Harpeth Woods Trail

We woke up to a cold morning today.  The forecast was predicting a low last night of 27 degrees.  I’m not sure if it got that low, but it was definitely below freezing and there was a hard frost blanketing our campground.  Since we no longer have our insulated water hose, with temperatures that low Gene went out late yesterday afternoon and disconnected our water.  We already had plenty of water in our fresh water tank for dishwashing and toilet flushing.  We usually keep 2 or 3 gallons of drinking water on hand in case of emergencies.  This may be the only time we need to disconnect our water.  The ten day forecast has no other nights with temps below freezing.  I sure hope the weather folks know what they’re talking about this time.

We saw hoar frost on several plants beside the trail.

Even though it was cold it was a bright, sunny day.  We just had to head out to a trail.  We’ve been to Warner Parks several times this fall, but we have always done our hiking at Percy Warner.  Today we parked at the Nature Center at Edwin Warner and hiked the Harpeth Woods loop.

The Harpeth Woods trail is 2.5 miles in length and there is easy access to this loop from various places.  The most popular place to start is at the Natchez Trace Trailhead.  There is a large parking lot there and a kiosk with a trail map.  We usually start at the Nature Center because that’s where the restroom is.  Today we hiked this trail in the counterclockwise direction, but it really makes no difference as far as difficulty is concerned.  The trail is one long up hill climb and then an equally long descent.

The historic Natchez Trace

If you start either at the Nature Center or the Natchez Trace trailhead and go counterclockwise, the first stretch is along the historic Natchez Trace.  After about three-quarters of a mile the trail leaves the old trace and turns sharply left and begins the long climb.

Compass rose in the rock quarry

In order to increase the distance a little we did the very short side trail to an old rock quarry.  Back in the 1930s and early 40s, WPA workers quarried the rock to build the park roads.  Today, vegetation is growing back and it’s almost unrecognizable as a quarry.  We noticed that someone had used rocks to create a compass rose on the floor of the quarry.

You can hardly tell this was once a rock quarry.

To add another third of a mile to our hike we took the short Owl Hollow Trail which intersects Harpeth Wood trail after about a mile.  Owl Hollow is an interpretative trail. Brochures with descriptions to help with tree and shrub identification are available at the Nature Center.  We didn’t have a brochure; we were just doing the trail for the extra distance.

Markers along Owl Hollow trail correspond with plant descriptions in the brochure.

At the Nature Center complex there are picnic tables by a small pond.  We hadn’t stopped along the trail for a break so decided to have our hot chocolate at the picnic table.  By that time the temperature had warmed up considerably and we had worked up a sweat on our hike.  The hot chocolate hit the spot anyway and it was very pleasant sitting at the table in the sun.

Today is Veterans Day and I don’t want to end this post without offering a word of thanks and heartfelt gratitude to all those who have and are serving in our Armed Forces.  Thank you for securing our freedoms.

Fellow blogger, Rick, has written a fantastic tribute to his Dad in honor of Remembrance Day.  Give that a read at Rick and Paulette’s RV Travels if you haven’t already.  It’s quite a moving story.

That’s it for today.  Thanks for tagging along.

Exercise for All

I can’t seem to get myself back on my regular schedule since getting home from my little trip to South Carolina.  Too many things to catch up on and too little time.

Warner Learning Center

We are pretty committed to the exercise plan--trying to get back in reasonable hiking shape after several months in the travel mode.  Up until I went to SC we had found a few hours almost every day to go for a walk or a hike.  We’re not doing so well this week.

However, what we do is good and we had a good hike Monday at Warner Parks.  The Warner Parks are actually two parks--Edwin Warner and Percy Warner.  The parks are adjacent to each other and are more often just referred to as “Warner Parks”.  Together, the 2684 acre parks have about 12 miles of hiking trails with an additional 18 miles of horse trails.  The road system is extensive as it weaves its way over and around the hills which make up the parks.  The roads in Edwin Warner Park are closed to motorized traffic making them a popular place for joggers and bicyclists.  The parks also have two golf courses, an equestrian center, a Learning Center, an athletic field and many picnic shelters.

All that's left of an old boy scout cabin.

These city parks are a true gem for the community of Nashville and, for Gene and I, offer the best hiking around.  We most often hike at Percy Warner and our trail of choice is the Mossy Ridge 4.5 mile loop.  This is what we did on Monday.  The treadway is hard-packed dirt and winds it way over several hills through hardwood forest.  We always go in the clockwise direction.  Personally, I think it is easier than going counter-clockwise.  There is one wet spot on this trail at Dripping Spring.  Even in dry weather the spring is dripping enough to make a wet crossing.

Back in the 1980s after I started hiking, Mossy Ridge was the first trail I hiked in Nashville.  My mother brought me over here along with her other brother, Edd.  He nor I had any idea what we were getting into and had hiked way farther than we intended to when we came upon this log.  My mother sat us down for a short break and explained that we didn't have much farther to go.  Actually, we were only about halfway.  I guess she was afraid to tell us that part.

Down here in the central basin of Tennessee, our leaves are just starting to turn.  Along the trail we saw mostly green with the yellows coming right along.  Not many reds, however.

Crossing Dripping Spring

Today, it was the motor home that needed exercise.  I don’t know the whys or wherefores, but Gene tells me the motor home shouldn’t just sit for month after month while we’re doing our hometown thing, but should be “exercised”.  So this morning, we put everything away, pulled the slides in, unhooked our life support and away we went.  For our hundred mile trip we drove west (which is really northwest) on I-24 to the Kentucky border.  At the first exit after the Kentucky welcome center we turned around and drove back to Nashville.

This afternoon we’ll be exercising the wallet at Wal-mart.  After that we have a babysitting gig with the granddaughter.

That’s all for today, unless I get one of the old entries posted from Trip Journal. Thanks for tagging along.

Nashville Outdoors

We love to be outside. Nashville has a lot to offer for the outdoor enthusiast. There are two large lakes, Old Hickory Lake and Percy Priest Lake, and the Cumberland River for boating and fishing. The Harpeth River is a popular place for fishing and canoeing.

In recent years the city has made a concerted effort to complete a greenway system which is accessible from many areas around town. When completed within Davidson County, this would create 57 miles of paved trail for biking, walking, and jogging. It is my understanding that they eventually intend for the Clarksville/Ashland City Greenway, Nashville Greenway and the Murfreesboro Greenway to all be connected. That may be many years in coming.

Jack in the Pulpit

We are interested in the hiking, of course, and there are many miles of maintained hiking trails in several City and State Parks. Perhaps our favorite is the Percy Warner/Edwin Warner Parks (2 parks which sit side-by-side). By connecting 3 different loop trails a hiker can get a 12 mile hike on a moderately difficult trail. It is a fantastic resource within city limits. Another very popular place for hiking is Radnor Lake State Park. There are about 4 short trails in this park, but by far the most popular is the trail around the lake. Beaman Park is the newest of Nashville parks. We went there yesterday to hike the Ridgetop trail.

Trillium

For runners and bicyclists, these parks offer many miles of paved road. Of course, most of the road system is open to motorized vehicles, however there is a loop in Edwin Warner Park which is closed to traffic. Percy Warner Park also offers several miles of horse riding trails separate from the hiking trail.

The bell towers at Bicentennial Mall State Park

The Bicentennial Mall State Park is located downtown at the foot of the State Capitol. It was built to commemorate Tennessee’s 200th birthday. The park is a history lesson with a timeline of major events which have occurred over centuries and its memorials to Tennessee’s military. The park is landscaped with plants, shrubs, and trees native to Tennessee. At one end there are bell towers which play The Tennessee Waltz on the hour. The walkways within the park offer a wonderful oasis in the heart of downtown for walkers and joggers.

WWII Memorial

Other parks in the area include Shelby Bottoms, Long Hunter State Park, Montgomery Bell State Park, Bledsoe Creek State Park, Cedars of Lebanon State Park, and Centennial Park.