Just finished up with a three day hike in and around the Collins Gulf area of the Savage Gulf State Natural Area (South Cumberland SP). The total mileage was approximately 28 miles and I had two great hiking companions by the names of George Bonneau and Tom Long. We began our hike at the Collins West trailhead parking lot on Wednesday morning. I was envious of George and Tom since they didn't see the need in carrying a change of clothes for each day of our hike so their packs weighed in at 20 to 30 something where mine as usual was about 45 lbs.. The first day took us to Suter Falls and then later to Horsepound Falls (not sure of the origin of that name) before we made it to our destination of the Sawmill Campground. This portion of the trail is often closed due to ice buildup along the trail around Suter Falls. We had some of the rocks leading down to our first bridge crossing just below the falls covered in ice which made it a little dangerous so early in our trek. After setting up our tents and snacking a bit George and I decided to head towards Hobbs Cabin on the North Rim but due to the time of day we knew we wouldn't be able to complete our journey but it was still new trail to us so we hiked approx. 2 miles or more where we crossed the dry stream of Savage Creek until George wanted to head back since he didn't want us to get caught on the trail after dark. That gave us a total distance for day 1 of about 9 to 10 miles. On day two it was somewhat easier since I lightened the load of my pack to non-essentials so it was a manageable 15 to 20 lbs. - felt great to me! We decided to head towards the Stone Door since I had never been there before. This was 4.1 miles each way but once we arrived at the Stone Door it was well worth the time and effort in getting there. This is a significant feature of Savage Gulf, it being a 10 ft. wide by 100 ft. deep crack, forming from the top of the escarpment into the gorge below. It looks like a giant door left ajar and was once used by Indians as a passageway. While on top of the escarpment we had a sudden snow shower and decided we had better head back quickly to prevent any problems with the many rock gardens we experienced along the way. On the way back we crossed the dry bed of the Collins River running near the campsite and headed to Schwoon Spring for a resupply of water. This was another wonder to behold, a beautiful feature with a natural spring emanating from a cave mouth, including a partially exposed, half-underground waterfall. Thank goodness this water source was nearby since the river was as I had mentioned bone dry. After arriving back to our base camp at Sawmill I decided to forego any supper and retire for the evening since the temp was dropping fast. I had checked the weather and it called for a low of 14 degrees that night but not sure if it made it but when I checked the digital readout on my thermometer the next morning around 7 am it was reading 21 degrees, Brrrrrrr! We packed up the morning of day 3 and headed back towards the parking lot via the 1.6 mile segment of the Stagecoach Historic Trail. Imagine back in the 1800's they were running a stagecoach line between Chattanooga and McMinnville along this very path! Well the Stagecoach Trail intersected our Collins Rim trail so I figured some easy ups and downs for the remainder of the day on the trail but was I so wrong. The worst part was once we crossed the Collins River with its' long suspension bridge and huge boulders we had to traverse a lengthy portion of the trail with huge boulders underfoot and all around us and then ascend very quickly to the top where it led back towards the parking lot. At times I like to hike alone but this is not one of those trails, depending on the time of year there are just too many places that you could get in trouble very quickly but I have to admit that I will be seeing a lot more of Savage Gulf and all that it has to offer this year! (Ps, I found all of the trails to be well blazed and maintained.)
If you would like to see a bunch of pictures click here or on the Savage Gulf tab above.