Weekly Trials and Tribulations of the Scenic City Chapter of the TTA

Weekly Trials. Tribulations and Photos experienced while hiking

Sutton's Gulch 6.27.2020

Saturday's hike was a pretty good hike considering the high humidity and threat of rain. Fortunately the skies remained overcast and the rain at the park was limited to sprinkles only. We caravanned to the trailhead from Brown's Ferry exit on I-24 and arrived at the trailhead shortly after 9am. Originally we planned to do the hike from the upper trailhead to the low point of the trail but switched plans and hiked from the lower trailhead and hiked up and back. This turned out to be a better plan. However, because of the change in direction, and our rapid ascent, we ended up with an 8+ mile hike instead of the 5 miles I originally planned. We arrived at Hemlock Falls around 11am and would have returned to the trailhead, but a vote was taken to continue to Cherokee Falls and the top of the canyon. I would have voted not to go to the top if it were not for the fact the temperature was held down because of the overcast conditions. Hiking during Covid-19 cautions continues to present challenges to maintain social distancing and mask wearing. The park was pretty much filled and I would estimate 90% of the hikers on the trail did not wear masks when in close proximity with other hikers. Our party did wear our masks when approaching others on the trail. Cloudland Canyon is always a good hike because of the natural beauty of the park and the well maintained trails.
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 website at www.sdctta.blogspot.com.