Edgar Evins State Park

For today’s hiking adventure we drove east on I-40 to Edgar Evins State Park.  This is really a fisherman’s paradise, but there are a few trails which drew our attention.  Edgar Evins is a 6000 acre park located on Center Hill Lake.  The park has a marina, restaurant, and cabins for rent.  Being situated on the lake, naturally it is a park for water sports--boating, fishing, swimming, water skiing, but it also offers hiking on 11 miles of trail.  A large portion of the park is undeveloped and in that area they allow hunting in season.

The park has a nice campground.  We did not drive by there today, but the brochure says some campsites have been upgraded to accommodate RV up to 45 ft in length and have 50 amp electrical service.  We have been to this campground in the past and it is very nice with some sites overlooking the lake.

Observation tower at Visitor Center

It was a drab, gray day in Tennessee so we were not surprised to find no other hikers along the trail.  We only met one other person as we made our way around the 8-mile loop trail.  He was an early morning hunter dressed in a blaze orange vest and knit hat and his rifle was resting against the tree.  We were in the “no hunting” area so we were a little surprised to see him there.  Of course, some of the hunters choose to use the hiking trails to access the hunting areas some 2 miles distant.  What we found as we got closer was this young man carving his and the initials of his true love into the tree trunk.   That usually ruffles my nature-loving feathers, but since he had a gun, I decided it was in my best interest to smile and be polite as we passed.  I suppose it might be better for him to carve his initials into the tree rather than into his arm.  Perhaps his proclamation of love on his arm has ended in heartbreak and he now prefers the tree to bear any risk of future love lost.

Glimpses of Center Hill Lake

This is pretty rugged terrain in this area of the state.  The trail was wet from an overnight rain and the leaves obscured loose rocks and slick roots.  All this combined with the fact that the trail is relatively new and the treadway not hardened by years of use made this a very difficult hike.  We are both pretty pooped tonight.

What's left of Hoggard Homestead

Tomorrow’s plans include sipping coffee and a run to the grocery.  That’s it.  I’m sitting in a chair tomorrow.