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Friday Hikers: Lake Keokee to a point near High Butte, May 13

Bob Harvey reporting

The hike of May 13 was from Lake Keokee to a point near High Butte on the crest of [[AT, Wilburn Ridge, Scales|Stone Mountain]] and return, a total of 9.0 miles.

Lake Keokee possibly is a water source for one of the towns of Southwest Virginia, and it’s not far from Appalachia.  We began the hike by going part way around the lake, walking over the big earth-fill dam, then going to the top of Stone Mountain on an easy ascent, arriving at Olinger Gap.  From the huge pile of empty beer cans we found at the gap, we could see that there must have been a four-wheelers’ party in the recent past.

Turning to the northeast at Olinger Gap we hiked along the crest of Stone Mountain.  For several short sections the trail was bare rock.  Much of this crestline trail, except for a few blowdowns, was no problem.  There was, however, the matter of two gaps that had steep descents and even worse ascents.  When we finally clawed our way to the high point, we took a welcome break to eat lunch, then headed back.

The hike back took a little less time, possibly because we were spurred along by hearing thunder coming from Kentucky, just two miles to the north.  According to fellow hiker Don Baker, the bad weather often comes from there, and so it did this time.  The rain began, but it wasn’t too bothersome until well after we had gotten back to the cars.

The hikers were Jack Aaron, Olin Babb, Don Baker, Collins Chew, Andrew Cleland, Anne Cosby, Bob Harvey, Carol Idol, Chuck Mather, Larry Miller and Jerry Sluder.

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Open Letter from the President of Friends of Warriors Path

Dear Community Members,

Great things are happening at Warriors’ Path State Park!  We are blessed to have a park that includes horse stables, golf, swimming pool, camp grounds, hiking trails, biking trails, walking trails, a universally accessible playground, a universally accessible tree house,  a walking trail for the sight impaired, a lake with boating and fishing, a marina, tennis courts, picnic pavilions galore, and a planned amphitheater.  If that is not enough, we also have a dedicated staff always ready to serve the citizens of this great community.  And the numbers of volunteers helping to maintain our park is growing by leaps and bounds.  What more could we want?

Glad you asked.  We would love to have you become a Friend of Warriors’ Path State Park.  As a Friend, you would be kept apprised of the happenings at the park, invited to participate in and help plan key events, assist in maintaining the park, and suggest ways to improve the park.  Each year we have several “Volunteer Work Days,” where hundreds of people come out and participate in work teams.  We have cleaned Darrell’s Dream Boundless Playground, cleaned the stream that runs through the park, rebuilt the amphitheaters at the camp grounds, planted flowers throughout the park, mulched areas, and cleaned up the hiking trails.  Friends also help with the Autumn Festival, where hundreds of citizens come to be a kid again and enjoy the exhibits, eat the soup beans and corn bread, listen to the music, get their faces painted and enjoy the hay ride.  But there is much more to be done and we need your help.

If you are interested in getting involved, please complete the Friends of Warriors’ Path State Park Form and include the application fee; the money is used to assist staff with the Autumn Fest, to purchase the materials needed for maintenance, to purchase needed items for the rangers to work with area schools and scouts, and to help offset the expenses of the park when the state is unable to help because of budget woes.

We are really looking forward to 2011-12 and your joining us to make our park the standout in the state park system.  If you have questions, email Betty DeVinney at bdevinney@charter.net or call 423-967-2381.

Warm Regards,

Betty DeVinney, Friends President

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The Week Ahead – June 13th

We have fun things for you to do this weekend. But, hey hikers! The paddlers are really showing you up, please help to get hike events on the schedule. Email chair@tehcc.org with any plans for events and we’ll get them on the calendar.

  • Konnarock Crew continues their work on Hughes Gap to Cloudland
  • Thursday evening “Paddle to the Grill” is in full swing
  • NOC Canoe Club has a challenge for you
  • Explore the Holston (flat water series)
  • Watauga River Class I-II trip

Check out the schedule for all of the “deets”!

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May Club Meeting – The new TEHCC Trail Wiki, May 18

Tim Schaefer reporting

May’s meeting was about the new Trail Wiki.  We had several people show up very interested to see more of what has already been done (although we still have a long way to go).  The discussion ranged from “what’s a wiki” to how to do some basic editing (it’s really not that hard); but probably most importantly, how to find useful information.  Users of the site can search by interest, by difficulty, by area, alphabetically, by choosing from a map, or several other ways to find trails.  Many people were interested to hear that they could help those editing the site by offering pictures and GPS logs of their hikes.  As always, please check out the site, find a trail, get out there, and update the description of what there is to see.  If you see something missing or that we got something wrong, do not hesitate to hit that edit button, make your changes, maybe hit preview to see if it will look like you expect, and then save it.  We’ve got a few people who routinely watch the “[[Special:Recent Changes|Recent Changes]]” page and, if needed, will help you with any changes you’ve made.

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Explore the Holston River (Flat-Water Series), June 18

Contact:  Deb Reynolds

Several Saturday events are scheduled this summer to explore the local Holston River including the North and South Fork.  Most of these events will require a car shuttle, so advance notice is required for planning purposes.  The trip length will vary but will normally be between 2 and 4 hours.  A lunch or snack will be desired.  Fishing and bird watching are options as we will not be racing to see how quick we can get to the end.  Bring a friend, a pole or camera, and an attitude for exploring.  PFD’s are required.  Email Deb Reynolds at dlreynolds@eastman.com

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Chota Canoe & Kayak School, June 17-19

Contact:  Gary Kilpatrick

Chota’s annual Canoe & Kayak School has been a great way to introduce our sport to new comers for many years.  We offer beginner classes in whitewater kayak and canoe, as well as touring kayak and canoeing.  For those who are already into paddling, but wish to advance in skill level, our school also offers advanced beginner and intermediate whitewater classes.  Chota also provides the option of renting equipment from the club, depending on availability, or from area outfitters for this event.  This way you can still come and learn even if you do not have your own gear.

Pick your class from this list: Whitewater Kayaking, Whitewater Canoeing, Kayak Touring, or Canoe Tripping

Class descriptions are available on the Chota Website, PaddleChota.org.

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Friday Hikers: Doe River Gorge, May 6

Collins Chew reporting

We had occasional misty rain part of the time for our hike through the [[Doe River Gorge]], but it did not interfere with our enjoyment of the day.  After signing releases to the landowners, a Christian Camp, we hiked along the old Tweetsie railroad grade for about 2.5 miles and then returned.  Several geologic features were noted to be of interest.  There were quite a few wildflowers.  The showiest were purple phacelia and fire pink, but there were many others.  We were back in time to picnic at the camp tables.  Hikers were Olin Babb, Kathy and Jerry Case, Anne Cosby, Jan and Chuck Mather, Brian Paley, Susie Seiler, Jerry Sluder, and Collins Chew.