Raccoon Mountain, Bluff Trail 12.3.19

We arrived at the East Rim Overlook parking lot at just about 9:00A.  It was kinda cool being in the mid to upper 30's.  But we are a tough bunch and left on what was a 4.5 mile hike lasting 2.5 hours.  There were 16 of us all bundled up for this hike.  The hike went well and when we got to the switchyard we paused for a little break and snacks.  On the way back we detoured slightly and took the Chunky Trail until it intersected again with the Bluff Trail.  The Chunky trail was interesting and gave everyone at least a little cardio.  When we returned to Red Bank most went to lunch.   
If you would like to see some pictures from this hike, including maps, click here.  If you are trying to view the pictures using the TTA website and having trouble, please go directly to the BLOG at www.sdctta.blogspot.com.

Black Mountain 11.30.19

Saturday's hike on the Black Mountain Trail Section of the Cumberland Trail, was a kind of Thanksgiving Day Race against the weather. I had to be back home to celebrate our family Thanksgiving dinner gathering. The dinner was rescheduled from Thursday to Saturday do conflicting work schedules on Thanksgiving Day. We also had to be off the trail due to the oncoming storm which was scheduled to arrive in the Crossville area around mid-afternoon. So that being our concerns, we departed the trailhead shortly after 9:30. The weather was overcast and in the 50's. It actually felt much cooler than the 57 degrees my thermometer indicated. Maybe it was due to the dampness in the air. We ascended the trail for 1.5 miles and arrived at the short spur that led to a cave. The cave entrance had a sign at the entrace that warned us not to enter because of the white nose fungal disease infecting the bats inside. After a short visit to the cave, we continued our trek up the mountain to the next trail marker which designated the tent camping area near the top of the trail. There was one hearty group of campers who were braving the rainy and windy weather. From there we continued to the stairs leading up to the rim loop trail. We continued a short distance on the loop trail to the south overlook. The visibility was fairly good and we could see a pretty good distance from the overlook. It was fairly windy at the top so we enjoyed the view and had our snacks prior to descending back to the trailhead. We began our rather rapid descent and arrived back at the trailhead shortly after 2. About half a mile from reaching the trailhead, we heard strong rumblings from the approaching storm. We got off the trail just as the storm was about to hit. As we drove off, sprinkles of rain fell on us. The hike is listed as a 3.6 mile moderate to difficult in and out hike. The trail was well maintained and blazed. We did approximatelu 8 miles total because the trail listed ends at the point the main trail meets the loop trail. We traveled part-way on the loop trail to get to the south overlook. We had a cumulative elevation gain of 1300 feet.
If you would like to see some pictures taken during this hike, click here.  If you are trying to view the pictures through the TTA website and having trouble, please go directly to the BLOG at www.sdctta.blogspot.com.  Google Chrome is the prefered browser.