Roaring Creek with Chattanooga Hiking Club

I met the CHC at the trailhead for Roaring Creek in Graysville. We had 1 to 2 inches of snow at home but there was none in the valley. I was hoping for a snowy hike. This trail is only 7.5 miles from home. Boodie Fox was leading the hike today. There were 7 of us. We hiked up the creek road and then up the trail to the bluff. Past the bluff the trail is flagged for future CT miles. We saw a hawk flying over the bluff area.

On the way back down, one of our hikers was missing a glove and 3 went back to the bluff to look for it. The rest of us started on down the trail.  They caught up with us at the cascading waterfall on the trail. When we got back to the creek road we went up the creek another mile to a waterfall. It sure was pretty. I have lived on this mountain all my life and had never walked to this waterfall; had heard about it but never had walked to it. Boodie said there is another waterfall up the creek, but you have to cross the creek. to get to it. We didn't have water shoes and the creek was up. Maybe a future hike for Craig and me. Just down the creek from the falls was a really pretty open area that was flagged with orange flags. ??? Maybe part of the future trail?

It started snowing as we started back toward the trailhead and stopped for a snack. We didn't stay seated very long, it was cold.  Then we headed back to our cars. As I drove up the mountain, I stopped to get a pic of the chimney rocks at the base of the bluff.


Pictures:

Local Falls II - Clear Branch Falls, Power Line Falls, Falling Water Falls

Lora and I again headed out to find waterfalls on our mountain.  We headed to Soddy Daisy to start our adventure.

Just South of the North Chickamauga Creek on Dayton Hwy, there is a trail that heads along the creek.  As you look from the road you can see the falls on the left side of the power lines.  This is the 140 foot Power Line Falls.  The trail is a four wheeler path and it follows the creek.  There are a few splits on this trail so when it splits and goes uphill, go uphill.  It will get farther from the creek as it goes and then crosses under the power lines and ends at Clear Creek where you will see the 40 foot Clear Branch Falls.  We got to see a flock of twelve turkeys walking up the side of the mountain.  From here the falls are on your Left and you will see the creek coming down the Mountain side from Power Line Falls on your right which flow into Clear Creek.

You are on your own from Clear Creek as you will have to climb the side of the mountain up to the Falls.  It is steep and will work you good.  There is no trail.  At the top you will find Power Line Falls.  To your right from the falls is the bottom of the Power Line Overlook.  You will see a blue pickup and an older car that made the flight from the overlook and neither made it very well.  If you turn around you will get an aerial view of Soddy Daisy from the base of the falls through the trees.

We ate our lunch on a flat rock up there and then started our steep decent back to Clear Creek.  On the way down I hear a high pitch scream and turn around to see Lora doing the log roll down the side of the mountain.  Luckily, I was close enough to grab her by the leg and stop her.  She doesn't know how she got turned sideways on the slope.  You will walk up and down this descent on the side of your feet grabbing anything that you can both ways.  Anyway, you will know you did some climbing by the time you get back to your car.  We headed off for our next adventure.

Our next water fall was the 110 foot Falling Water Falls which is further South.  We took the Pickett Gulf Road off Dayton Hwy to the dead end and parked in a guys driveway who gave us permission.

There is no trail but there is an old roadbed which starts at the South end corner of the clearing at the bottom.  Follow the old roadbed as far as you can until you get to the valley of the boulders.  The higher you go the easier.  We followed Falling Water Creek up to the first branch coming in from the left, Little Falling Water Creek, and started climbing up from there.  It was really a rock and boulder climb.  Almost to the top you will see the lower falls and from here you can start to see the upper falls.  This is a very strenuous climb and very dangerous as the rocks are slippery.  When you get to the base of the falls it will be worth the work.

For the trip back we just headed East to get out of the boulder field as soon as we could and then headed back down hill to catch the old road bed.

Pictures:

Sawtooth / Dead Deer Arch / Rock Creek / Buffalo Arch

Sawtooth Overlook and back 7 miles
Dead Deer Arch
Rock Creek Loop 9 miles
Parker Mountain Trail 0.6
Buffalo Arch 0.5
Total Miles: 17.1

Off to Big South Fork we went with an adventure in mind.  We started off on the Map listed as Hicks Ridge Trail and Sawtooth Ridge Trail.  In the book it is listed as Laurel Fork of North White Oak Creek.  Anyways the trailhead is on Darrow Ridge Road and the sign says 3.5 miles to Sawtooth Overlook.  Just up the trail is a new trail "Darrow Ridge Horse Trail"  that goes 2.1 miles East to Hippy Cave.

Our trail is old road bed which passes a cool looking rock wall on the left.  The Wild Cat Den is at 0.6 miles, which is a large rock shelter which has opening in the roof making it a natural arch in formation.  From there you ford the Laurel Fork on pavers.  Even at 24 degrees outside, the calf deep creek felt cold.  The roadbed goes up the other side with a steady climb.  When you get to the top you will find the longest straight trail in the BSF.  We hung a right at the intersection with the Sawtooth Ridge Trail and headed out to the overlook. The trail to the left is supposed to go out to what Google shows as Montgomery Lane off 154.

The Sawtooth Canyon is totally different than any other in the BSF.  From the air it would look like a saw blade with the teeth facing each other from both sides of the canyon.  The Laurel fork works it way back and forth between the high rock walls of the canyon.  We walked one of the teeth out to the end.  It started snowing on us there and we had a couple of white outs as we were eating our lunch.  Then we followed our trail back to the car.  We did not find the trail listed on the map as Pond Ridge Trail.

Next we were going to drive down to Hippy Cave.  Just past the Sawtooth trailhead there is alot of roads built for land that was for sale.  Maybe a quarter mile down the road turned into a mud pit with a field on the side.  We stopped and walked around the mud pit and saw that the road continued along the side of the field  but you would need a tractor or a good four wheel drive to make it.  We saw a trail heading into the woods and followed it for a bit and it connects to the new trail Darrow Ridge Horse Trail.  So we called this adventure off.  All the other trails off Darrow Ridge Road must be for hiking in dry weather only.   Maybe mid summer.

Next on our agenda was Dead Deer Arch.  This is an unmarked arch with no path going to it.  A hunter found it while looking for a deer.  The deer fell in the crack that makes the arch.  We found it in the book.  We drove the 1.8 miles up Divide Road and pulled off to the left.  We found the two signs on the post for the Pickett State Forest and Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and started our bush whacking for the 0.1 miles down into the gorge.  Lora found a rock wall on the right with an opening so we headed that way.  After we explored the area around the creek and did find a small waterfall, we decided that we were in the wrong area.

On the way in I thought I saw a large rock wall over the next hill so we went and followed the next draw back up towards the road.  Here we found the arch.  It has a 40 foot span and is higher than the advertised 18 feet high as you can tell from our pictures.  After exploring the area, we headed up the North end of the arch and in about fifty feet we were back on the road and came across a tree with the same signs.  So if your looking for this arch, it is between 1.7 and 1.8 from TN 154 and look in the woods for the drop off you can see about 50 feet into the woods.  Go in by the tree with the two signs.  This is before you get to Watson Branch Road.

Next on the agenda was 9 mile Rock Creek Loop.  We hiked it clockwise to get to a campsite with water within a mile.  There was a group of Boy Scouts camping across the street from the Southern trailhead.  We parked up the road at the main trailhead and walked the road back to the Southern trailhead.  There was about a half inch of snow on the ground when we started.

We dropped down into the gorge and to Rock Creek.  There was a campsite at the junction with the JMT so we made it ours.  We collected alot of wood for the 19 degrees it was going to get down to.  We had a peaceful evening with a clear sky, lots of stars, and a moon so bright we didn't need flashlights.

The next morning we continued our hike of Rock Creek.  We were looking for the intersection of Coffee trail from across the creek, but never saw it.  It was another plan that we were considering as a trail into the Rock Creek loop.  We also found out that the Sheltowee has been rerouted for anyone that has hiked it.  It used to end at Pickett State Park, but now it is following the JMT and crosses over to the Charit Creek Lodge and goes back to the JMT and on to Leatherwood Ford.

The Rock Creek Loop is a beautiful trail covered with rock walls, the creek, a waterfall, and lots of green.  We had lots of icicles too this time of year.  The prettiest section is the rail bed out of the gorge with the waterfall and rock walls.  We passed four backpackers from Ohio along Rock Creek and one bicycle rider on the last section before the graveyard.

Now for the Buffalo Arch.  We drove back out to TN 154 and drove North past Pickett State Park.  We passed the trailhead for Coffee Trail which is a gated road, and headed into Kentucky to FR 562.  The first road to the right off FR 562 is the Parker Mountain trailhead.  You follow this trail 0.3 miles and the Buffalo Arch trail is a 0.25 mile spur trail  off to the right.  This is an amazing looking arch as it comes off the end of a rock wall.  It spans 82 feet and is higher than the advertised 19 foot clearance as you can see in our pictures.

So back to car as time runs out for this weekends adventures.  Life is Great!

Pictures:

Flipper Bend Trail

Clear Branch Short Loop:  6.6 miles

Lora and I decided to do a quick hike after church and try to beat the rain.  Well we didn't get to beat the rain, but we did have a good hike. We took the Flipper Bend Trail in the N. Chickamauga Creek WMA State Natural Area to the 1.8 mile Clear Creek Short loop.  You really need to pay attention to the trail markers on the Flipper Bend access trail as there are many road beds and trails through this area.  We did the short Clear Creek Short loop which they advertise as 6.6 miles.  It is a pretty walk through the woods and along Clear Creek.  We will have to go back and do the rest of the trails.

Trail Description

Map

Pictures:

Maudes Crack TTA Hike

I went to Big South Fork Saturday to hike with the Upper Cumberland Chapter of TTA. Talking to Craig along the way and he was asking the usual questions of “did you remember your….” and I thought I did remember…Only when I was almost to the park I started looking for my wallet……no wallet. I called Mom to go to my house to see if I dropped it somewhere between the house and the car or the mailbox. She found it in the garage and offered to bring it to me. (two hour drive) I declined the offer and watched my speed from that point.

I started down the Divide Road and was almost to the trailhead when I saw a ditch in the road. I stopped and thought “what would Craig do?” and drove thru it slowly only dragging the hitch coming out of it. Then found 4 more ditches dug into the road. I got to the trailhead and no one was there. I waited a while and started wondering if the others might not be able to get thru the ditches. I drove back to look for them, met up with a couple of hunters with their dogs. I asked about the ditches in the road and they explained about water bars. They must be expecting floods. I found the other hikers, warned them about the ditches and turned around to follow them back to the trailhead. We managed to get thru without losing a muffler or oil pan.

There were 7 hikers ready to get on the trail with Kathleen leading the way. We hiked the Longfield Branch Trail to No Business Creek and crossed in our sandals. Pete showing us a better way, used plastic bags over his boots. We hiked the JMT up to the JMT overlook then back to the No Business Trail. We reminded Kathleen that our lunches were calling to us so we stopped along the creek to eat. We saw old homesites and one had daffodils budding and one blooming in early February!

Then on to Maude’s Crack where we followed Pete up and thru, then a view from the top. We followed Maude’s Crack Trail back to the cars. We found firewood in the parking lot and Lillian the engineer came up with the idea to use the firewood to put in the ditches to try to keep our vehicles from dragging so much. They put this plan into action with Lillian and Richard placing the wood, letting us drive across and then taking the wood to the next ditch. In and out of the van till we got thru all 5 ditches. I told Lillian she should get a job with TDOT.

The others headed on to another adventure at the Twin Arches and I headed home, without my license, driving responsibly and not stopping for ice cream, boo hoo. My fellow hikers did offer to give me money if I needed some, I knew I had enough water, a snack and enough gas to get home. Wasn’t thinking about ice cream until I passed the Sonic in Crossville. Lesson learned.

Pictures:

Water Falls

Lora and I took the afternoon and went in search of a couple of waterfalls on our mountain.  We found the 90' Crystal Falls and the 20' Brush Creek Falls.

Pictures:

Cumberland Valley Loop - Big South Fork

Gernt Trail 3.3
Gernt Overlook .3
O&W Trail 2.7
Coyle Branch Trail 2.1
North White Oak Loop 11.4
Groom Branch Trail 2.4
Total Miles: 22.2


Lora and I headed out for an overnight backpack at the Big South Fork.  We hiked the Cumberland Valley Loop and part of the North White Oak Loop which are all old road beds.  We started at the Cumberland Valley trailhead and hiked the Gernt Trail.  We did the side trip to the Gernt Overlook which is worth the time.  Great views and just a short side trail.  The sign says .3 one way but I think that is round trip.

After the Overlook, the trail drops down into the gorge to the North White Oak Creek.  With the cold weather, we got to see lots of icicles hanging off the rocks and frozen puddles on the trail.  It is a very pretty trail down to the creek.  Once at the bottom we took the O&W  trail along the creek heading East.  The first fording was of the Groom Branch.  Yes, the water was a little cool for the old fashion foot washing. It was a lot shallower than the North White Oak Creek ford that you would have to make to get to Long Ridge Trail that we saw there.

North White Oak Creek was up pretty high and made for some beautiful sights and some good swimming holes if you were up to it.  There were some good mud holes that we had to climb around too.

The next fording was of Coyle Branch, which was cool as well and a little bit wider.  There is a large area for a horse camp there where we turned and hiked the Coyle Branch trail up and out of the gorge.  The Coyle Branch trail was another beautiful hike with all the rock overhangs and icicles.  We bypassed the Leatherwood Overlook because the amount of miles we were already hiking.

We turned onto the North White Oak Loop trail and hiked it along the area that the wildfire had occurred some years ago.  We had many small creek crossings and wandered in and out of the Scott State Forest.  We ended up camping across one of the small creeks uphill into the woods.  According to the description it was around the 5.3 mile mark.  It was a cool night and we had to thaw the ice off the wood before it would burn.  We stayed warm by the fire and enjoyed the light of the full moon along with the stars in the clear sky.  We heard some coyotes during the evening.

The next morning we got up and continued our hike on the North White Oak Loop.  Once again we bypassed the White Oak overlook because of the miles.  The trail wondered along both sides of the gorge without any good views.  We did see two brave horse riders out just before we got to the Groom Branch Trail.  On  the Groom Branch trail we did see a wild looking growth in the top of hemlock tree.  It looked like a bush growing up there with lots of branches and the same needles.  First we have seen anything like that.  Over all it was a good hike.

On the way out we noticed a sign that said "Permits" at the Hitching Post General Store by the trailhead.  So we stopped in a found out that you don't have to drive all the way to Bandy Creek Visitor Center to get a permit to backpack in the Big South Fork.  That would have saved us lots of miles over the years.  They do serve food here and they are open on Sundays which is a rarity.  The owners Jim and Claudia also own the Big South Fork Lodge.  So stop by and see them next time your in the area.

Pictures:

Laurel Falls - CT

Lora and I did a day hike to Laurel Falls.  We headed to Dayton after church and went to the Laurel Snow Pocket Wilderness trailhead.  There were probably 35 cars at the trailhead so it was a popular day to hike.  There were rock climbers and hikers out.  We hiked up Richland Creek and over the Laurel Creek bridge.  The creeks were up and the water falls were looking good.  We did Laurel falls and then climbed up to the top of the bluff.  We got to do an old fashion foot washing in Laurel creek on the way to Bryan Overlook.  There were actually other hikers crazy enough to do the same.  On the way back to the trailhead we did some trail maintenance trying to cover up and block all the shortcuts that people have to make.  What is wrong with following the trail?

Pictures:

TTA Possum Creek

What a beautiful day for hiking. 26 degrees this morning. I met the Soddy Daisy and Plateau TTA  groups at the Heiss Mt Trailhead for Possum Creek on the CT. The plan was for the SD hikers to hike 2 hours in and then head back; the Plateua group was hiking to Imodium Falls and then back out.

 15 hikers started down the trail wearing layers, gloves, hats. The water was flowing deep in all the creeks after 9 days of rain. The rock houses and bluffs all had water falling down them, could have taken an icy shower. Big Possum Creek was beautiful. The climb up the other side was steep but the views from the top of the ridge were clear. Layers started coming off. The sun was warm. 3 of our hikers stopped by the creek and turned back. We kept going. We got a phone call that one of those hikers was misplaced so two more turned back to help find the missing one. After word of this got up the trail 2 more turned back to help with finding the hiker. We were down to 8 hikers. We kept going. We hiked to Imodium falls to have lunch. The falls had more water coming over than any of us had ever seen.  According to the hike description from the CT we were 5.6 miles in. 4 of our hikers decided to hike out to the logging road for a shortcut to Retro Hughes Rd. Now down to 4 hikers, we started back to the trailhead. Were were moving on down the trail, stopping on the climbs to let the old heartrate slow down a bit. We met a hiker coming in; Firefighter from Chattanooga, new to the area, moved here from Miami. He said he had been looking on the CTC site and was hoping to do some volunteer work on the trail. We gave him some info and hiked on. Met up with a lady hiker going the same way we were. Found that she was also in the TTA  from Memphis and a seasonal interpretive Ranger Deena.

The other group had located their hiker, who had started back up the trail thinking the others had already started ahead of him. All was good.

We made it back to the trailhead in good time and the three guys headed toward Retro Hughes Road to pick up the ladies and I headed home.  11.2 miles. Woo hoo!

Pictures:

Sandhill Crane's - Dayton

Lora and I went down to the Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge to see the Sandhill Cranes.  They are having a festival this weekend and we thought that we should beat the crowd.  Lora had been told that there were thousands of them on the river and we had never gone to see them.  When we got there obviously there were not thousands.  We found out that the seven days of rain had made the river rise and the cranes had gone.  It was good to see the ones we saw.  We got to see three different hawks, one Blue Heron, and lots of smaller birds.  We did look the part with our camera and binoculars.  

Pictures: