I had not been on this trail for many years and had completely forgotten about it. There were only eight of us on this 5.75 mile hike that took nearly four hours. The actual walking time was 2 hrs and 33 minutes. I would rate this hike as moderate as it is a shallow, but steady climb to the falls. Unfortunately, there was no water at the falls. This is a result of the high temperatures and severe drought that Chattanooga has been experiencing. The trail was easy in that it was quite smooth with a little overgrowth. The final mile of the trail was really tough as it was directly in the 95 F. sun on a slight upgrade. We were all thoroughly worn out at the end. You can always tell that everyone is getting tired as the chatter completes disappears. Following the hike we all had many cool drinks as well as lunch inside of the Purple Daisy Cafe.
If you would like to see some pictures taken during this hike as will as maps and an altitude graph, click here. If you have trouble viewing the pictures through the TTA website, please go directly to the BLOG at www.sdctta.blogspot.com. Google Chrome is the preferred browser.
This weeks joke.....What is the difference between a cat and a coma? A cat has claws at the end of paws. A coma is a pause at the end of a clause.
Weekly Trials and Tribulations of the Scenic City Chapter of the TTA
Weekly Trials. Tribulations and Photos experienced while hiking
Rhododendron and Old Copper Road Trails 9.28.19
The planned hike was to be a moderate rated 9.7 mile hike,
the Ocoee Loop Trail. As it turned out, it ended up being an easy 6 mile hike
on the Ocoee Loop Trail. The Ocoee Loop trail is made up of the Rhododendron,
Old Copper Road and Rock Creek trail. When I planned the hike earlier in the
year, I didn't plan on the weather being 10 to 15 degrees higher than normal.
Alas, you can't rely on the Old Farmer's Almanac when planning hikes. 4 hikers
enjoyed the hike anyway. We departed the trailhead at Thunder Rock camp ground
and hiked to the White Water Center where I picked up some maps and trail
descriptions for future hikes I would like to take in the area. From there we
proceeded on the Old Copper Road trail until we reached 3 miles on the outward
bound portion of the hike. At that point we reversed our direction and headed
back to the White Water Center where we had our snacks. We then continued back
on the Rhododendron Trail to our starting point. The hike was great even with
the elevated humidity. Not much was happening on the river around the White
Water Center save for a few swimmers. TVA wasn't releasing any water upstream.
The action on the river, rafting and kayaking, was all taking place below the
power station at Thunder Rock, where they were releasing water.
If you would like to see some pictures of this hike, including maps, click here. If you are trying to view pictures through the TTA website and having trouble, please go directly to the BLOG at www.sdctta.blogspot.com. Google Chrome is the preferred browser. Joke of the week...Why did Beethoven get rid of his chickens? All they ever said was "Bach, Bach, Bach".
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