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The Week Ahead – May 16th

Unfortunately if you weren’t there, you missed HardCore 2011. The work on Pond Mountain was tough but the sense of accomplishment of making trail in those conditions is great. Full write up coming soon. This week it looks like you have some good opportunities to learn and have fun.

  • Wildflower Hike to Grassy Ridge on Wednesday starting in the morning
  • Club meeting at Eastman (open to outsiders) on Wednesday, main topic the new [[Main Page|Trail Wiki]]
  • Hike for your Heart in Bristol on Saturday, a chance to hike and raise money
  • Hike Big Yellow Mountain to Little Hump! on Saturday. The details are scarce, but the notice says a celebration about a partnership between Highland Brewing Co., USFWS, and SAHC with refreshments at the end of the hike. Just saying!

Get all of the details from our schedule page.

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Bluestone River Trip, Class II-III, May 27-30

Leaders: Terry & Thresa Dougherty, 423- 502-5177

This is the 32nd year for the Bluestone Trip.  The trip this year is planned later than ever because the Pipestem State Park Mountain Creek Lodge does not open until Friday May 27, Memorial weekend with a 3-night minimum.  The cost is $97.44 with tax per night.  We could not reserve a block of rooms, so folks will need to call 304-466-1800 to make their own reservations.  With it being a holiday weekend, they probably need to call ASAP to get rooms.  Camping is available in the campground and reservations can be made as well.

We are planning on paddling Saturday and Sunday (optional).  The average flow for the May 30 timeframe is 518 CFS, so the water level could be really good.  Other activities include golfing, birding, horseback riding, hiking and biking.  A Saturday evening Happy Hour (Ed Montgomery coordinator) is planned and is always a fun event.  This is a special trip and we hope you can join us for the longest running TEHCC annual paddling trip!

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Friday Hikers: Big Laurel Creek, April 15

We had a nice wildflower hike along Big Laurel Creek in North Carolina under clouds early, then sunny in the afternoon with occasional breezes.  The wildflowers were out in profusion with many varieties and many individual flowers.  Many flowering trees added to the scene.  Because of recent heavy rains, the clear rushing creek stole the show with powerful rapids.  A few kayakers were enjoying the flow also.  Hikers were Olin Babb, Lee Bockman, Kathy and Jerry Case. Andrew Cleland, Ann Cosby, Carol and Dave Dunham, Judith Foster, Bob Harvey, Carol Idol, Susie Seiler, Jerry Sluder, and Collins Chew.

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Doe River Gorge, Sunday, April 10

Leader: Vic Hasler

Ah, a spring walk on a warm Sunday afternoon!  With area temperatures reaching 87˚F, the shaded Doe River Gorge offered a comfortable hike while viewing and photographing the early wildflowers (wild ginger, yellow and wake robin trilliums, longspur, bleeding hearts, fire pink, and more).  The three cars for the eight folks from TEHCC converged from different directions at the camp around 1:45.  A surprise was when more cars with another 21 people pulled up at that same time.  During the hike, we figured out that two hiking clubs had arrived coincidently for the same hike.  Thus the trip was enjoyed with the “Little Lost Hikers” from Linville, NC (including some Boy Scouts from two troops).  A real benefit was their wildflower expert who helped with identification.  (FYI, looks like more flowers would be in bloom in early to mid-May.)  The 5-mile hike was completed in roughly three hours.  From TEHCC were Troy Greenwald, his daughter Ella, and mother Joan Amato, Sharon Burnette, Solange Adams, Serita Blankenbecler, and Cinda Foglesong.

Details of this trail have been captured in the new club wiki, including the wildflower pictures and identification.  This shared knowledge could be useful to others for deciding where to hike and explore in the region.

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Friday Hikers: AT – Jones Meadow to Allen Gap, April 8

Collins Chew reporting

The weather was pleasant but cloudy for our 7.4 mile on the AT from Jones Meadow to Allen Gap.  Occasionally, a few sprinkles fell, but never enough to cause problems.  It rained a bit while we were in the Shelter eating lunch.  A few wildflowers were out: Service berry, spring beauty, trailing arbutus, various violets, a few bloodroot and chickweed.  Backpackers were out in force with a few other dayhikers.  Hikers were: Don Baker, Kathy Case, Andrew Cleland, first timer from South Carolina Beth Ann Cushman, George Dickert, Carol Dunham, Judith Foster, Carol Idol, Heather Jacob, Jerry Jones, Eloise Kaeck, first timers Lotta and Ken Murray, first timer John Parks, Lowell Toof, and Collins Chew.

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Meeting Locations for TEHCC Hikes

Over the years, TEHCC hikes have typically left from the following locations.  Others can be prearranged with the hike leader.

Colonial Heights: The parking lot between McDonalds, State of Franklin Bank, and Ingles located north of Fort Henry Drive on the Kingsport side of I-81 Exit 59.

Johnson City: The parking lot behind Parkway Discount Wine & Liquor just off I-81 Exit 24 at intersection of University Parkway and South Roan Street.

Gate City: Up on the hill above US23/58/421 at the Kane Street intersection (traffic light) sits Food Lion, Advance auto parts, and Subway.

For more detail, check out the [[Meeting locations for TEHCC hikes|Trail Wiki]].

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Lunch & Learn: The New TEHCC Trail Wiki – May 18th

Come to this month’s meeting to learn about the details of using and how you can contribute to our new trail wiki site. Come learn how you can navigate our new [[Main Page|wiki]] and use it to find trails that interest you.  We’ll even cover how you can help contribute to the site by either directly editing yourself or by providing the information for others to use in editing.  Bring a sack lunch to enjoy while talking with others. The program starts at noon and we plan to be finished by 12:45 to give travel time for those who may have a 1PM meeting. Location is at Eastman in Kingsport B150 Room C. If you’re not an Eastman employee but are interested in attending contact Tim Schaefer to arrange a visitor pass.

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The Week Ahead – May 9th

Wow! Do we have you covered this weekend! Take your pick. Whitewater or flatwater paddling, the infamous Damascus Hard Core, or the always reliable Collins Chew and his Friday Hikers. Check out the schedule for all of the details.

  • 2011 Nolichucky Hometown Throwdown Event
  • Moonlight paddle on South Holston or Watauga Lake
  • Friday Hikers
  • Damascus Hard Core 2011 – Look for me here!
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Konnarock Crew – Hughes Gap to Cloudland Relocations

Scheduled for June 3-5, June 17-19, July 8-10, and July 29-31, 2011

Leaders: Joe DeLoach and Carl Fritz

Last year, we began one of our most ambitious Appalachian Trail relocations ever, from Hughes Gap to Cloudland atop Roan Mountain.  This formerly 2.6-mile section of Trail ascends 2200′, with a 0.4-mile slight descent along the way, making it possibly the steepest section of the A. T. in the South.  We don’t always relocate a Trail section just because it’s steep, but steep trails that run on a ridgeline are very prone to erosion, with only the rockiness of parts of this section retarding that erosion.  It is also a treacherous descent, especially in the icy or rainy conditions that are prevalent at those elevations.  We’ve flagged numerous relocations to climb the mountain at a sustainable 10-12% side-hill grade, and built the first four with Hard Core, student groups, and Club outings in 2010.  This year, we’ll tackle some sections higher on the mountain with all our resources, including the Konnarock Crew which will work near the midpoint of the section.  The Konnarock Crew, in its 29th year, is managed by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and works with the 12 Southern clubs.  We are fortunate to have them for five weeks this year, with plans to devote the first four weeks to these relocations and the final week of August 11-15 to putting more gravel on Round Bald.  The Crew arrives on a Thursday afternoon, has three full days of work Friday-Sunday, and departs Monday afternoon.  So the best days to work with them are Friday-Sunday.  Volunteers who work at least 40 hours with the Crew receive a Konnarock T-shirt for their efforts.  Please contact Joe DeLoach or Carl Fritz if you’re interested in helping.