Supporting hiking and canoeing in the North East Tennessee area
It’s coming, our FALL EXPO November 14th. A day of hiking, gear, chili, learning, and fellowship. Come for one thing, come for all. It’s your choice.
Reservations not required in advance, but appreciated for planning purposes. Paid reservations only required for those wishing to partake in the members’ provided chili and club provided desserts, tea, and sides. All others are welcome and encouraged to attend any and all other events of their liking at NO COST!
Continue reading “Fall EXPO 2015”
A bear was encountered at [[Shelter:Double Springs|Double Springs Shelter]]. While it showed no signs of aggression, when hikers arrived it did not immediately leave the area. As always, use common sense when you encounter a bear. Most importantly, just because you think you’re a safe distance away, it doesn’t mean that the bear agrees.
The [[Pinnacle Mountain Fire Tower]] hike originally scheduled for October 3rd, has been moved two weeks to the 17th on due to rain. This may suit the hike better giving the trees to probably be at peak color. If you’re interested in attending this hike contact hike leader Tim Schaefer, 423-302-0846.
AT – Indian Grave Gap to Beauty Spot
Leader: Mike Watts, 423-963-1593
Rating: Moderate per TEHCC, Moderate-to-strenuous per ATC for 4.6 m round trip, 1000’ elevation gain
This Saturday event is planned to participate in the ATC’s Family Hiking Day. Beauty Spot is a natural grassy bald (4,437’) with excellent views of the Roan and Black Mountains. The overlook was recently improved by the Cherokee National Forest Hotshots (June newsletter) who removed some of the trees which had grown up over the years. Let’s leave Colonial Heights, TN at 9am to meet at Indian Grave Gap around 10am. Bring plenty of water, comfortable footwear, appropriate clothing/sun protection, and lunch. The hike itself will take roughly three and half hours depending on how much lunch/sightseeing time is desired on the bald. For further information, check the trail wiki or call the hike leader.
For Second Class rank, a Boy Scout is to use a map and compass to take a five mile hike. Bays Mtn Park offers a good location as the topo map can also be oriented with the lake and surrounding ridges. The needed distance is readily covered by following Lake Road with a side diversion on the Chinquapin Trail. This hike is good for those who want to learn how to use a directional compass and interpret topological maps – and is open to club members or scouts from any troop. Departure time from Colonial Heights is 1:30PM from a different location of the Presbyterian Church or just meet at the park dam by 2PM. Entrance fee for Bays Mtn Park is $4 per car, although the Scout Expo coupon is still good until the end of August. Bring plenty of water, comfortable footwear, appropriate clothing/sun protection, and your own compass, if desired. The hike will take around three hours depending on how much instruction time along the way. We’ll also be on the lookout for signs of different animals and observing native plants, which are other rank requirements. For further information, please call/e-mail the hike leader.
Contact: Vic Hasler (423-239-0388)
Sunday the 19th was a great lazy hike to Laurel Falls. There was a light sprinkling rain about mid-hike cooling us off. As it had rained recently, the falls were bursting with water. Along the trail we found a multitude of edible and inedible mushrooms, including a few chanterelles and some very large tawny milk caps.
Hiking Through History
July 17 – 24, 2015
The Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s Biennial Conference is being co-hosted by Potomac Appalachian Trail Club (PATC) and Mountain Club of Maryland (MCM). Sited at Shenandoah University located in Winchester, Virginia, which is near hundreds of miles of outstanding hiking trails, including a short 18 minute drive to the Appalachian Trail at its closest point. The University is also close to important civil war battlefields such as Manassas, Gettysburg and Antietam, and 90 minutes from Washington D.C.
Workshops will be held during the day on Saturday, July 18th through Monday, July 20th. Coordinated hikes will be offered between Saturday, July 18th through Thursday, July 23rd. In addition to amazing scenic areas, there will be nature, history, and photography theme hikes, plus sunset outings. Many of the hikes include a swim, and/or a stop at an ice cream shop, restaurant, winery, or brewery. Family hiking specialists have designed hikes suitable for most families that are five miles or less plus hikes suitable for most children eight years and older that are nine miles or less.
Scheduled for Thursday, July 16, 2015
TEHCC will once again co-sponsor the Kingsport Fun Fest Moonlight Hike at Bays Mountain Park on Thursday, July 16th. The hike traverses 2.5 miles around the lake. We need at least twelve volunteers to help ensure the walkers stay on the right path at assigned intersections. Bonus is that you don’t have to have one of the 350 “golden” FunFest tickets for the event! If you are interested in assisting with this event or have any questions, please contact William Werner (423-408-4469).
More details will be later provided to the actual volunteers, including when/where to meet and what to bring.
Joe DeLoach reporting
For this year’s installment of our annual spring wildflower hike, we chose the Appalachian Trail from Highway 19E to Doll Flats. Our record of 40 species was found years ago between 19E and the edge of Hump Mountain, and we might have matched that if we’d gone further this year, finding 31 varieties without going beyond Doll Flats. Showy orchis and fringed phacelia highlighted the lower elevations, moving into erect trilliums and wood anemones in the middle, with early spring trout lilies hanging on at Doll Flats. The flower of the day was jack in the pulpit; we saw some great specimens and a lot of them in the upper half of the hike. We also saw evidence of much hard work by dedicated TEHCC volunteers who had cut and peeled locust logs, some quite large, and stakes for Trail rehabilitation with HardCore the following weekend. Doll Flats makes a great place for a siesta on a warm sunny day. Joe lost his bet with Kim that we would find more species of flowers than we would see Appalachian Trail thru-hikers, and it wasn’t close. Next year we’ll shoot for earlier in the spring and the different varieties it brings. Hikers for this outing were Serita Blankenbecler, Phyllis Cairnes, Denise Hardin, Kim Peters, and Joe DeLoach.
