Tennessee Eastman Hiking & Canoeing Club
Supporting hiking and canoeing in the North East Tennessee area
Tim McClain reporting
Hike date: August 17th
Another in the TEHCC Sunday Hike series, on August 17th the featured hike was in Kingsport at Bays Mountain. The Bays Ridge Loop covers about 5.3 miles to the southwestern side of the park and back. Weather was warm but rain free for a pleasureable Sunday outing. Enjoying this hike were Peggy McClain and Tim McClain.
Barry Griggs Reporting
Hike Date: Aug 24, 2014
The warm, sunny afternoon with a chance of thundershowers did not deter our feisty group of hikers. They weren’t even too discouraged by the leader’s difficulty in locating the planned starting point for the hike – a little whiny, but not discouraged. My wife, Beverly, and I met good friends, Lowell and Betsy Biller at Natural Tunnel State Park to hike the Purchase Ridge trail. The plan was to get on this trail in the campground, compete the loop at the end of this trail and return via the Cabin Trail and the campground road.
The starting point proved to be a little hard to find, so it was decided to do the planned route in reverse. We walked up the road to the Cabin Trail and hiked to where it joined the Purchase Ridge Trail. Since we had already some extra walking on the Gorge Ridge Trail to Lover’s Leap Overlook and because of more whining from certain hikers, it was decided to omit the loop and head back to our originally planned starting point on the Purchase Ridge Trail. It was cooler after we actually got in the woods on the trail. The leader no longer feared a mutiny. But seriously, it was a fun afternoon with friends in a beautiful part of our region. Our total distance was about 3.5 miles, not much more than the 3.25 we had planned.
We discovered the planned starting point is actually off the right side of the road about 100 yards past the camp store. It is off the road several yards at the edge of the woods and there is no sign marking the trail by name. There is a sign showing all the trails, but it’s easy to miss if driving down the road.
Tim McClain Reporting
Sunday July 13, 2014
The first thing we saw when arriving at the Rocky Fork parking area was a whole lot of cars – a rare sight for this area! The second thing we saw, and the explanation for all the parked cars, was a church group gathered at the creek bank for a baptism surrounded by some of the prettiest scenery for many miles. After finding our own parking spots, five of us made the relatively short but steep trek to the top of the first high point inside Tennessee’s newest State Park. The weather was hot and muggy, but rhododendrons were still blooming in the shady forest. A branch trail, which is on the right about 1/2 mile up the main trail from the parking area, leads up the White House Cliffs. The route has some flags marking the way, but it is by no means a well-established trail. Vic Hasler turned this hike into somewhat of a work trip too as he brought clippers and a GPS to get the trail route recorded in his GPS (to be posted on our Trail Wiki). Vic also was able to locate 3 or 4 geocaches along the trail. Those participating in the hike were Vic Hasler, William Werner, Jianhui Zhou, Xiaofang Dong, and Tim McClain. This hike would also be a great fall color hike as the destination provides a very rewarding 360 degree view from the top (approximately 3300 ft elevation).
We were blessed with a very comfortable Sunday afternoon for our 2.6 mile round-trip hike to Laurel Falls. This is a very family-friendly hike with the only somewhat challenging part being the actual walk down and back from the waterfall. This path is make of large stepping stones some of which are easier to navigate than others. But with reasonable care the route is well worth the reward.
There was a decent amount of flow over the falls, but the water level was lower than I had seen it before. Lydia and Paul enjoyed cooling their heels in the creek and several other hikers at the falls were swimming. Extreme care should be taken in the water below the falls since a father and son tragically lost their lives here in July, 2012. There is a small plaque in their memory attached to a rock at the bottom of the steps. Probably the most excitement today came from watching some swimmers (not part of our group) try to capture/kill(?) a small water snake of some kind. We weren’t close enough to tell what kind it was, but they were approaching it like it was a man-eating python. The snake eventually made its escape swimming on down the creek.
Our hiking group consisted of Chris Garrett, Patti Garrett, Lydia Garrett, Paul Garrett, Leticia Brock, Beverly Griggs and Barry Griggs
Barry Griggs reporting
Our number was small due to a couple of last-minute cancellations, but the day was beautiful! We were blessed with a picture-perfect day for the very family-friendly trek to the South Holston Dam Spillway. The dogs seemed to be out to enjoy the day, also, as essentially every hiker we met was escorted by at least one dog, including us. This is an easy, relatively short hike which is very doable for beginners or anyone just interested in an enjoyable hike that won’t take all afternoon. The view of the lake and mountains at the end of our hike was very peaceful. A few wildflowers were even spotted along the way. Hikers were Sharon Burnette and Barry Griggs.
P.S. For those desiring a little more hiking in this area you can stop at the large parking/picnic area at Osceola Island on the road to the dam. This is a very nice area to trout fish and picnic. There is also 1.5 mi. trail around the perimeter of the island which can be accessed by crossing the footbridge. The trail is covered with fine gravel making for comfortable walking.
The well-worn two-person REI Half Dome tent (HT-7) has been replaced with a Kelty TN2. This item is now available to rent.
•Freestanding design
•DAC Pressfit poles
•Color Coded Clip Construction
•Taped floor seams
•Mesh wall panels
•Internal storage pockets
•Jake’s Foot pole attachment
•Noiseless zipper pulls
Fly Features:
•Stargazing fly
•Taped seams
•Jake’s foot fly attachment
•Fly vents
•Welded clear windows
•Noiseless zipper pulls
•Guyout points
Leader: Terry Dougherty (423-502-5177) The annual Bluestone River Trip (35th Anniversary) is scheduled for May 16-18, 2014. We will stay at the beautiful Pipestem State Park (Mountain Creek Lodge). Our trip leader has reserved a block of rooms, please call 800-CALL-WVA (ask for Pipestem State Park / Mountain Creek Lodge) and reserve your room for Friday and Saturday. To secure one of the clubs block rooms, reservations must be made by April 16. We plan to paddle the scenic Bluestone River both days. This is a class III trip the first day and class I the second day. You can skip the second day, if you like. Other options include family camping at the state park campground and / or driving up on Saturday morning. This is a GREAT trip with a lot of family fun, scenic river and very nice lodging. In addition to the paddling, Ed Montgomery will once again be in charge of HAPPY HOUR and libation coordination on Saturday night and is going to make this one special. Please contact the trip leader (Terry Dougherty, 423-502-5177), if you are planning to attend the trip.
Barry Griggs reporting
Under dry but threatening skies, four dedicated hikers decided to forge ahead and tackle the 3-mile round-trip hike to White Rocks on Buffalo Mountain. According to the forecast and radar, it was almost certain that we would get wet before we returned, but so what! About thirty minutes into the hike our weather expectations were realized as a light drizzle began to fall. The rain gradually increased in intensity and everyone donned their rain gear (those who had it) for some degree of protection. While there was a steady drizzle and some wind, it never reached the level of a downpour and there was no thunder, so we were good. We encountered one other wet group of hikers from a Johnson City church who were trying to locate their church through the fog/rain from the White Rock overlook, but no luck. Footing was a bit iffy at times with piles of wet leaves on the sometimes rather steep trail, but that just added to the adventure. After White Rocks, we decided to continue on to the communication towers and return via the Tower Ridge Trail to see some different scenery. In spite of the uncooperative weather, we had a very enjoyable hike with good company. Our group included Paula Cahill, Peng Song, William Werner and Barry Griggs.
Garry Luttrell reporting
Event Date: October 19th
Fred Mullner, Serita Blankenbecler, Paula Cahill, and Garry Luttrell enjoyed the stroll, and sometimes rock climbing, up to the summit of Wilburn Ridge. Along the way we saw lots of ponies; in fact, more than I’ve ever seen before on a day’s trip. And, we could say the same for the number of hikers, scouts, groups, dogs, etc. We sat down on the top, opened our snacks, food, and drink; and, it seemed like the wind increased and temperature fell, as if some voice was saying: it’s time for you to move on, and let someone else enjoy the great 360 degree view.
