Hey, two weeks in a row. New record!
It’s mix up week! We have paddling on National Trails Day on Saturday and a hike at Warrior’s Path on Sunday. Get out and have fun!
See the Schedule for more details.
2012 Gear Swap (2nd Annual), Event Report
Vic Hasler reporting
Event Date: April 21st
In spite of delaying the Gear Swap until April, a chilly morning greeted the nearly dozen folks setting up booths for this year’s event. However, plenty of hot coffee was available with friendly conversations and negotiations to warm the crowd looking at various camping, biking, backpacking, and paddling equipment. One person who brought a truckload of gear due to a planned home move was successful in finding buyers for three-quarters of the items. A kayak, mountain bike, A-frame tent, and bike rack also traded hands. Consensus was that 8-11 AM was adequate, thus the planned time for next year’s event, likely on the same second weekend in April. See you then…
F/B: Warrior’s Path State Park – Devil’s Backbone and Fall Creek Loop Trails, Sunday June 3
Leader: Ian Powell (423-217-8193)
Rating: Moderate – Four miles with steep climb up and over Lone Cedar Overlook
Enjoy a short local hike which provides views from overlooks, a stroll along a creek, and walk around open fields of a former farm. Anyone is welcome to attend. Meet at the north end of the Fall Creek Road bridge by the golf course in Warriors Path State Park at 1:00 PM. Dress appropriately for a summer hike and bring some drinking water for hydration. For further information, check the trail wiki or call the hike leader.
Friday Hikers: AT – AT from Carvers Gap to Hughes Gap, Trip Report
Collins Chew reporting
Event Date: April 20th
We had a great hike on the AT over Roan Mountain today. The day started chilly and foggy but warmed and cleared. Until we started down from the top, we saw no wildflowers, but they began to show up as we descended toward Ash Gap. With each increment of descent, a different assemblage of flowers appeared. We ended up with a really great day of flowers with great diversity. There were carpets of various flowers at different places. The trout lilies were very large as well as numerous. We rolled the relocation with a wheel and mapped it with GPS. It was 0.4 miles longer because of a long switchback added recently. Hikers were: Olin Babb, Kathy and Jerry Case, June Donaldson, Howard Guinn, Carol Idol, Lowell Toof, Jane Whitson and Collins Chew.
Lake Santeetlah Paddle/Camp, Trip Report
Debbie Briscoe reporting
Event Date: April 20th – 22nd
I headed out on Thursday night right after work to drive the 3 hours to the campground at Cheoah Point. Islander had already arrived early that morning. I got there right at dark:30 as usual. With help from Islander and his incredibly bright flashlight (what was that thing?), I set up down in the woods. It was a really nice place with good bathrooms and hot showers! I pulled out my Bushbuddy and fixed a little coffee to wind down a bit before heading to my hammock. Continue reading “Lake Santeetlah Paddle/Camp, Trip Report”
Margarette Falls, Trip Report
Joe DeLoach reporting
Event Date: April 7th
The most frequent question I received on this hike was “How far ahead did you plan it?” as it turned out to be a gorgeous day with lots of water and 17 species of wildflowers in bloom. Although the warm winter and spring resulted in the early spring flowers having already bloomed and gone, later spring flowers including vernal and crested dwarf iris, erect trilliums, foamflower, and a particularly nice patch of bleeding heart made for a very nice display. Seven of us hiked together up the 1.3-mile trail, which had been improved by the Forest Service with three of the former stream crossings removed by relocations and a new bridge. Everyone navigated the one remaining crossing without incident. The crossing of Dry Creek to reach the rough Phillips Hollow Trail at the former parking area is no longer evident. While having lunch at the falls, Ken Weakley and his family arrived; they had other plans which kept them from going with us, but used the route from the Trail Wiki to find the trail and us. Hikers included Donna Ashby, Rhoda Bliese, Alan Gamble, Chris Neglia and his 7-year old son Joe, Monika Wiedmann, and Joe DeLoach.
Friday Hikers: Max Patch, Trip Report
Collins Chew reporting
Event Date, April 13th
We had a beautiful day with pleasant temperatures for our annual trillium hike over Max Patch. The veterans all think we saw more trillium this year than ever before, with at least four varieties/colors. There were a number of other flowers with a carpet of trout lily in one place. Hikers were Gary Bailey, Lee Bockman, Kathy and Jerry Case, Andy Gilbert, Ryan Sheeley, Jane Whitson, Laura Ward, and Collins Chew.
The Week Ahead – May 22nd
The return of The Week Ahead!
We got a hike at Bays Mountain to the antennas this weekend on Sunday. See the original posting for more information.
Bluestone River Trip Postponed
Reporting: Ed “Happy Hour Coordinator” Montgomery
Our trip leader just called and informed me that our upcoming Bluestone River trip will be postponed due to the Mountain Creek Lodge being closed because the tram is down. The tram is Swiss made and they are getting a part from across the pond. The trip has been moved to June 15-17, 2012. All lodging reservations have been moved. If you cannot attend at this time, please call the Pipestem lodge and cancel your room. Please respond to this note and let us know your status. This delay is going to put more pressure on us to have an even bigger HAPPY HOUR event. Stay tuned for details.
Note: If the Bluestone is running low, Terry will evaluate the New River (Class 2) and Greenbrier (Class 2) as alternatives.