Sunday April 1st I completed my first decent of the Watauga Gorge with success.  I was accompanied by Wes Bradley, Doug K., and Josh R.  Wes was my lead for the most of the lines, but I got to solo my first Class V ever- “Hydro” with success!  I have to say there are lots of rocks to get caught up and turned around on but plenty of Boofs to send your boat flying.  On this run you are surrounded by the beautiful gorge and its HUGE boulders. The geology of this gorge is amazing; I really don’t think I have ever seen so many rocks on any river I have paddled before -Make them your friends should you find yourself on this river.  We proceeded to stomp every rapid and drop we were challenged with.  I would have to say that “Anaconda” was my favorite rapid of the run and it was BIG.  We scouted “Stateline” and scoped the lines to set it up; I almost botched the line 20 ft from the drop when I was pushed against the rock up from the drop, but I was determined to recover.  Josh R. came out of nowhere and grabbed my stern handle to help free me away and I setup and stomped the line, but traded paint with his boat at the bottom.  Fun times! I was thankful for his assist!  I found this run quite challenging and a rewarding experience! This run will make you step up your skills and experience as a boater.  Paddle aggressively, focus your eyes on the next line and go for it!

Event Date: March 30th

The hike of March 30 was on the Appalachian Trail from Chestoa to the shelter near Curley Maple Gap, where we ate lunch, and then returned to Chestoa.

This hike was one that had been planned for quite a while, but postponed either to bad weather or to expected bad weather. This time, though, we could hardly have had it any better. Spring flowers were making their appearances and the trail was in perfect condition.  Ordinarily, the northbound through-hikers get to Erwin and vicinity about this time of the year, but we saw only two, both from Destin, Florida.  The hikers were Olin Babb, Bob Harvey, Jerry Jones, Susie Seiler, Jerry Sluder and Lowell Toof.

Rating:  Easy three and half mile in/out hike with less than 300 ft elevation change

Come for a nice walk in the forest along a firm gravel service road down to the lake.  The gradually sloping path skirts along the southwest shore before ending at the spillway.  Once we reach the lake, we’ll have a rock skipping contest (say, number of skips and distance).  Let’s leave Colonial Heights promptly at 1 PM for 45 minute drive to near the South Holston Lake dam.  We should be back by 5 PM.  For more information, check the club’s trail wiki or call the hike leader.

Come out on a day hike and help us tackle some typical late spring maintenance needs, such as cutting annual growth and painting blazes.  No experience required!  Contact Joe for details and meeting time and place.

Most Tuesdays:  Weekly AT Trail Maintenance
Join a group of maintainers who work somewhere on our 135-mile section each week, usually on Tuesdays.  Contact Carl Fritz (atvolunteer [at] tehcc [dot] org) for dates and meeting places.

Tuesdays Evenings:  Johnson City Roll Practice
Come join the Jackson Action Wagon (J.A.W.), APEs, and other paddlers from around our region at the Freedom Hall Pool in Johnson City, TN from 7:10 to 9:10 pm every Tuesday for tips and tricks about basic kayaking and for learning how to roll.  Have you already mastered the basics and have a bomb proof roll?  There is still a lot of fun to be had at our pool session by practicing your flat-water freestyle moves and fellowshipping with other paddlers in a nice warm-water environment.  Admission to the pool is $2; rolling advice is free!  Contact the pool office (423- 461-4872) for session confirmation or questions regarding the facility.  Please note: The J.A.W. provides the current fleet of boats for demo at the pool session, but neither the pool nor the J.A.W. provides paddling equipment (paddle, spray skirt, etc.).  If you do not have your own equipment, please post a message on the APEs yahoo group site or send Wesley an email asking other members to bring extra equipment.  We will try our best to get you outfitted for the night!

Fridays: Friday Hikers
Join members of the TEHCC and other hiking enthusiasts for Friday hikes in the northeast Tennessee, western North Carolina and southwest Virginia areas.  Trips typically leave from the parking lot between McDonalds and State of Franklin Bank in Colonial Heights at 8 am.  Trips to places farther away leave at 7:30 am.  Contact Collins Chew to be added to the distribution list.

Thursday Evenings:  Paddle to the Grill
Bring your recreation or touring kayak/canoe to meet with The Appalachian Paddling Enthusiasts and TEHCC.  The launch is at 6:30 pm at Davis Dock located in Blountville.  We will paddle to Boone Docks Restaurant located at Boone Lake Marina in Piney Flats for dinner and a social hour, then paddle back.  As we may be paddling back during low or no light, please have a stern light for your boat; PFDs are mandatory.  Contact Debbie Briscoe, 423-534-3636 for more details.

Bi-Weekly on Saturdays:  Watauga River Class I-II
Contact: Debbie Briscoe 423-534-3636
Launch at 3 pm unless there is water elsewhere. Call first to check and see if it’s on!

In 2013 the five Deep-South Appalachian Trail-Maintaining clubs will host the biennial national meeting of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. The meeting will be held July 19-26 on the campus of Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, North Carolina, about a 2½ hour drive from Kingsport. We are one of the host clubs along with the Carolina Mountain Club, Smoky Mountain Hiking Club, Nantahala Hiking Club, and Georgia Appalachian Trail Club. More specifically, we are responsible for workshops at the conference. We’d welcome anyone who is interested in presenting a workshop, and we will need volunteers to moderate the workshop sessions which are currently scheduled for Saturday and Sunday July 20-21. Volunteers are also needed to lead hikes; around 170 hikes will be offered during the week, and a leader and a co-leader is needed for each hike. Bruce Bente from the Carolina Mountain Club is leading the hiking program. If you’d like to help with the hikes, please contact Bruce at bbente [at] bellsouth [dot] net. Any volunteers with interests in artwork and/or photography are invited to help organize and judge digital photography and children’s artwork competitions. Finally, volunteers are needed to work at the registration, housing, hikes, excursion, and information desks. If you are willing to help in this fashion, please contact Peter Berntsen of Smoky Mountain Hiking Club (rennur99 [at] bellsouth [dot] net) who is in charge of volunteer recruitment. It takes hundreds of volunteers to make a meeting like this happen. We certainly need more than two TEHCC people to help with the conference and with the workshops, so please consider volunteering. For questions about the Biennial meeting, contact Joe or Steve.

Please call the trip leader, Terry Dougherty at 423-502-5177 to sign up for the river run. We normally paddle both days (Saturday and Sunday), but you can always tram your boat out to avoid paddling a second day. The river (Saturday paddle) is a very scenic 9 mile stretch that passes through a deep West Virginia gorge. It is mostly class II with a couple of borderline class III rapids. The first class III rapid can being easily portaged. The second day is mostly class I and suitable for families. Hope you can join for this great trip!

Over the past several years, the club’s calendar of scheduled hikes has dwindled to a bare minimum.  The Friday Hikers provide a regular outing each week, but only a few other hikes were being planned.  An opportunity has risen for the club to partner with the Mission Possible wellness program.  During May through October, TEHCC will be hosting Sunday afternoon hikes open to all.  The intent is to provide the required fitness activity through an easy to moderate 2 to 4 hour hike somewhere within an hour driving radius of Kingsport.  The hikes will be announced in both the monthly TEHCC newsletter and biweekly Mission Possible bulletins.  Note that this effort does not preclude Saturday hikes, which will also be held to allow further travel and/or longer trail distance.  So come enjoy a local trail with your family (while earning some HDA dollars).

The combination of wildflowers and waterfalls has led to some popular Club hikes, and we’re hoping for the same with this short hike to Margarette Falls.  One of our prettiest area waterfalls, Margarette Falls drops about 60 feet and descends through a rocky canyon adorned by many spring flowers.  The Unaka Ranger District of the Cherokee National Forest has improved the trail with some relocation and a bridge, and the trail makes a great family hike suitable for young children.  Round-trip distance is about 3 miles with an elevation gain of around 700 feet; see our listing in the Trail Wiki for more information.  The flowers are early this year with all the warm weather, but early April can be cold, wet, and fickle so bring layers of clothes and good raingear.  We’ll meet at 9:00 AM in the parking lot between McDonald’s and State of Franklin Bank in Colonial Heights.  A meeting point in Boones Creek can be arranged for people who live towards Johnson City.  We’ll plan on lunch at the falls and get you back in the early afternoon.  Please contact Joe if you’d like to go or for more information.