Tennessee Eastman Hiking & Canoeing Club
Supporting hiking and canoeing in the North East Tennessee area
It’s nearly a new year, which means it’s time for membership renewal. For those who were already going to renew, THANK YOU! You can stop reading, because apparently you’re already on board with everything I have to say. So you don’t feel left out, here’s a picture of Arnold from Diff’rent Strokes meeting Knight Rider. The rest can stick around and read my top five reasons to renew.
TEHCC would like to welcome the following new members to our organization.
Christopher Rector
Frederick Mullner
Jason Willis
Ryan Russum
Eric Dulaney
Kamil Toga
Bryan Carter
Luiz Zagolin
Swapnil Sheth
Stephanie Pearcy
Eric Layne
Jeff Mull
Christopher Brannon
Connie Bentley
Tim Schaefer reporting
Event Date: November 4th, 2013
Yet another beautiful fall day for a hike. This one was a bit colder than the previous week’s hike, but still extremely pleasant. Since we had small children, we kept the distance down and did just Boneyard. The trail map said 1.9, [[WPSP Mountain Bike Trail System|our wiki]] says 2.44. I’m inclined to believe our measurement, as it took us right at two hours including the short distance to and from the loop. For those who have never considered hiking these trails because of the mention of “Bike Trails,” these are some of the nicest trails that I’ve been on in Kingsport, with great views of the park and river. All we had to do was dodge out of the way of two bicyclists for our entire hike. Not bad for such a nice hike so close to home. Joining me was my family, Paula Cahill, and family friend Amanda.
Tim Schaefer reporting
Event Date: October 27th
It was a beautiful fall day for a hike along the tracks to the old train bridge. For those who haven’t ventured out here yet, it’s an extremely nice hike with great views along a narrow gage train track (i.e. flat and even grade). As always, check out our wiki for [[Doe River Gorge]] for details on the trail. Joining me was my family, Jaime and Paul Aiello, and Zhufang Liu and Jingua Yuan and their children.
TEHCC would like to welcome this month’s new members!
Jonathan Morelock
Steve Ankabrandt
Eric Rouse
Alexandra Kleven
Brad Gaskill
Anthony Helton
Celia Buono
Dallas Mullins
David Teague
“Appalachian Impressions” is an epic story about hiking the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine. The movie takes you on a six-month, 2,180-mile journey along the most famous long-distance hiking trail in the world. Along the way, you’ll meet hikers who have embarked on this trek, carrying everything they need on their backs. You’ll hear their stories, experiences, and challenges of daily life traveling the Trail across fourteen states. Locally, the film is being shown at the Capitol Cinema in Erwin, TN on October 20, 2013 from 6-8:30PM. The opportunity is the 2013 membership drive, which for $30 or more donation gains a year’s subscription to the colorful AT Journeys magazine among several benefits. Youth under 13 can see the movie free. Tickets can be purchased here.
Carl Fritz reporting
This 13th annual Damascus Hard Core event was Sunday, May 19th and Monday, May 20st. It was preceded by the tragic event at Damascus Trail Days during the parade on Saturday when 50 people were injured by a car. Everyone experienced more obstacles including rainy weather during the Hard Core event. But Monday ended spectacularly with everyone happy. Continue reading “2013 Damascus Hard Core”
TEHCC is sponsoring two FunFest events this year.
Tuesday, July 16 – Jay Erskine Leutz presents “Stand Up That Mountain: The Battle to Save One Small Community in the Wilderness Along the Appalachian Trail” at 6:30pm, Kingsport Higher Education Center Auditorium (300 W. Market Street). Jay will discuss the effort (as told in his book) about preserving Belview Mountain, a towering peak along the AT over in North Carolina, from destructive mining.
Thursday, July 18 – Moonlight Hike at Bays Mountain Park. ****CANCELLED**** Park reports significant damage from yesterday’s cloudburst, thus decision was made at 3:30PM.
This popular event attracts 400-600 participants each year. The hike traverses 2.5 miles around the lake on Lakeside and Holly Trails. It kicks off at 8:00PM from the dam near the visitors center. Arrive early as parking has been an issue with shuttle buses now running from the Eastman lodge parking lot. Bring your own flashlight/headlamp, water, and insect repellant. Hike ends with a headcount back at the visitors center by 10PM.
We need at least twelve volunteers to assist the Bays Mountain Park Association with this event. The responsibilities are minimal – show up 30 minutes early (7:30 pm), stand at a trail junction with a flashlight or headlamp and help make sure nobody gets lost. Contact Marc Schurger if interested, 423-229-5921.
With the shorter days comes an opportunity to gather at the Eastman Lodge to trade stories with friends about your adventures. Happy “Trails” Hour begins at 5:30pm. Dinner is a Seafood Boil, which is a throwback to the 1970’s when seafood was the fare at many club dinners.
Our evening program “Tennessee’s Western Blue Ridge: America’s next great park?” outlines a concept. The western rim of the Blue Ridge lies partially in northeastern Tennessee and includes spectacular wild places, such as the Roan Highlands, Unakas, Bald Mountains and Tennessee’s newest state park, Rocky Fork. Informal discussions have begun among local citizens to have part of this region designated as a new national recreation area. David Ramsey, a nationally recognized conservation photographer who was a leader in the effort to preserve the Rocky Fork area, will present images and information in support of this ambitious goal.
More information and the reservation form is in the October 2013 newsletter.
