion and the rock wall.

After her disappointment, we headed out to Lynchburg for a tour of the Jack Daniel's distillery. That was a very good tour and we learned alot. I would highly recommend this tour to everyone. After the tour we ate lunch downtown and Mom got her fix on with shopping the square.

Back at the campground we made the last minute decision to head to church. We drove to Decherd and attended Mass at Good Shepherd Catholic church. After church we had dinner and hung out for the evening.

Saturday we got up, ate breakfast and then hung out at the swimming area. Dad and Mom took a tour of the recreation area and found the replacement for the old beach and Officer club. She was happy again because it was beautiful like she remembered.

Monday Lora headed out early for work and the rest of us headed out later. We had a great time in a nice campground with some wonderful weather.

Pictures:

Red River Gorge Labor Day

Double Arch

On Auxier Ridge

Jean and Jan on Auxier Ridge

Holiday Weekend, left early from work Friday and met Jean and Jan in Monterey and headed for the Red River Gorge in Kentucky. We arrived at Callie's Lake and Campground, set up camp in the tent area close to the lake and beside a small stream. Hoping for no mosquitos since it didn't look like the water was moving. We had the evening to explore a little bit so we drove to the Natural Bridge State Park and hiked to the top of the Natural Bridge, got on top in time for the sunset. Met a hiker on the way down that warned us about seeing two copperheads on the trail...then every stick, rolled up rhododendron leaf, became a snake, with the dark coming on quickly. Headlamps on, scan, scan, Lucky ladies, found no snakes. But we did find Miguels Pizza for dinner! Long line, long wait, but it was great pizza. Lots of folks around, tents everywhere, plus a cool outdoor picnic area.

Saturday we hiked to Gray's Arch and then drove the Scenic Byway and hiked to see Angel Windows, Whistling Arch, Sky Bridge, and visited the Gladie Visitor Center which is really nice. It has several interpretive exhibits and an environmental learning center. The farm is beautiful. We wanted to see the Suspension Bridge, parked in the Sheltowee Connector parking lot which was very crowded. Swimming crowd in the only pool we had seen on the Red River. Folks were jumping off a large boulder, there were kayakers, not sure how far they were paddling in the shallow river. When we got to the bridge we saw that we could have used the parking just up from the bridge....oh well. Wanted to see the lodge, which has a cool pool shaped like the river beside it. Looks like a nice place to stay. Then on to the Whittleton Arch, Chimney Top Road to Princess Arch and Chimney Top. The Chimney has wooden fence to keep you from hopping down the rocks to the top.

Saturday night entertainment at the campground, BBQ and singer/musician Tyler Halsey. They played about 3 hours which was a little late for quiet time at the campground. Then all the folks that drove there for the music were leaving. Noisy. Yawn...

Sunday was another beautiful day. We went hunting for Tower Rock. The trail map shows it is off the Osborne Bend Trail so we started there but couldn't find the junction to it.  Another hiker came by and had a GPS that showed Tower Rock one ridge over. So we hiked out and drove on, found the trail sign that said Trail #129. Our map shows it was Trail # 229. But we hiked it anyway and found Tower Rock, climbers destination. Then on down the road to find a lunch spot. The Gladie Interpretive Center Farm made a good lunch spot and we explored the barn and cabin. There is a water pump there too.
Next was the Bison Way Trail to see Indian Staircase. Jan had printed trail descriptions that said to watch for a path to the right to get to the bottom of the Staircase. We met a group on the trail that confirmed it was just a little further and they brushed off my concerns of it being dangerous. They had kids with them and were casual about taking them. I wondered how much they liked their kids....

 We found a path to the right and started climbing, we could hear the group below us so we thought they were following. We got to some rock scrambling and started up. We could tell by then the other folks were not behind us, as we got a little higher I could see the staircase; we were a good way from it. But we had awesome views from where we were at the end of the ridge. I climbed higher to see if there was a trail along the ridge to get to the Staircase. There was, so we kept hiking on, thru the huckleberry bushes and overgrown path. We made it to the staircase in time to see the other folks coming over the top of it. Kids and all. Frog rock at the top of the staircase then the largest rock shelter in the gorge, then Indian Arch.
Dinner was at the Red River Rockhouse, grass fed beef burgers, local source cheeses, veggies, wonderful food.
Campfire tonight, just as we started to bed BOOM, BOOM, fireworks!!! at 11 PM! Craziness from the neighbors next to the campground. We will go by in the morning and wake them up to go hiking.

Monday we packed up camp, drove to the prettiest trail in the park. Auxier Ridge. So many awesome views on this trail. All the way to Courthouse Rock we were in awe of the beauty. We picked the outside loop to see Double Arch, but when we got to the junction it was going to add 1.5 to our hike and we didn't have time to get that one. We saw the Double Arch from the Auxier Ridge trail anyway but if I ever go back to the Red River Gorge I want to hike this one again.





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Arkansas Trip

We got the opportunity to go camping with my daughter and her boyfriend. We headed out after Lora got off work and traveled to Chickasaw State Park near Jackson Tennessee. We got there in time for dinner so we cooked out some hot dogs. After dinner we took the hike around the lake and then kicked back for the evening.

The next morning we continued on to Arkansas to Denby Point campground on Lake Ouachita. Marjorie and Niles met us there. We had dinner together, cooled off in the lake and then played some cards.

The next morning we took a canoe trip down past the Twin Creek Day Use Area and back. We got into a light rain shower which cooled us down. Zep had a hard time keeping us all together and within sight of his comfort zone. We spent the afternoon in the water and then got a hike in the evening along the nature trail.

The next morning we canoed down around Lake Ouachita Shores Marina. After lunch we said our goodbyes and then headed East to Reelfoot Lake for the night. After we set up camp, we drove down to the motor trail and checked out a view of Buzzard Slough. We stayed out as long as we could handle the mosquitoes watching for meteorites.

The next morning we hiked around the campground and then caught the three hour scenic boat ride at the State Park. We got a private tour of the lake on a pontoon boat with a couple of well educated rangers. It was a beautiful day on the lake.

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New York 2019

The family vacation for the summer of 2019 was at Letchworth State Park in New York. We started the trip from Tennessee with a caravan of Marco's trailer, Dad's camper, and our trailer. We met up where Dad blew his tire and then we went to Tree Haven Campground in Ohio for the night. We made it to Letchworth State Park on Sunday where everyone gathered together. What a beautiful park, the "Grand Canyon of the East". We stayed at the Highbanks campground.

Monday was a hiking day in the Northern half of the park along the rim on trail #20 Highbanks. It was a good hike that took us back to the campground. Then we drove down the park looking at the waterfalls and preplanning the renewal of the vows. The falls were beautiful. We decided on Inspiration Point as the location of the renewal

Tuesday was canoe trip on Canadice Lake. We used Canadice Lake Outfitters for our canoes. Great guy runs the place with clean canoes. It was a beautiful lake to paddle on with all forest around the lake, no houses. The guy also suggested a hike for us at Stony Brook State Park. After we got back to the park, we had a surprise renewal of the vows ceremony for Dad and Mom by Natalie. We ended up having it at the pavilion by the pool due to some rain in the area.  It was beautiful and powerful to celebrate the 60th anniversary of our parents. After the ceremony and dinner, we headed to Inspiration Point to see the middle falls under the lights.

Wednesday we hiked the East side of the park on trail #7 Genesee Valley which we were supposed to see six water falls. Four of them "few people ever see". We got to see the Upper falls, Middle falls, and one other fall. It was a good hike (no ticks, chiggers or poison ivy).

Thursday was our trip to Niagara Falls. We took the Maid of the Mist boat trip to the base of the falls and then hiked all around the top of the falls. We hit the Hard Rock Cafe for lunch. Beautiful!

Friday we went to Stony Brook State Park for a hike/swim. It is a beautiful park with lots of waterfalls and an actual swimming area. New York does not want you in any of there water. Everywhere are signs about do not get in the water. Even the lake we paddled. The swimming area here was at 64 degrees when we were there. Some wet their feet, but you know me. I had to swim. Back at camp we had the birthday celebration for Betty.

Saturday was getting everyone out in the morning for the trip home. Marco and us headed South to Walnut Lake campground in Ohio. We hiked around the campground and then listened to the Sean Prater Band play that night. It was a beautiful night with lots of stars and a wonderful sunset.

Sunday we followed the 127 Yard Sale to get home. Lots of shoppers still out there looking for bargains.

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Rainbow Falls Ocoee

Soddy Daisy TTA hike with Tom leading. Met him in Ooltewah and no one else showed up (hot July day?) so we carpooled to the Ocoee area. Pretty drive, too early for the whitewater folks so it wasn't too crowded driving along the River. We were the only ones at the trailhead. It's a pretty trail, 1.7 miles to the waterfall. Well signed at the trailhead and the junctions. Two creek crossings, no mishaps. Saw a couple of newts, snails, and some pretty flowers. As we started back we met several hikers. When we got to the trailhead the parking lot was full. As we drove back along the lake we could see the rain clouds moving in. Glad to get off the trail before the downpour.
Fine morning for a hike.
Most pictures taken by Tom.

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Horsepound Falls West Collins

This was supposed to be a Sunday afternoon hike led by the Seasonal Ranger but he didn't show up.I called the Park office and they said it should have been cancelled on the website. Oh well. One other hiker was there so we decided to hike anyway. Bob had only hiked to Suter Falls and wanted to see Horsepound so we hiked there and back. Saw a few summer flowers, Milkweed, and some purple ones I couldn't ID. I think I sweated out 5 lbs; so I got an ice cream after the hike at Christy's Dairy Bar.

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Fall Creek Falls - 4th

We headed to Fall Creek Falls with Melissa, grand babies and Dad and Mom. The first day was spent on the creek and the second at the pool. It was a great time!

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Boulevard Trail Alum Cave TTA

Richard knows how to gather some hikers: list a hike in the Smoky Mountains to climb to Mt LeConte.
11 of us met in Harriman, settled the logistics of drivers/cars needed, then plan B when Gary's car wouldn't start even with a boost from Richard's jumper cables. I drove and along the route we missed the ramp for the short cut thru Maryville and Townsend so Gary lined up a rental car in Sevierville. Dropped him off there and made our way to Sugarlands. Richard was meeting up with up Jeff here but we didn't see anyone we knew. Everyone had gone on so we drove to Newfound Gap and Gary pulled in as we did. Zoom zoom zoom. We found Richard waiting for us at the trailhead wondering where we had been, then made our way on the AT to the Boulevard Trail junction where everyone was stopped for lunch. We had a late start so after just a couple of miles, food!

 Lots of folks were heading to Charlie's Bunion so we left the crowd to go up the Boulevard. This is a beautiful trail and it's been a while since I hiked it. We saw a few blooms still on the rhododendron and Mountain Laurel. Green blackberries thornless this elevation, and the huckleberry bushes had blooms. Too early for berries. Saw one salamander. One hiker didn't feel well, a few of the others were ready for extra miles and went to the Jumpoff, Myrtle Point and Clifftops. I thought 13 miles was plenty so I didn't do those spur trails this trip. We met up with everyone at the LeConte Lodge, did some logistics to get the shuttle cars off the mountain top since the car at the end of Alum Cave Trail belonged to the hiker not feeling so well, then started down the mountain with the drivers. Logistics fell apart when one hiker fell, then another hikers had a sore knee. We got the drivers into the shuttle car, had some issues with unfamiliar truck column shift, emergency brake, and switch, but perseverance paid off and we got to Newfound Gap at sunset just in time to get pictures.
Turned my phone on to see message from my sweetheart wondering where I was??? Back at the parking for Alum Cave our last two hikers made it out just as Gary was going back to look for them to make sure they had headlamps. More logistics to get everyone home and I headed home thru Wears Valley and Townsend, stopped for a really late supper of tacos in Madisonville, got home after midnight. What a beautiful day of hiking, but I'm tired.....

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Hunter Bend - Tennessee River

Lora and I got out on the river trying to beat the storms coming in at lunch time. We put in at 30 again and headed straight across the river. We got to see two different otters, lots of birds, turtles, and fish. We got out just as it started to rain.

That evening we went to the Chattanooga Lookouts game that her company bought tickets for. We made it to the third inning before the storm came in and washed us out.

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Notchy Creek Campground

We headed out to Notchy Creek Campground in Vonore on the Little Tennessee River. We met Dad and Mom there and Melissa brought the grandbabies. This is a very nice and quite campground. We enjoyed the swimming area and walking around the two loops.

The next day Lora and I explored the Tellico Blockhouse and Fort Loudoun.

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Roan Mountain TTA 2019

Nancy planned a camping trip to Roan Mountain State Park to hike and see the rhododendron and azaleas blooming. The weather forecast said it might just rain. When I got there, Gloria Dale was there already set up.  I found a good site by the river to hang my hammock, then we went for a walk around the campground. It's really pretty here, they have a pool too. Lots of campsites up the road on the ridge side. Nancy, Jane and Debbie arrived, and we set up Jane's canopy over a picnic table, just in case it rains....  We were there early enough on Friday to hike in Roan Mountain State Park on the Fred Behrend trail. It started from our group campsite and looped around the ridge side. We saw lots of newts  and got sprinkled on a couple of times. When we got back to camp, Betty had worked magic and had a feast ready for hungry hikers. Happy hour! Then fajita time, and off to hear some Appalachian/Celtic music at the amphitheater, only they moved it to the picnic shelter because of the possibility of rain. (surely not)
Thistle Dew had us tapping our toes and one gentleman flat foot dancing. Very talented musicians and singers. Back at camp it was too wet for a campfire so we called it a night.

Saturday's plan was to drive to Carver's Gap to hike the Balds. The sprinkles off and on had us in and out of rain gear and the wind tried to blow Debbie away. We had rocks to shelter us for lunch on the Grassy Ridge top. Limited views today but the blooms sure were awesome. No Grays Lily blooming yet, so I am glad I got the see them last year. Back at camp we got a fire going and had sprinkles trying to put our fire out, but we were determined. We gave up when the umbrellas come out, so supper was in the town of Roan Mountain at the Smoky Mountain Bakers. Pizza was delicious, baked in a wood fire oven. Good thing we got there early on Saturday afternoon. Others that came in after us had a 45 minute wait or more. I got the last loaf of sourdough bread they had. We got back to camp and went back to the picnic shelter for more music. This time for Marshall Ballew a singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, instructor, and music historian who played 5 different guitars and sang. It was raining when we came over, and sprinkling when we got back to camp. Nancy decided to sleep in her car since thunderstorms were supposed to happen during the night. I saw that the river was up and didn't like how close I was to it so I took down my hammock and put all my gear in the car. Had just settled in for the night when a Park truck came in and flashlights were shining at the river. Rangers checking the water level. They left and about an hour later they were back. I got out and asked them how much danger we were in if the rain kept falling. They said if the river crested it would be in our camp, but they would keep an eye on it and wake us up if we were in danger. Nancy and I didn't like that so she asked where they could put us if we evacuated. They offered the Conference center so we said yes thank you. We woke everyone and started packing up their tents at 11:00 at night. The Conference center had 3 couches and plenty of floor space. Four slept in their cars in the parking lot, 4 of us slept inside. If we had thought about it we could have set up our wet tarps and rain flys and dried out, but we were tired and just tried to sleep thru the Rangers coming and going and the lights from the games lighting up the room we were in. Yawn.

We woke up to "it's not raining right now" so we headed to our campsite and found the river did not flood the camp, woo hoo!  We took down the two canopies and one tent in record time. No one wanted to hike in the clouds and sprinkles again so we decided to have breakfast at the bakery but they were closed on Sunday. Nancy headed off for further adventures in the Smoky Mountains and everyone else headed somewhere to find COFFEE!!!

I explored on my way home driving thru Tennessee's oldest town, Jonesborough. Will have to come back and do the history tour. Stopped at David Crockett State Park and toured the farm. Funky looking chickens with one aggressive rooster that wanted to scare me off, some ducks and guineas, a donkey, Thomas Turkey was showing his plumage, and two of the fattest pigs I have ever seen. Real porkers.

What a fun and exciting weekend, really enjoyed the time with Jane, Debbie, Paulo, Nancy, Betty, Doug, and Gloria Dale.

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Eggs on the Hiawassee River

Lora and I got off work and drove to the North Georgia mountains for an Egg Rally on the Hiawassee River near Macedonia. This is the big one. We just thought we saw a lot of eggs at the Townsend rally. There were 104 eggs registered and 188 people. They had sponsored demos and a swap meet, open house, and games. Lots of very friendly people ready to show you their campers in a minute. After checking out the campers we walked along the river. Beautiful campground here in Georgia.

The next day we drove to Brasstown Bald (4,784 ft) which is the tallest mountain in Georgia and hiked to the top to get a view of the area. From there we had time for one more hike so we hiked to Dukes Falls (300 ft).

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Ivy Academy CT Wildflower Hike

Memorial Day (I didn't have to work) and Craig had to work. After canoeing this weekend, I wanted to hike. The CT State Park scheduled a Wildflower hike with Appalachia CARES AmeriCorps member Anna Schilling at the Ivy Academy in Soddy Daisy. The trail starts on the school property along the North Chick Creek. There were black raspberries ripe right beside the trail! It was getting hot at 9 am to start out, but after walking under the bridge and along the creek we entered the woods and it was a little cooler. Anna says the trail is used by the students during the week, summer too because of summer school, so it is closed to the public until after 3 pm, but open on weekends. Ivy is an Environmental Institute in partnership with TN State Parks.

Still a lot of wildflowers to see, Little Brown Jug, Trumpet honeysuckle, Skullcap, Bergamont, Basil Bee Balm, and sunflowers. The hike went to Pride Rock named for the one in The Lion King. It's a great place to view North Chick Creek. Great day to be in the woods.

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Memorial Day Paddling

We went back to Greenway Farms and this time we paddled down to the river and saw the dam and lock. Afterward we paddled a little way back up past the Farms.

The next day we went to Sale Creek after church and put in to paddle up Rock Creek and back.

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Nick's Graduation 2019

We hooked up the camper and headed North going to Nick's Graduation from law school.  We spent the first night in Pennsylvania at the Twin Bridges Campground which we stayed at the last trip to see Nick and Amy. From there we headed to Delaware Water Gap NRA to do some hiking so we would break up our second day of traveling. We hiked the Tumbling Waters trail at the Pocono Environmental Education Center which had a million red salamanders. We ate lunch at the falls which were amazing. We hiked the Dingmans Creek trail which had the Silver Thread Falls as well, and the Raymondskill Falls trail which has the upper, middle, and lower falls. Then we drove to Massachusetts and stayed at the Partridge Hollow Campground in Monson. Very friendly folks that run this place.

The next morning we headed over to Nick's and visited before heading over to the Basketball Hall of Fame where we met up with Amy and her family. That was interesting even for someone not interested in basketball. We found Pat Summit's display with all the UT Orange colors. From there we headed to lunch. After lunch we headed over to Western New England college for a tour and a reception/lecture on the Bar Exam that Nick is going to take. Sounds like two months of serious study! Then we met Nick's Dad and family for dinner. After dinner we checked out the new casino in Springfield.

Sunday morning Lora and I hiked the Munn Dike trail next to the campground and then we headed to church at the Trinity UMC which is a beautiful church. It was an inspiring service, which helped to not get lost staring at all the beauty inside the sanctuary. Then we met up with everyone for lunch. After lunch we attended the Graduation followed by the celebration dinner with delicious seafood.

Monday after we checked out of the campground, we headed back to meet everyone for a bagel breakfast before heading South. We camped at the Twin Bridges campground on the way back.

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900 miles of Smoky Mountain trails

SHE DID IT!!!! Finished the last of the all the trails in the Smoky Mountains. This last trail was hard on her. With the wildland fire which closed the trail down for quite some time, snow closing the road down, it was wonderful to actually be able to get to the trail. Thunderstorms were forecast for this hike, but the morning was hopeful. As we drove to Clingmans Dome Road it rained, and then sprinkled, then rained. We put our rain gear on at the trailhead hoping for sunshine. There was a lot of water on the trail. Didn't take long for the socks and boots to get soaked. We saw some wildflowers that looked similar to Solomon's Seal but had pink bell shaped flowers. (After checking the wildflower book, I'm sure it's Rosy Twisted Stalk, listed as rare. DIDN'T get a picture.) We looked for the man-way that used to go to the Chimney Tops and saw a path but it was too wet to try it. 4.8 miles was all Lora needed to finish her map and when the trail junction came in sight she got so excited. I got out the camera and the battery was dead! Cell phone to the rescue, filmed the happy dance. Now to print off the spreadsheet, fill out the application and send it in and wait patiently for my 900 miler sticker.........YES!



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Bledsoe Creek State Park

We got to spend the weekend with our Grandson. What a blessing! We took the camper to Bledsoe Creek State Park. This is a beautiful campground with friendly staff. We did some hiking and a lot of fishing.

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Big South Fork Camping/Hiking TTA

Joan and Tony set up a camping/hiking weekend at BSF, Bandy Creek Campground. 9 hikers/campers in 4 campsites. I got there late and the others were on a hike. I set up in the woods behind one of the campsites. It was the most level and had the right spaced trees. The first hiker back walked into the campsite I was setting up my hammock at, I didn't recognize him and asked if he was with TTA, he is, hi Jeff, I'm Lora, I thought this was Marietta's campsite. Oops.

Everyone had been at the Sunset Overlook Trail. They were ready for supper. The wind was blowing, not good for a campfire so the lucy light gave us a bright glow to sit around. Marietta had brought her own birthday cake, chocolate on chocolate from Julia's Bakery in the Boro. Yumm and Happy Birthday to Marietta! John got there just as we were getting ready to call it a night. So we stayed up later. After getting in my hammock I heard a whippowill and two owls.

Saturday morning Tony arrived, John cooked eggs and fried potatoes. We headed out to the Grand Gap Loop. It was cool to see the overlook where Craig and I said "I DO". Lots of memories on this trail. We admired the beauty of the overlooks and hiked on. My stomach was saying lunch was way overdue, but Joan wanted to eat at the next overlook. I told her there was no more overlooks, but we pressed on and came back to our exit sign where we sat down for lunch. We could have eaten in the cars that were parked 1/10th of a mile from this spot. When we got back to camp, we cleaned up a little and headed to the Visitor's Center. The Spring Planting Festival was winding down. We missed the mules plowing, and the garden planting. But we caught some of the music. John and Jeff found the food vendors. Swamp cabbage??? The rest of us found a shuttle to Lora Blevins home-site where we talked to the folks that planted the garden and gave talks on making moonshine. Lora was a man, a Baptist minister. The gardener gave us some left over tomato plants and marigolds. We walked around at the cemetery and then caught the shuttle back, going by the Oscar Blevins home-site that had some farm animals still there. The shuttle driver was nice enough to take us all the way to camp. Lazy hikers.....

Joan had made chili for our group dinner, everyone else had sides to go along with. Joe worked some magic with a dutch oven and a chimney with charcoal. Peach cobbler and it was yummy. No wind tonight, the ladies gathered firewood and I got the fire started, Joe kept it burning.  We gathered around, good conversation, jokes from John, good and bad......Beautiful sunset, peaceful night. One hiker departed in the night.

Sunday morning was warm and pretty. John baked cinnamon rolls for breakfast, he packed up and headed for the Cornbread festival. Marietta headed for home. The rest of us headed to Pogue Creek Canyon. We were searching for the elusive exit on the gravel road just past the parking lot. We drove and drove and stirred up dust. We stopped a few times asking the dune buggy riders if they knew where it was, turned on some rough road that they play on and finally gave up the road became impassible. Headed back to where we saw a sign coming from Pickett's trails. Sara called the Park office and that was where our exit road was. It had a cable across the road and no signs for Pogue, no kiosk, no trail markings. We left cars here, Sara shuttled us to the kiosk, we looked at the map on the kiosk that only shows the loop and the spur to the overlook. We hiked the right side of the loop to the overlook, saw the Upper Canyon Trail sign just before the overlook. That took us down into the canyon. This is a beautiful/rugged/awe inspiring trail. One spur led to an arch. We saw a new segment being built that was flagged and roped off. On the way out of the canyon we found another spur trail to an arch and mesa. No indication of mileage to the arch so we looked around a little and decided not today. This requires some research. We had to climb a steep roadbed to exit the area. Wondering if the State is making a new exit with some switchbacks (I hope). More research to do.

Thanks to all for a great weekend. Joan, Tony, Sara, Jennifer, Marietta, John, Joe, Jeff.

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Laurel Falls

An after work hike with Crystal, her first time to the bottom of Laurel Falls. We really enjoyed the wildflowers and the pretty Richland Creek. We met two hikers that didn't take enough water, but we didn't have any to spare. They were close to the parking lot and we were just getting started. We had a snack at the Falls, Crystal had made cornbread, and it was good. The view was perfect. She shared memories of her brother and her coming to the top of the Falls in the winter time.

We made it out in plenty of time to not get locked in. Gate closes at 7.

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Fooshee Pass Campground

After hiking a couple of days in the rain in the Smoky's, we decided to spend four days at Fooshee Pass Campground on Watt's Bar lake. The weather was great the whole time. We did some hiking, fishing, canoeing, and just plain relaxing. Life is Good!

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Ladies Spring Backpack 2019

Diane planned a week long trip to the Great Smoky Mountains, once again gathering the ladies and planning trails to mark off maps. I was planning to finish my last two trails so I can get that elusive 900 Miler sticker to put on my car. Since this was to be a celebration, Craig was allowed to attend our Ladies Easter Smokies get-together, privileged, honorary guest.

Judy met us at Cades Cove, but didn't want to hike Wet Bottoms with us, can't imagine why, it had only rained a little :) So we left one car on the road where we would exit and took the other car to the trailhead by Abrams Falls trail. Wet Bottoms earned its name, it looked like a stream. This trail is only 1 mile long, but when we ran out of trail at the creek, there was a path leading to the road. Since the creek was about 3 to 4 feet deep, no one wanted to cross so we hiked out to the road and walked to the Oliver place and went back on the trail. Hiked to the creek, turned around and hiked back to the exit. Turned a one miler into a two-three miler. Wasn't interested in swimming today.

We drove to Elkmont to camp only to find barriers at the entrance. Elmont was flooded and had been evacuated. The folks in charge told us to go to Sugarlands and wait, or go to Cades Cove to camp. We drove to a pull off where we could see the barrier, Gloria Dale pulled in. She had been at Elkmont earlier and tried to catch us before we left Cades Cove. She got there in time to see us go by, and tried to catch us before we got too far to no avail, even with flashing her lights at Nancy all the way to Elkmont. Diane chased down Judi at Sugarlands and we went back up that curvy little road thru the bear jam, again. Two campsites next to each other, 8 cars. We took over the pavilion for our fiesta fajita dinner with margaritas. Back to camp for a wonderful campfire.

Saturday, the big day for my last trail! Only the mountains conspired against that idea, SNOW on the mountain tops closed 441 and Clingmans Dome Road. So we hiked one of  Linda's trails for her map. (thru the bear jam.)  Chestnut Top Trail with lovely wildflowers. We hiked into White Oak Sink to view the gorgeous yellow lady slippers, thanks to dedicated searching. Then out on Schoolhouse Gap Trail. And back thru the bear jam. We got a fire going, and set up for dinner believing the rain to be finished. Jim, Carol and Lynelle came to join us and Carol was carrying a cake! She had it made for my celebration, cake was decorated with mountains, stream and wildflowers. We lifted glasses in celebration anyway because we had cake, champagne and Prosecco, wine and beer. And gifts from my sweet friends. And then the umbrellas popped open. What a rainbow of colors.

Sunday morning dawned bright and clear. 441 would probably open later today, maybe, not Clingmans Dome. So let's go to Deep Creek. Craig, Gloria Dale, and Linda headed home. The caravan headed to NC along the Foothills Parkway and the Dragons Tail. Merciful heavens.
We arrived at Deep Creek Campground, tents popped up. Garnett went toward trails she needed there, Diane, Amy, Nancy and I headed to Cooper Creek and the trout farm. Only the trout farm says no you can't park here. You can drive down this other road and find parking area to get you to Deeplow Gap. Only we searched and searched and the only parking we found was Thomas Divide trail, too far from Deeplow to hike today.

We found a sign for Hemlock Inn, and found a beautiful place (I just needed a place to pee). Somewhere we might like to stay sometime. Gorgeous mountain views from the porch and dining room. The proprietor answered the door and showed us around. Cool place.
 
Back to the campground we went. The other ladies took off to hike, I took off for more driving. Headed to Watts Bar Lake, Fooshee Pass Campground to meet Craig. He had set up our camper there for the next three nights. I had a beautiful drive, longer thanks to the GPS which led me Southwest, not NW. Over another curvy mountain road with beautiful views of mountains. The other ladies have many trails to cover the next few days, Happy Trails!

Thanks my friends! Diane, Nancy, Gloria Dale, Garnet, Linda, Amy, Judi. Y'all are the bestest!
Thanks to my sweet husband, Jim, Carol, and Lynelle, for coming to celebrate.

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