Singed and Stung at Singing Sisters Falls!

Twenty avid hikers met at the Bi-Lo in St. Elmo and caravanned from there down to Hwy #136 where we travelled up Lookout Mountain and turned left, driving several miles down to Lookout Highlands subdivision. Once inside the gate, we drove a few miles down to Billy's Park at Shelby Lake where we parked and got our boots on, sprayed bug spray, and headed out behind Steve Barnes, our guide. Across from the road from the pond, Steve gathered us for a talk, giving us the scoop on what to expect on the trail, and then we took off, excited at the prospects of discovering a new trail!

Soon, it was as though we were miles from civilization, underneath a heavy canopy of trees, virtually enveloped in humid heat. The path was pine-covered; easy walking. Soon we turned right and descended a rocky ledge down to a more narrow trail, following along a creek with interesting formations. A 'bridge' took us across the creek, turning left we wound in and out along the path. The front of the group caught sight of a deer hiding amongst the trees. We finally emerged from the woods and were on one of the gravel roads in the subdivision. When we realized that a few in the back were taking an awfully long time to catch up. We found out they were fighting of yellow jackets! Probably stirred up by our poles sticking in their ground nests! I know that Bill and Monty received several stings, and I believe Gary and Bob at least once..yikes.

Together again, Steve led us across the gravel road into the woods again, and our hikers meandered along the path on the side of Lookout until we came to an intersection. Steve stopped the group to give us a warning that we were about to head on to the more difficult section of the trail (what we had been on was easy-peasy). We all plunged in behind him, descending at a bit of a steep grade, and soon we were at the edge of the bluff, overlooing a small lake at the bottom of the falls which fell across the gorge from the bluff. The volume of water was diminished from the dry weather, but you could see where it could be substantial in normal weather. Patti decided to prop her poles up on a scraggly tree on the bluff, turned around, and poof- one pole fell over the edge, disappearing from view.

Stormy a/k/a the Goat scrambled down a manageable rocky path to get down to the creek that fell over to the lake below. Others followed, and soon there were seven or eight hikers across the creek. Stormy, Betty, Pat, and the Trail Chronicler, took their boots off and stuck their feet in the cold water- heavenly! Pete fought the urge to throw rocks in the creek where we stood. (I think he realized he would be in big trouble with the female contingent if he had!) After a brief respite, those who had stayed on the bluff began to head back up the trail, and so the 'across-the-creek' crowd followed.

With a bit of a climb back up to the intersection, we paused to get our breath, and then we were headed back. All was going well, plodding along the trail, small groups talking easily, laughter could be heard in spurts as trail friends visited, and then we were back at the same area where the earlier hikers were stung. The worst happened when Arlene was stung by a yellow jacket that got stuck beneath her sock and Linda was stung by one that got under her short leg. The trail chronicler handed off some neosporin and took off to get away as one of the buggers was after her, telling Pat that she needed to move! (Pat was in front of her). Lo and behold when we got near the end of the hike, the trail chronicler found out Pat had also been stung! Way not to go trail chronicler! Poor Bill got stung again! They were all troopers and got to pose in a picture as 'Purple Heart Hikers'.

When we arrived back at the cars, we gathered our lunch and Steve led us down past parking lot on a short path to a picnic spot beside the lake (actually private property!). We all bunched in and ate and visited for a bit.

The Singing Sisters Falls hike was delightful and could be a wonderful hike in the fall with the colors abounding. The heat was a bit stifling at the first of August and the yellow jackets weren't any fun, but we still managed to have a good time, as always. Sometimes it's just the company you keep! Thanks Steve for the adventure!

Discovering the Beauty of Lula Lake

 95+ temperatures couldn't keep the 19 hikers away from the trail at Lula Lake on Wednesday, July 28th. Does that make us crazy or fanatic's? There's a fine line there to diiscern! We met at the Bi-lo in St. Elmo and took off up Lookout Mountain in total denial of the heat and total excitement over the chance to hike the trail on the privately held Trust property. Many in attendance, including the trail chronicler, had never been to the site.
Upon arrival, it took a few minutes for Che to get instructions from a Trust volunteer and then we were off. We took off across a very nice foot bridge and turned off to the right, heading into the woods on a nice path with sun-dappled light. We were soon following along the creek, always a treat on a hot day, and then looped back to the main trail. For the next half mile or so, we treked on a path that led us up and down a wide trail. Then we found ourselves on the main trail that led to the top of the brow and we began to climb at an easy pace. The heat was steadily rising so we took it at a languid stroll more than a fast climb. Reaching the intersection of the trail, Che pointed a few of us to the left and waited for the others. When we were all reunited, we walked on with peeks of the brow views tantalizing us off to the right. Finally, we came to a gorgeous open brow with spectacular views of the valley in the Flintstone area. We gawked a while and then continued down the path looking for a short trail Che had been directed to called the High Adventure Trail.

As we began to descend, Che feared she had missed the trail and when we came in sight of Lula Gorge, it was confirmed. However, she directed us away from the picnic tables and down to the right where we found a rocky path that led us down to the bottom of Lula Lake Falls. Many of us navigated our way down and came in sight of the gorgeous falls. J.D. a/k/a water bug was in the water before you could say otter. We slower ones mosied over to the rock ledge in front of the falls where could enjoy the spray. A few, including Gary, Val, Trish, and Stormy went on up to explore the falls closer. The trail chronicler, Arlene, Linda, and Larry took our socks and boots off to stick our feet in some water traveling thru the rocks. We all began to eat our lunch and then heard shouting from above. We didn't have a clue what they were trying to say so we ate lunch before we headed up the rough trail back to the main path. There we discovered some good scouts (Pete, joined by JD and Bob, we thought) had made sure to 'mark the path' for us Lula Falls explorers.

We trekked back to the picnic table area and then discovered Lula Lake (where Che meant for us to eat lunch!). Che, Bob, Pete, and several others were there eating lunch in an idylic spot. We all enjoyed some time relaxing here. Then Che discussed the trail we had missed and the group was agreeable (okay, it was really Patti:-)) to going back to see if we could discover it. Sure enough, a short distance past where you go down to the Falls, there is a turn-off to to the right. It appeared to just go off into the woods, but suddenly we found ourselves climbing on a narrow trail, rocky and pretty rough. Climb, climb, we did and someone behind yelled they expected a ropes course. We'll guess what? We found it!

The High Adventure Trail was indeed high adventure. Fortunately, it wasn't that long and soon we were the brow again. After we regrouped, we headed back down the main trail and in no time our descent brought us back to the Lake. We turned left and traveled across the bridge and maybe a quarter of a mile down a beautiful path, we were back at the cars.

It was six miles of gorgeous trail. What more can a hiker ask for? We enjoyed a bit of forest, an easy climb, enjoyed scenic views, sat by a waterfall, lolled by the lake, and climbed a steep trail with a rope. One of the best, maybe short, but definitely sweet.

The mysterious, and as yet, unidentified flower...any guesses??

UPDATE:  I found out it is a Spider Lily!

Night Train to Prentice

On July 14th,  a bunch of regular Wednesday hikers joined the Soddy Daisy group for a night hike on the Pot Point Trail on Prentice Cooper. Among the group were Richard, Gwen, Anne, Vicki, Che, Debbie, Karen, Bill, and Reggie. Bill and Che get extra credit because they also went on the day hike on Signal that morning. (The Trail Chronicler suspects they're secret extra achievers.) As we drove in, the vehicles in front came to a stop and folks were jumping out. We found the excitement had to do with a good size rattler in the road- not a good beginning.

When we arrived at the picnic area by Dry Pond campsite, it was like watching a not so well-oiled machine as people gathered their fixings and got the grill going. A few of us had brought food ready to eat so we waited for the others to have their burgers cooked.We visited and enjoyed the late evening in the great outdoors. Eventually, we ate together to the sound of the cicada's and bull frogs starting their night calls. Everyone then jumped in to get the area cleaned up and begin the hike. We also found out Don Deakins wasn't in that big of a hurry because he wanted to make sure we at least hiked out in the dark. (Isn't there always a method to the madness.)

Finally, we took off and began the easy walk on the 4 mile loop. Don was in the lead for a ways until he began to wonder where the folks in the back were. He let Bill and Amy take over and he went back to find that Richard, Vicky and others were busy grabbing juicy blackberries! The trail was a wide path that seemed to be used by ATM's, etc, so we had plenty of room to watch for snakes. Bill and Amy stopped several times to pick up dead limbs that had fallen over.

When we reached an intersection, Don came back up to the lead and we took a short breather. As we took off again, the evening light closed and darkness enveloped us in the night. Head lamps came on and the jovial group became a little more contemplative; maybe darkness makes one more attune to sound? The lights bobbed and weaved as the group walked, dodging muddy spots, and calling out to each other. The crescent moon did not cast much light, but it was bright and beautiful with a few stars shining nearby.

We knew we were near the end when when the bullfrogs at the pond greeted us! In short order we were loaded up and heading out. A great time and, hopefully, not the last night hike. Maybe in cold weather when snakes aren't such a threat!

Long Branch Connector Trail to Cloudland Canyon

On a hot July 7th, fourteen hikers met in St. Elmo and took off for the first ever hike by members of Chattanooga Hiking Group on this newly designated trail. This trail is 5.6 miles and is part of the proposed 14-mile corridor trail that will run from Nickajack Road in Walker County, Georgia to Cloudland Canyon State Park and will connect the state park to Lula Lake. The Lula Lake Land Trust turned over management of the section to Cloudland Canyon S. P.

After dropping off most of the hikers at the trail head, the drivers drove a few miles away and parked alongside a church. (This was a short distance from where the trail ended.) Back at the trail head, the others had gotten ready by doing what has to be done on occasion. For instance, relieving their bladders. I saw the sign pointing to the 'privy' and thought, how nice! Later, I was told the sign at the 'privy' instructed users to take advantage of the woods! Also noted, was the wooden 'changing area' built near the parking lot. Again, how nice, except that the slats were well wide enough to see through! One has to wonder who was in charge of the construction??

After getting on the well-marked trail, we enjoyed the shade of the foliage. The trail was easy with gradual climbs in a few places. Well-constructed wooden bridges took us across the three creeks we came to so we didn't even have to get our feet wet! We passed a couple of dogs with their owners close behind. At one point, we came out of the woods into a clearing where power lines climbed the ridge and just across the way the trail passed through a cluster of ready-to-pick blackberries. The berries were sweet, juicy, and well worth fighting the thorns.

Several folks noticed the insects on this hike: spiders of all kinds, granddaddy long-legs, huge red ants, and regular ole' ants scurried as we trudged on the trail.

We emerged from the woods and walked the short distance down the road to the church. Arriving back at the trail head, everyone quickly got in to their cars. Most were anxious to get back to Chatt Town and enjoy lunch at Mt. Vernon. And it did not disappoint. Yum!

Gregory Bald is Gorgeous!

To hear John Rowland tell it, you just can't call yourself an-outdoor-loving-hiker if you've never been to Gregory Bald. Okay, I'm paraphrasing a bit. Still, I was pretty frustrated that I had a writer commitment the week our Wednesday group was scheduled to take the long awaited overnight trip to Townsend for the hike. But then, I got a phone call from John inviting me to go along with him and Kathy on the Friday before the Wednesday hike. Well, I proved my quick-stepping abilities and made myself available! Let me tell you, I'm so glad I did.

John and I met at 6:30am and headed to Cleveland to pick up Kathy. We made a quick trip up I-75 and got to the turn-off into Cade's Cove about 9:30am. All was well til we backed up behind the infamous sight-see'ers there to get their quick fix on nature. It was Kathy's first time in the Cove so that made it special to point out places of interest. She got a treat though as we passed a bear at the edge of a meadow around the loop.

Soon, we turned up the gravel road past the mill and got over to Parson Branch Road. I actually loved the drive! Lots of foilage with sunlight bouncing through the trees. We passed a horseback riding group and assumed they were headed in our same direction. Shortly after, we made it to the trailhead, and it was confirmed. We hurried and took off.

I started off in the lead at a pretty good pace, dodging horseapples already on the trail under a pretty full canopied forest. I knew I'd wind down and John or Kathy would jump up. The trail wounded around the ridge in easy curves with a gradual incline. The horses overtook us, John took the lead, and we continued on up the trail. The farther we went, the muddier the trail. I figured the horses were tearing it up a bit. There were a couple of trees down to circumvent, but it was no big deal.

We emerged from the heavy canopy and found a wooded level area with a pretty campsite. I observed  a metal wire contraption hanging in a tree that John explained was used to store food off the ground from bears. Okey dokey..glad the horses were in front!

We took off on up the trail and soon realized, we were climbing at a steeper incline. Then, we felt drops of rain. I prayed for it to hold off until we got a chance to explore the bald. We spotted more and more flame azalea in bloom along the trail and then, suddenly, we broke through and found ourselves in azalea heaven!

Shades of orange, salmon, wine, red, pink, peach, and even white azalea's were everywhere I looked. They grew individually and in large bunches as though planted by some some long ago gardener. Blueberry bushes laden with fruit were also all around. As we gazed out over the view down on Cade's Cove, the rain began to fall a bit more. We didn't want to miss out on the sites on the bald so John began to show us the trail through the thick grass. It would have been fun to just get lost within the bunches of azalea's in bloom. Kathy and I oohed and aahed at every turn. The rain eased up a little and we found a spot to eat lunch near an aged tree.

I could have explored that bald for at least a couple of hours, but we weren't sure of the weather. Heading down left me a bit sad. We soon found that the muddy trail was now extremely slippery. Our boots sucked into the muck every so often and I wondered what would happen if I fell in to it. Would Kathy let me ride back in her car? (She said 'no'!) John exhibited his graceful moves, I slipped and slid, and Kathy was very deliberate, before you could say jack sprat (almost), we made it down.

The drive home was a treat in itself as we drove on out Parson Branch Road and into Deal's Gap, then followed the Cherolla Skyway into Tellico. John and Kathy weren't interested in stopping to eat, so I sat in the back seat and contemplated what I would eat when I got home. (a bowl of dry cereal as it turned out)

What a gorgeous hike. John, you were right, but now the trail chonicler is a bonafide outdoor-loving-hiker since she's been to Gregory Bald!

I heard the Wednesday group had a fantastic hike, as well, with a beautiful sighting of a baby fawn in the grass. Wish I could have seen that.

Hiking With History and Goober Peas

In the heat and humidity on Saturday, June 5th, Tony Cook did something very unusual. He held 12 hikers spellbound, weaving the story of John and Jim, two homesick boys from North Carolina, caught up in one of the bloodiest battle of the Civil War. One Jim, was lovesick. The other, John, got way more adventure than he bargained for. But we learned their experiences at Chickamauga led one to his death and the other back home to find love in an unexpected place. And through it all, as Tony led our group from one lonely spot on the trail to another monument that told a sad tale, our group was enthralled. We would have followed him all afternoon, sweat logged shirts, and all!

We learned about Benjamin Helms, Abe Lincoln's brother-in-law, who was shot and died the next day. This prompted Abe, when he learned, to shed tears for this son of Kentucky who followed Robert E. Lee to serve the South. It also left his widow, Mary Lincoln's sister, behind enemy lines. Events eventually brought her to the White House where Abe housed the widow of a Southern officer! This did not sit well with the North, and before the year was out, she moved back to the South.

Then, there was the unsung hero, General George Thomas, who earned his nickname 'The Rock of Chickamauga' for refusing to completely give up his position as so many others did which saved the Union Army from being completely routed at Chickamauga. He continued a military career after the war and did not try to go into politics, burning his papers before his death so they couldn't be made public. His Virginia family turned his picture to the wall when he 'went with the North' and refused to attend his funeral when he died.
We walked through the park for about six miles, learning all this and much more, waiting for Tony to read excerpts of Thomas Wolfe's story from the short story 'Chickamauga' involving John and Jim. At the end, as he promised, we were treated to Goober Peas! One of our group, Dave, a North Carolina native, was a bit apprehensive- not at all sure what Goober Peas were. But when they were finally brought out, he enjoyed them every bit as much as the rest of the group. We ended our snack time by 'singing' Goober Peas.

Someone wondered where this expression came from so I googled the name and I've pasted the info I gathered. See below:

“The only true friend the South ever had was corn field peas.”  -- Confederate General Robert E. Lee

“Goober Peas” was a popular song sung by Confederate soldiers during the Civil War. The phrase “goober peas” is one of many southern expressions for peanuts. The word goober was a derivative of the African Bantu word nguba. Calling peanuts goober peas began with blacks along the Georgia and South Carolina coasts speaking in the Gullah language

A great hiking experience was had by all!

Dayhike on Savage Gulf

There were eighteen hikers, plus a guest, that joined us for our 4 miles+ on the plateau at Savage Gulf (which I found out thru research was named after an old settler, Samuel Savage). We left the parking lot and headed toward the Ranger Station where we past butterfly weed with their tops bursting with orange. Bearing right, we entered the wooded trail wet from the nights rain. Spring flowers were mostly spent, only a few rhododendron with their blooms still fresh were spotted for the most part. We crossed a couple of wooden foot bridge's before making it to Boyd's Branch with a suspension bridge where we were warned to only cross two at a time! Soon, we came to an intersection where we found a fellow painting the letters a bright white on a wooden marker sign (several of us had noted the white, white letters on previous letters so this explained why!).

Turning left, we traveled a distance to make it to Rattlesnake Point Overlook, a spectacular overlook where we found a dedication plaque to former owners by the name of Samuel H. Werner, Jr. ad his wife, Ellen Young Werner. They purchased 3,800 acres in Savage Gulf in 1924–26 and protected and preserved the gulf forest, which became part of the state natural area in 1973
Continuing on, we came to the a spot where we could spot Savage Falls Overlook through the foliage on the ridge.

Then we began a gradual decline, and it wasn't long before we were somewhat parallel to Savage Creek.

 At one piont, there is a sign beside the water indicating it was the home of a long ago moonshine still. A little further, we came to the top of wooden stairs. At the bottom, there were huge rock boulders and we found ourselves at the bottom of the falls with a gorgeous inviting pool. A few continued on out onto some large boulders that were out into the stream.

Approximately 500 acres in Savage Gulf along Savage Creek below Savage Falls were never logged, so today the stand of hemlock, yellow poplar, oak, ash, basswood, beech, maple, and hickory is one of the largest old-growth remnants of the mixed mesophytic region of the Eastern deciduous forest. The importance of the forest is recognized in its designation as a National Natural Landmark. «


The italicized portion above is copied from the Savage Gulf State Park website, but I thought it was worth noting as there aren't many area's to be found in southeastern Appalachia that hasn't been logged!

The group loafed about bit here for a while, and I got a pic of Bob with his sweet daughter, Laura (I think!).

On our way out, a few took the spur that led past the campsite area (why do I wonder if Bob was in that group?) The rest continued on, retracing our steps back to the Ranger Station. However, I spotted these neat mushrooms which I couldn't not take a picture of and also the end of this tree that seems to tell a story all its own! We only had a snack on the trail so we all loaded up, headed back down off the mountain and 'somehow' ended up at The Cookie Jar. This restaurant should be outlawed for its fat calories, but hey...if it's there, we must go and so we did. It was some good eatin'! I also took home a piece of coconut cream pie that was to die for! Happy Trails and can't wait for the next hike with this great Wednesday group.