HIKING & PADDLING NEWS

Contents

• Hiking
• Paddling
• For The Record

HIKING

ROGERS RIDGE HIKE
(Scheduled: Sat, 7 Oct 95)
Leader: Joe DeLoach (423.753.7903)
Rating: Difficult
This is a hike you won't want to miss.  Rogers Ridge leads from the Laurel Bloomery area of Johnson County to the mountains where Tennessee, North Carolina, and Virginia join.  The peaks are expansive balds, nearly 5000 feet in elevation, which rival the splendor of the Roan Highlands.  The hike up Rogers Ridge is about 6.5 miles each way.  There are a couple of notably steep stretches, one right at the start and one in the middle of the hike, but the rest is easy to moderate.  The last couple of miles is in the balds with super views of the nearby Grayson Highlands all the way down past Erwin.  There is a scattering of Fraser fir near the top.  Fall comes early to this high country so we should be right at the peak of fall color, without fighting the crowds - we may have the whole trip to ourselves.  We'll leave from Colonial Heights at 7:45 AM; meet in the parking lot between Burger King and McDonald's.   Please let me know if you plan to attend, and come join us!

BACKPACK TRIP - CHESTNUT KNOB SHELTER, BURKES GARDEN
(Scheduled: Sat-Sun, 21-22 Oct 95)
Leader: G. S. Luttrell (423.239.9854)
Rating: Moderate
The A.T. Guide describes the section of trail at Burkes Garden as one of the most interesting sections of the A.T. in southwestern Virginia.  We will hike 6 miles along the rim of Garden Mountain overlooking Burkes Garden to Chestnut Knob Shelter on Saturday.  This shelter is a former fire warden's cabin that was renovated last year.   Sunday, we will descend Chestnut Ridge, cross Lynn Camp and Brushy Mountains, for an 11 mi. hike to Highway 42.  The views from Chestnut Ridge are outstanding, looking over the farms and fields of Burkes Garden on one side and Mount Rogers on the other.   We will leave from Kingsport on Sat. morning, spot a car at Hwy 42, then drive on to State Hwy 623 on Garden Mountain to begin the hike.  Contact the hike leader for further details on departure time and location, food, equipment, etc.

A.T. OVER WHITE TOP MOUNTAIN, VIRGINIA
(Scheduled: Sat, 28 Oct 95)
Leader: Collins Chew (423.239.6237)
Rating: Moderate
We will enjoy the beautiful Fall colors as we cross White Top Mountain on the Appalachian Trail.  This 7 mile hike will be from Va. 600 at Elk Garden to U.S. 58 at Summit Cut.  This should be a moderate hike with an initial climb of about 1000 feet over 2 1/2 miles followed by a descent of about 2000 feet over the next 4 1/2 miles.   There are many open areas with great views of the Fall colors on the mountains and some interesting rocks revealing the history of this second highest mountain of Virginia with residues from violent volcanoes and the frozen glaciers coursing their sides while moving the red volcanic rock.  Meet between McDonalds and Burger King in Colonial Heights at 8:00 AM on Saturday, October 28, 1995.  Bring lunch, water, and appropriate clothes.  The drive is approximately 80 miles each way.  Call Collins Chew at 239-6237 for details.

1995 TEHCC FALL DINNER MEETING
(Scheduled: Sat, 11 Nov 95)
Leader: Garry Luttrell
Rating: FUN
The 1995 Fall Dinner Meeting will be held at the Eastman Recreation Area Cabin on Saturday, November 11, 1995.

Phyllis Cairnes will present a slide program relating her June 1994 walk across England with her husband.  Wainright's "Coast to Coast Walk" route leads 192 miles from St. Bee's Head on the Irish Sea to Robin Hood's Bay on the North Sea.  The 14-day journey passed through three national parks: the Lake District, the Yorkshire Dales and the North Yorkshire Moors.  Terrain varies from the steep craggy barren mountains of the Lakes which jut sharply skyward from little more than sea level to the green windswept moors, an undulating pasture land reminiscent of James Herriott's books.   Even the smallest villages offered bed and breakfast accommodations, although even the largest towns had no Laundromat.  Overall the walk offered hiking, spectacular natural beauty, a welcome absence of commercialism and the cozy comfort of pub meals and homey accommodations.

Rocky Top Trail Shop will provide the vendor display and door prizes.  This company opened their Kingsport Store at 1001 E. Stone Drive in April 1995.  The display will be brought by owner and Appalachian Trail Through-Hiker Bruce Douglas.

A social time will begin at 5:45 PM, followed by dinner at 6:30 PM.  The caterer this year will be Wright's Country Cousin, and the menu will consist of:

Salad
Roast Beef, Sweet and Sour Chicken with Rice, and Yeast Rolls
Apples, Corn, and Green Beans
A Variety of Pies, and Chocolate Cake with Caramel Icing
Ice Tea and Coffee

The price for adults is $8.00 and $5.50 for children 10 years old and younger.   Children 2 years old and younger eat free.  Please return the following reservation form with a check made out to Garry S. Luttrell by Monday, November 6, for all the adult and children meals needed.  Mail to 131 Meadow Glade Circle, Kingsport, Tenn. 37663.  Phone 423-239-9854 for further information, or contact one of the Club Officers or Steering Committee Members.

PADDLING

UPPER RUSSELL FORK
(Scheduled: Sat-Sun, 7-8 Oct 95)
Leader: Mike Morrow (423.245.1201)
Rating: II-III
Contact trip leader for details.  This is a class II-III run.  I will be camping at Breaks Interstate Park on Friday and Saturday nights.  Camping reservations are recommended.  Please call me at 245-1201 if you plan on camping or meeting us for the trip.  This is a dam release river so plan your dress accordingly.

FOR THE RECORD

TENNESSEE TRAILS VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR A TEHCC MEMBER!!!
(Joe DeLoach reporting)
The American Hiking Society has been sponsoring National Trails Day along with other groups and corporate sponsors for the last three years.  This year as part of the celebration an opportunity for a Trails Volunteer of the Year Award from each state was made available by Vibram.  It was pretty easy to determine that we had a worthy nominee; Ed Oliver has been one of the hardest-working volunteers throughout the Appalachian Trail Conference.  And, he won!  Ed received a plaque from Vibram, a compass, a key chain, a pair of Thorlo hiking socks, and a year's subscription to Backpacker magazine.  Congratulations to Ed for this richly deserved honor!!!

1995 KONNAROCK CREW WRAP-UP
(Joe DeLoach reporting)
We had a very productive year with the Konnarock Crew in 1995.  Our primary project was the series of Appalachian Trail relocations on Cliff Ridge near Erwin.   Of these nine relocations four were completed this year and a fifth, one of longest, can be opened with one or two days of Club work this fall.  Our plans were for this to be a two year project and we are on track.  A bonus was the completion of a relocation near Flattop Mountain Road.  The Crew was assigned a project on the Carolina Mountain Club section on the south side of Spivey Gap, which they completed in a couple of days.  Morgan Sommerville, the southern ATC representative, had mentioned our relocation and the Crew moved to it.  Members of the Carolina Mountain Club noticed this project and working with the Crew completed it.  Many thanks to the CMC members who helped on that project.  The Crew worked hard over the four weeks they were with us this summer, and our appreciation goes out to Jim Bartos and Rebecca Overacre for the great jobs they did leading the Crews.

On a less upbeat note, our participation with the Konnarock Crew was down over what it had been the last couple of years.  This year 17 Club people worked a total of 47 person-days and 397 hours with the Konnarock Crew.  In contrast we had 21 people, 59 person-days, and 636 hours in 1994 and even more in our record year in 1993.  The hot summer may have had a lot to do with our turnout, and we will ask for earlier weeks for this project in 1996.  Whatever the cause, we need to keep in mind that we have much work to do on our section of the A.T., that we will need Konnarock to get much of that work done, and that the Konnarock Crew time is awarded in part based on club support for the Crew.  We did have five people who worked at least five days with the Konnarock Crew and who thus will obtain a T-shirt and a year's free membership to ATC.  These people are Frank Williams, LuAnn Mack-Drinkard, Craig Haire, Ed Oliver, and Joe DeLoach.   Thanks to all the Club members who helped with Konnarock this year.

A.T. - CARVERS GAP TO HUGHES GAP
26 Aug 95
(Cris Moorehouse reporting)
In spite of the rain and cold wind four of us left the parking lot at Carver's Gap for Hughes Gap.  It was very foggy and the wind increased as we reached the top of Roan.  There was one tent so we were not the only crazy ones.  Having left the parking lot at 10:20 AM we reached Hughes Gap at 1:10 PM.  While this is far from a record we were glad to see our transportation waiting for us.  I was joined for this adventure in the rain by Kathy Hall, Whit Parham and Theona Moorehouse.

TEHCC KONNAROCK PICNIC
19 Aug 95
(Steve Perri Reporting)
The last week of Konnarock Crew time culminated with a picnic for the crew at Chestoa Recreation Area on August 19, 1995.  Although the crew was worn down from the day of work, there were high spirits for the picnic after work.  Hamburgers and hot-dogs were the mainstay with a variety of side dishes and lots of cold drinks.  Dessert was the final touch of the meal with a choice of mixed fruit or fudge brownies.  Dinner was consumed at a rapid pace as thunder and lightning threatened in the distance.  We were fortunate to finish eating and load supplies up before the sky broke lose at about 6:30 PM.

After dinner, Ed Oliver was presented with an award as the Vibram Volunteer of the Year for the State of Tennessee.  The award was solicited as part of National Trails Day which is sponsored by the American Hiking Society (AHS).  The TEHCC Steering Committee had forwarded Ed's nomination to the AHS since Ed was considered an exceptional candidate worthy of public recognition.  The nomination was submitted and Ed had been selected as the Outstanding Volunteer of the Year for the State, although prior knowledge of the award had been kept secret until the day of the picnic.  As a recipient of the award, Ed was presented with a plaque, a pair of hiking socks, a compass, a key chain, and a free year's subscription to Backpacker Magazine.  Congratulations to Ed for such an esteemed and surprising honor!

TEHCC would like to thank ATC and the Konnarock Crew for a safe and successful year.   Those present for the occasion were: the 7 Konnarock Crew members, Shawn Dougherty, Bob and little Jackson Tonnies, Lou Ann Dee Mack-Drinkard and Dee Drinkard, Darrol Nickels, Ed Oliver, Steve and Tisha Perri, and Frank Williams.

1995 MULTI-CLUB MEET
1-4 Sept 95
(Steve Perri Reporting)
TEHCC hosted the 1995 Multi-Club Meet on September 1-4 at Buffalo Mountain Camp in Jonesborough, Tenn.  The event was attended by 9 of the 13 maintaining clubs of the Southern Region of the Appalachian Trail Conference.  On Friday, a western front moved through the area bringing rain followed by clear blue skies, cooler temperatures, and less humidity.  This started the weekend with great weather for hiking and excellent visibility.  Each morning, breakfast was provided by the camp to those who wanted a hassle-free morning to charge their reserves for hiking.  On Saturday, attendees were provided with five hikes led by TEHCC members covering areas from Spivey Gap to Pond Mountain.  An excursion to Farmhouse Gallery and Gardens was led by Charlotte Chew for those who wanted a leisurely day.  To conclude the evening, Ed Oliver provided the entertainment by presenting a slide program on his recent trip to the San Juan Mountains of Southern Colorado.  Sunday was also filled with another list of hikes led by TEHCC members with 2 groups traversing popular Laurel Falls.

Sunday evening offered a BBQ dinner catered by Pratt's followed by a 2 hour general meeting.  The meeting covered threats to the A.T. including power line installations across the trail in Virginia, proposed highway construction in Mt. Rogers Recreation Area, and proposed congressional cutbacks in funding of land acquisitions for the A.T.  A report on Konnarock Crew work was presented along with the names of those who were eligible for Konnarock T-shirts as well as those who contributed an extraordinary amount of time with the crew.  The meeting was concluded by reports from club representatives on topics such as membership, maintenance efforts, and special projects.   Clubs often reported on similar activities, although there were several cultural differences worth noting.  All clubs were elated since this was a mild year as far as blow-downs were concerned.  However, the weeds were quite abundant.  During the club reports, all the clubs mentioned an extraordinary effort to check weed growth.   The cultural differences noted were the six verbs describing the action of cutting weeds which consist of weed-ate, weeding, deweeding, weedeatering, and weed-whacking.  I think I included them all!  On Monday, Joe Deloach led the final hike to Grassy Ridge to conclude the event.

I would like to thank the many TEHCC members who helped contribute to this successful event.  We had a total of 55 overnight guests at the camp and four others who elected to stay in motels.  TEHCC had a total of 21 individuals who contributed some activity associated with the event.  The A.T. Multi-Club Steering Committee consisted of: C. Chew, J. Deloach, K. Edgar, S. Falling, C. Moorehouse, S. Perri, and S. Wilson.  The individuals who helped set up and run registration, C. Chew, J. Deloach, G. Luttrell, C. & T. Moorehouse, F. Oglesby, E. Oliver, T. Perri, H. Thomsen, and F. Williams.   Special thanks to K. Edgar for the catering arrangements, E. Oliver for the entertainment, and J. Deloach for putting together the hike schedule.  And many thanks to those who led hikes/excursions including: C. & C. Chew, J. Deloach, E. Dougherty, S. & J. Falling, G. Irick, R. Lott, T. Malone, C. & T. Moorehouse, D. Nickels, E. Oliver, F. Williams, and P. Worsham.  The next host for the 1996 Multi-Club is the Nantahala Hiking Club at Apple Tree Group Campground.