TTA Annual Meeting

Well, we have had a fantastic weekend with beautiful weather, wonderful visits with friends, and lots of fun and frolicking at the annual meeting of our hiking club.

We arrived at Misty River Cabins and RV Resort in Walland, TN about noon on Friday.  Arriving at Misty River was almost like coming home for us.  During the 9 months that Gene worked at the Knoxville office of his employer, we parked our Montana on the very site we were assigned this weekend.  During that time, we, of course, got to know the owners and staff very well.  Just seeing these friends would have been worth a visit to Misty River.  This is a relatively new campground--it is only about 3 years old.  It has been laid out with the big rigs in mind and nearly all the 50 or so sites are pull-thrus with 50 amp electric service, cable TV, WiFi, picnic tables and fire rings.  All interior roads and sites are gravel with grassy areas between sites.  The shower house and laundry facilities are new and very nice.  Misty River’s main disadvantage is that it is about 10 miles from Townsend which is a gateway community to the Smokies.  However, it is also about 10 miles from Maryville, the closest large community for groceries, restaurants, and entertainment.

Townsend is a nice, small community with a small grocery, a couple coffee shops, and several motels.  For years, Townsend tried to become the bustling gateway community that attracted the tourists like Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, but it failed in that attempt.  It has since adopted the image of “the quiet side of the mountain” and has developed a laid back, peaceful community with a very nice greenway which meanders past large grassy lawns in front of small, privately owned motels.  The Little River comes out of the Smokies and passes through Townsend drawing a few fishermen and hordes of tubers and rafters during the summer months.

Tennessee Trails Association is a statewide hiking club with 15 chapters across the state.  Chapters take turns hosting the annual meeting--this year being East Tennessee’s turn.  The mission of the club is to promote hiking and trail development across the state.  Their primary project over the years has been to build the Cumberland Trail--a 300-mile linear trail extending from Cumberland Gap National Park on the Kentucky border to Chickamauga National Military Park near Chattanooga.  Each year at the annual meeting, both a silent and a live auction (as well as white elephant) are conducted to raise funds to build this trail.  Each chapter also has small projects to help build and maintain trail and greenway, especially in state and local parks, across the state.

Waiting to make a wet stream crossing.

Having been members of this club for many years, we have several good friends who share our interest in hiking and it is always good to see these folks each year at the annual meeting.  We got the opportunity to visit and catch up with several friends yesterday as we hiked along the Little River and Cucumber Gap trails.  It was a great hike--only about 5.5 miles in length with only one short uphill section.  We did have the chance to practice our rock hopping skills at one creek crossing.  In our large group of about 35, we only had one to fall in, but most had wet feet by the time they arrived on the far shore.

One of the highlights of the meeting is the live auction.  In times past, the items for auction were usually well used hiking or camping gear and those items which would normally be donated to Goodwill or the trash bin.  The “auctioneers” were volunteers from the club.  Gene has even taken a turn or two. We always had a great time though, bidding ridiculous prices for some worthless piece of junk.  Eight or ten years ago, someone decided that we really could make more money if we had items that people would actually like to own.  With that decision, the club started getting donations from sports outfitters of everything from gift certificates to packs, from state resort parks for 1 and 2 night stays at their lodges, B and Bs were offering packages, club members were donating finely handcrafted items, and a host of other really nice items.  They also started hiring professional auctioneers.  There still are a few traditional items that always appear at the auction which never cease to amaze the auctioneers.  One of those items is the pan of fresh homemade brownies.  Each year the auctioneer (since the meeting is in a different area of the state each year, we never have the same auctioneer) starts the bidding off around $10 for the brownies.  This year, that pan of brownies went for $375.

This morning, 6 of our good friends came over to share breakfast with us and we spent the morning enjoying everyone’s company.  Friends are truly precious gifts.

We have had a great weekend, but now we are pooped puppies.  We extended our stay by one night just to rest before the drive back to Nashville.