The Tennessee Eastman
Hiking & Canoeing
News

February 1993

Contents

• Hiking
• Canoeing
• For The Record

HIKING

POND MOUNTAIN WORK TRIP
(Scheduled for Saturday, 6 Feb 93)
Leader: Ed Oliver (615.349.6668)
Rating: Difficult
If the weather is reasonable, we will work on the Pond Mountain relocation.  If the club installs the relatively level portions of the relocation this winter and spring, we should be able to open the relocation after the Konnarock Crew and the club completes the remainder of the relocation this summer.

The weather in February is somewhat unpredictable.  If you are interested in helping with this work, contact Ed Oliver at 349.6668.  This work will not involve much if any side hill digging.  We will concentrate on cutting and digging out brush and in defining the trail.

SHINING ROCK WILDERNESS AREA DAY HIKE
(Scheduled for Saturday, 6 Feb 93)
Leader: Tom Pridgen (Phone: 615.245.5975)
Rating: Difficult
We will plan to do a day hike in the Shining Rock Wilderness located in the Pisgah National Forest southwest of Asheville, N.C.  Driving time from Kingsport to the trailhead will likely be 2.5 hours, one way.  The trip leader has not hiked in this area but knows enough about the area to anticipate at least part of the hiking to be exposed to wind above 5000 feet.  Expect it to be COLD.

We will try to reach the Shining Rock peak via the Art Loeb Trail from the Blue Ridge Parkway. Hiking distance may be as high as 10 miles (round trip) depending on winter access to parking and may involve considerable (3000 feet) elevation gain if the Parkway is closed because of slick roads.  We will try the trailhead off U.S. 276 if the Parkway is closed.  Bring lunch, hiking boots, warm clothing, an appreciation for cold weather and a good sense of humor.  Pre registration with the trip leader is mandatory as the weather could alter our plans.
Meeting Time: 7:00 am, February 6, 1993
Meeting Place: Burger King, Colonial Heights

MORRILL'S CAVE (A.K.A. WORLEY'S)
(Scheduled for Saturday, 13 Feb 93)
Leader: Greg Kramer (615.349.6125)
Rating: Moderate
This is a near by cave, so the drive will not be long.  The cave is well known to cavers of the Tri-Cities since it is in Bluff City.  The trip will be mostly walking but some crawling will be involved.  This is definitely a novice caving trip, so if you have ever had an interest, now is the time to try.

VALENTINE'S DAY HIKE - A.T. FROM TANYARD GAP TO HOT SPRINGS
(Scheduled for Saturday, 13 Feb 93)
Leader: Joe DeLoach (615.753.7903)
Rating: Easy
This will be a six mile hike on an easy but scenic portion of the A.T. north of Hot Springs, North Carolina.  We will spot some cars in Hot Springs and drive to the A.T. crossing of U.S. Highway 25/70 at Tanyard Gap.  From there we will pass through the open meadows on Mill Ridge with great views.  Then, in keeping with the Valentine's Day theme we will proceed through piney woods to Lovers Leap, a rock outcrop with the French Broad River 500 feet directly below.
From Lovers Leap the Trail descends to the river on a new relocation put in by the Konnarock Crew and follows the river into Hot Springs.  At Hot Springs a visit to the Hot Springs Spa will be an option.  The number for reservations is 704.622.7676; the last time I was there the day rates were $10 per hour for 1.2 people per tub with $5 for each additional person.

Please call Joe DeLoach at 753.7903 as soon as possible if you are interested in this trip.  We should be able to get on the trail by 11:30, have lunch in the meadows on Mill Ridge, and get into Hot Springs at a leisurely pace by 4:00.
Meeting Time: 9:00 am, Saturday, 13 Feb 93
Meeting Place: Parking lot between Burger King and McDonald's in Colonial Heights

THIRD SATURDAY MAINTENANCE
(Scheduled for Saturday, 20 Feb 93)
Leader: Ted Malone (615.477.2222)
Rating: Steady and safe
We will be concentrating on blowdowns this month and at the time of this writing the locations are unknown. If you want to do some trail work and blowdowns are not your thing, give me a call. We have a list of items that need to be taken care of before the through hikers reach our section of the Trail. The Winter Dinner meeting is also on this date so we will stop in time to get back home, get ready and be at the Cabin before 6:00. For the Johnson City area call me and for Kingsport, call Ed Oliver at 349.6668.
Meeting Time: Saturday, 20 Feb 93

SOUTH BEYOND 6000 HIKE, PLOTT BALSAMS
(Scheduled for Saturday, 27 Feb 93)
Leader: Garry S. Luttrell (615.239.9854)
Rating: Difficult
Last year, I led a hike to the Mt. Mitchell area in February, and we had a very nice day weather wise; so, I'm hoping for the same good luck this year. For this Plott Balsam hike, located near Soco Gap on the Blue Ridge Parkway, we will seek to qualify the following SB 6K peaks: Yellow Face, Waterrock Knob, Jones Knob, and Plott Balsam. Most of these peaks do not have defined trails, therefore, bushwhacking through briars and blowdown will be required, so consider bringing leather gloves, but not expensive Gore-Tex.

Contact the hike leader at 239.9854, for details on meeting points and further information. Due to the long drive and short daylight, we will meet at 6 am, and plan on eating breakfast at an Asheville fast food restaurant. Bring lunch, water, and clothing suitable for extreme winter hiking. I will plan on making an assessment of weather conditions in the Plott Balsams area and giving a status of the hike to those interested on Friday, Feb. 26.
Meeting Time: 6:00 am, Saturday, 27 Feb 93

TRAIL MAINTAINER'S DINNER MEETING . EVERYONE INVITED
(Scheduled for Friday, 5 Feb 93)
Leader: Ted Malone (phone: 615.477.2222)
Rating: Excellent food!!!!
The annual Maintenance Dinner Meeting will be held on February 5, 1993 at the Eastman Cabin. The happy half hour (refreshments will be on me) will start at 6:00 with dinner at 6:30. Mike, from the Original Hot Dog Hut, will cater all you can eat barbeque, ET Dogs, slaw, etc. The price will depend on how many participants we have. Expect to pay about $6.00 at the door. I will need to know by Feb 2nd if you plan to eat so I can get a number back to Mike.

At the meeting we will talk about some maintenance techniques, discuss team assignments for the coming year and go over the A.T. Committee's team assignments for the coming year and go over the A.T. Committee's priorities list for '93. We will also introduce our agency partners from the Forest Service, our Trail Maintenance Team leaders and our members that have adopted parts of the A.T.  Morgan Sommerville, our ATC representative, will also want to catch us up on the latest from Harpers Ferry on new trail standards. We usually take our trail maintenance seriously but this will be an evening of socializing and good fun. All frowns and serious looks must be checked at the door. Bring a friend and come on out. For the Johnson City area call me and for the Kingsport area call Ed Oliver at 349.6668.

WINTER DINNER MEETING
(Scheduled for Saturday, 20 Feb 93)
Leader: Joe DeLoach (Phone: 615.753.7903)
The 1993 Winter Dinner Meeting will be held at the Eastman Recreation Area Cabin. There will be time to see old friends, meet new ones, and view the display of equipment from Mahoney's beginning at 5:30 PM. Dinner will be served at 6:30. This year there will be a choice of a steak dinner for $9.00 or a fried chicken dinner for $7.00, in addition to a child's hamburger plate for $4.25. Please list the names of everyone in your party and what they wish to have for dinner on the reservation form, so we will know how many of each dinner to order. The door prizes will also be awarded from this list.

Please return your reservation form to Joe DeLoach, 596 A A Deakins Road, Jonesborough, Tennessee 37659. I need to receive your forms and checks no later than Wednesday, February 17. Please call 753.7903 for more information.

CANOEING

SOUTH FORK HOLSTON (VIRGINIA)
(Scheduled for Saturday, 27 Feb 93)
Leader: Ben Becker (Phone: 615.288.5886)
Rating: Class II
We will paddle a section of the South Fork of the Holston near Damascus, Va., above South Holston lake. Since this section is not dam controlled, we will be depending on adequate rainfall. Much of the river follows local roads, but the scenery is still nice. Cold temperatures are almost a certainty. Dress accordingly in wetsuit or drysuit with spare dry clothes available. Preregister with Ben Becker, 288.5886.

WATAUGA GORGE OR DOE GORGE PADDLING
(Scheduled for Saturday, 20 February 93)
Leader: Dewey Fuller (615.764.7340)
Rating: Class IV-V
If we are lucky and the soggy weather pattern we have been seeing for the last couple of months continues, we should have plenty of water for a Doe or Watauga gorge run. Both are "steep creek" runs with a class IV-V difficulty rating. For details and to register for the trip, call Dewey Fuller at 615.7647340.

CATAWBA/SOUTH TOE RIVER
(Scheduled for Sat . Sun, 13.14 March, 1993)
Leader: Dave Ingram (Phone: 615.282.5856)
The Catawba is a technical Class II-III river located in western North Carolina. Plans are to paddle the Catawba Saturday, camp near the put in on the South Toe River Saturday night, and paddle the South toe on Sunday. The South Toe is a clear and cold Class II-III river located near Mount Mitchell. For more information, contact Dave Ingram at 615.282.5856 (home) or 615.378.8414 (work).

STOLEN BOAT
A red Perception Dancer XT was stolen from the residence of Jeff Moyer, Bristol Virginia, last month. The boat is in very good condition and is fitted with a distinctive set of custom white plastic and gray foam thigh braces. If anyone sees this boat on the river, please contact Jeff at Mountain Sports LTD in Bristol.

FOR THE RECORD

NEW TEHCC OFFICERS
Three new Steering Committee members have been elected for 1993.94. These new members are Steve Perri, Jeff Siirola, and Frank Williams. They will join 1992.93 members Mary Mathis, Ed Montgomery, and Joe DeLoach (1993 Chair), along with 1992 Chair Dan Sand. Congratulations to the new members, and thanks to outgoing Steering Committee members Kathy McDavid, Eric Middlemas, and 1991 Chair Garry Luttrell for their service.

Bob Tonnies will be taking over as Newsletter Editor from Eric Middlemas, effective with the March newsletter. Bob is located in B.65. As before, the most convenient way for Eastman employees to submit items for the newsletter is by Office Vision electronic mail. Many thanks to Bob for accepting this responsibility, and to Eric for the outstanding job he has done as Newsletter Editor.

Jeff Siirola will be the Records Coordinator for 1993. TEHCC members who lead recreational or maintenance trips, both paddling and hiking, should send a report to Jeff including participants and hours. Becky Bellamy, who is our TERC Representative, should also get a copy of this report. If the trip involves A.T. maintenance Ted Malone should be copied as well; finally, if you wish the report to be included in the Newsletter send a copy to Bob Tonnies. This information is used to determine our Hiker, Paddler, and Maintainer of the Year awards and maintenance hours are reported to the Forest Service and ATC.

SOUTH BEYOND 6000 - NEW MEMBERS
(Garry S. Luttrell reporting)
In Nov, 1992, two Carolina Mountain Club members from Gaffney, SC completed all requirements for membership. Danny Bostic, Sr. and Danny Bostic, Jr. (age of Jr. 13 . probably the youngest to meet SB 6K requirements) became the 47th and 48th members.

WHITETOP LAUREL CREEK, CREEK JUNCTION TO IRON BRIDGE . 19 December 92
(Brad Dayvolt reporting)
WOW! What fun! When Dewey Fuller phoned Friday, he described this as a "class II/III run with a couple of carries. It's easier than the Nolichucky (Gorge)." From my first-timer perspective he was mostly accurate.

At about 9:30 AM, 5 pointed kayaks, 2 blunt-nosed kayaks, and 2 canoes put in for a rousing 12.5 mile run through virtually continuous class II/III water. The level was ~1500 CFS on some gauge "somewhere downstream", but Dewey said there are several creeks between the takeout and the gauge so it may or may not be useful. Anyway, the two trip leaders Dewey Fuller and Jamie Gaither had each run it before and they said the water was "high enough" and that the run wouldn't be "too boney". At the take-out I agreed.

It was a terrific run. Early on we split into two groups to avoid congestion. All five of us in the first group portaged the two drops of "the Slot". Ben Herron, with the second group, did run it and others in that group may have but I didn't see any of it. The 2nd group caught up with the 1st at Taylor's Valley and we traveled en masse the rest of the trip. This was great since about half of each group ran the second class IV/V drop, and I got to watch. It was an 8 ft drop into a fairly turbulent froth ending in a pool. It was pretty awesome but with warmer weather and water, and some more skill, and a little more confidence I might . . .

On the 2nd major rapid, 1 pointed Yak (Ben Herron), the 2 blunt-nosed Yaks (John Hefferman, and Michael Mudd) and one canoe (Jamie Gaither) took the plunge. Only Michael hit the preferred route and it looked very clean. Ben and John both missed about 4 feet left and dropped into a groove that plunged them deep into the foam at the base of the ledge. Both popped out upright, stable and grinning. Jamie did not fare quite as well, as his larger craft was forced much further left, almost to the bank. He pivoted over the edge, landed well, then tipped right. The water line was centered on the saddle top but two very strong braces brought him and his boat upright. Full of water, but upright.

It's hard to describe the quality of the stream itself, but I'll attempt to do so by comparison to rivers of common experience for those who have never run this stretch. The water was constantly pushing like the Nantahala but not as quite as cold. The creek was slightly narrower than the Lower Elk. The action was virtually continuous and intense. All the flat water in the 12.5 miles together was less than 1/2 mile. This run is probably most similar to the lower Elk but twice as long with the action twice as dense. In addition, the Virginia Creeper trail runs alongside 95% of the way making for easy scouting, portages, rescues, etc. However, the remaining 5% of the way the trail is overhead, in the form of cable-draped bridges "too numerous to count." This made for several potentially dangerous occasions of cable-ducking and pier-dodging. In summary this was a very good trip that lasted about 4 hours. Other paddlers mentioned were A. Crow and J. McDarmont.

A final note. Two cars were broken into at the Iron Bridge take-out. One was entered by prying the driver side window frame away from the car then poking the electric door lock button. The locked glove box was smashed open and wallet removed. The other takeout car was entered by simply smashing the drivers window. His glove box was not locked, therefore not damaged. None of the bags of dry clothes were disturbed. One wallet was still inside a pair of wadded-up pants. I think the lesson for me is to empty the car at the house, take my wallet on the river and leave the car unlocked. This should reduce car damage. The thieves will get in anyway.