Tennessee Trails Association Hike

Tennessee Trails Association (TTA) is a statewide hiking club made up of several chapters across the state.  Each chapter usually offers a variety of hikes during each month so on any given weekend there will be several hikes to choose from.  Today, two different chapters were hiking in the Smokies--East Tennessee and Upper Cumberland chapters.  We’ve been wanted to hike with the East Tennessee group since we moved here, but hadn’t yet had an opportunity.  Today was the day.

Rosie, chapter chair for East Tennessee, was our leader today.  She had a small group of only four other hikers, but I like the small groups best.  It’s easier to have a “group” conversation and I feel like I get to spend more time with each one on the hike.  The hike Rosie selected was Middle Prong.  This is certainly not a new hike for us.  I think we’ve hiked this trail three times, including today, in the past month or so.  Because the hike was easy and only 8 miles in length, we didn’t get an early start.  We met at the trailhead at 10 AM.

I’m not going to repeat the description of this hike, since I’ve already done that twice in this blog recently.  We hiked up to the Indian Flats waterfalls where we settled in on the rocks for our lunch break.  Lynn Camp Prong drops three different times in this area before finally settling in for its run toward Middle Prong and the Little River.  Where we had our lunch was between the first and second drops.  As you can see from the photo, some in our group wanted to sit right on the ledge near the second drop.  Others of us were more comfortable closer to the upper falls and away from the ledge.

Among the rocks in the shallow water, I found this large seal salamander and this little guy tucked under the rock.  Great Smoky Mountain National Park is the “salamander capital of the world”.  Five different families of salamanders can be found in the park and on any given day the salamanders will outnumber the humans in the park.

 
Gene and I have been members of TTA for many years; he longer than me.  Because we often hiked with different chapters, we knew many of the members across the state.  Since we started RVing, however, we lost contact with almost all of these folks.  We’re anxious to get back in the group again.  Today was a great start and we look forward to hiking with TTA, especially East Tennessee chapter, often.

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

Hiking with Clarksville Chapter TTA

Tennessee Trails Association is a state wide hiking club with chapters in various location across the state.  Gene and I belong to the Nashville chapter, but enjoy hiking with other chapters.  Today the Clarksville chapter had a hike scheduled at Meriwether Lewis.  We called to register with the hike leader and met the group this morning at the trailhead parking lot.

The group was spread out along the trail like a week's worth of wash.

Counting us there were thirteen in the group.  We got started about 9:30 on the 4-mile loop trail which begins behind the Grinder House.  The trail is much like Devil’s Backbone which we did yesterday in that it starts on the ridge and drops down to the creek.  At the creek we passed through a large picnic area with picnic tables and a restroom.  It was the perfect place for our lunch break.

After food and lots of socializing we continued on our walk.  Again, like yesterday’s hike we climbed away from the creek back to the ridge top, but unlike yesterday’s hike we dropped back down again and had to come back up.  Those hill climbs provided a good workout and I think the entire group was glad to see the ridge top following the final ascent.

The trail is well maintained and well marked, but there were several blow downs during the storms last week that haven’t been cleared.  There was nothing we couldn’t get over easily.

It's never a good sign when a group gathers to consult the map.
That's my man in the orange cap, and Paul, our leader, in the red shirt.

We enjoyed hiking with the group.  We know several people in the Clarksville chapter and now we know a few more.  The hike was led by Paul, the Clarksville chapter chair, and he did an excellent job.  We were never lost, although there was lots of map consulting, and all hikers were accounted for at the end of the hike.  It’s always a plus when the leader gets back to the car with as many as he left with.

We spent the rest of the day relaxing.  Tomorrow, we head back to Nashville and will be staying at the campground in Joelton.

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

A Very Chilly Hike

Yesterday, we got up and out early to meet the Tennessee Trails group at Beaman Park.  It surely would have been a great day to stay inside by the fireplace.  With temperatures hovering around the freezing mark all morning, needless to say, our walk was brisk.

Nancy led the hike with six grateful followers.  About half of the group we had not met before.  It is always fun to get to know fellow hikers.  We were all bundled up and kept up a pretty fast pace.  That kept us warm enough.  The few times we stopped we didn’t linger.  The wind cooled us off in a hurry.

Ice on the banks of the creek

Here are a couple photos.  You can tell it was a dreary day.  Even the cold day and cloudy sky didn’t dampen our spirits.  It was good to be enjoying God’s creation with friends.  We are blessed.

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.

TTA Hike at Montgomery Bell

This was one of those absolutely gorgeous fall days.  There are precious few of these picture perfect days in middle Tennessee, so it is best to enjoy them when they occur.

Our chapter of Tennessee Trails Association had a hike led by Diane Manas at Montgomery Bell State Park.  Diane is very active in the club and leads several hikes each month.  This is the same Diane that hiked with me for a section on the Appalachian Trail in 2008.  This was the same hike Gene and I did a couple of weeks ago.  We even stopped at the same log for lunch today that he and I had used on our hike.  However, the hike today was much more dramatic since the leaves are in peak color.

There were 4 ladies plus Gene and I in the group.  Since we usually hike alone, it was a real treat to have others with whom to share the experience.  We have known all these ladies for several years, so it was also nice to have a chance to catch up with what everyone has been up to lately.

The hour ride home in the truck has left my body in a somewhat crippled condition.  My grandfather would say I am “stove up”.  This old body got a workout today.  I’m going to shuffle around the kitchen long enough to get dinner on the table, then I will take to my recliner for the duration of the evening.

Enjoy the photos of fall color reflected off the surface of the lake.

Tennessee Trails Association

For several years we have been members of Tennessee Trails Association.  In fact, Gene was one of the first members, having joined this hiking club some 30 years ago.  As is the case with most hiking clubs, the purpose of TTA is to promote hiking and trail building and maintenance throughout the state. One of the primary goals of this club has been the construction of the Cumberland Trail, now a linier state park stretching from Cumberland Gap National Park at the Kentucky border to Chickamauga Chattanooga National Military Park at the southern end of the state.  Volunteer trail builders are working diligently to make this 300-mile foot path a reality.

Diane and Libby

We are members of the Nashville Chapter and since it is the largest of the 14 chapters statewide, we have the honor and privilege of collating, folding, stapling and otherwise preparing the monthly newsletter for mailing.  We couldn’t possibly consider ourselves true hikers if we didn’t somehow turn this gathering into an eating meeting.  Besides, the number of volunteers donating their time and energy is directly proportional to the amount food served. (Some would say the amount of wine served, but wine really serves a different function.  The number of newsletters returned by the postal service is directly proportional to the amount of wine consumed.)  Once a month, volunteers gather to eat, gossip, collate, fold, and staple.  We have fun and over the years this “newsletter party” group has formed close friendships.

Herb, chief among staplers.

The collating team.

Tonight was the night for this monthly ritual at the home of our long-time, dear friend Libby Frances.  I had seen Libby at church last Sunday and volunteered to bring a food item.  She quickly assigned me cornbread to go along with her pot of bean soup.  Several were in attendance, giving us the opportunity to visit and catch up with friends we haven’t seen in several months.  If you have been following this blog, you may recognize some of the names.  Diane is the same Diane that went with me on the AT this past spring and my good friend, Herb, sold me that tiny tent that was my home on that AT journey.

Diane filling out paperwork for the Post Office.

This morning we spent a couple hours with Tony and Diana walking along a short section of the greenway and then sharing more of our adventures over coffee.  They will be leaving tomorrow morning and we will hate to see them go.  However, they are heading to warmer climes and more adventures over the horizon and we will be following in their footsteps soon.  We have enjoyed our brief time together and wish them safe travels.  We look forward to seeing them down the road in the future.