Shakerag Hollow 4.6.2021

 Today, we had a nice turnout of seven hikers for a hike on a beautiful day.  I thought our last hike was one of the best ever for wildflowers, but this one was even better.  If you like wildflowers, this is the place to be.  We took the lower trail and found a spur trail that we took just to look at all the flowers.  It was magnificent.  We followed this spur until it reached the road and then turned back.  Going back was like a new trail as the prespective was entirely different and we found views that we had missed.  We rejoined the main trail and continued for some distance until we decided to turn around and retun.  I would rate this hike as moderately easy with a distance of  3.75 miles.  Due to the stops for picture taking our moving average speed for the first part of the trail was a record slow pace of 0.8 mph.  We later picked up the pace and our final moving average was 1.6 mph which was still very slow.  Our hike leader patiently let us continually stop for more pictures.  Excellent hike!

If you would like to see a bunch of photos taken during this hike, including flowers, map and graph, click here.  If you are having trouble viewing these photos through the TTA website you can go directly to the blog at www.sdctta.blogspot.com.

Rock Creek

 Rock Creek loop was our hiking destination on Saturday.  The 6.8 mile trek began at the lower Leggett trailhead.  We hiked the connector section to the loop.  The toothwort flowers were too cold to unfurl their petals but the rest of the wildflowers displayed their colors bravely; yellow trillium, red & yellow buckeyes, white rue anomones, blue phlox with a few purple wild geraniums & the understated violets & bluets.   A short spur took us to the creek's edge to admire the cascading water.  At the top of the loop, we rocked-hopped easily across Boiling Springs - the washed out bridfge long gone.  Rock Creek overlook was our turn around point, a spectacular view of the bluffs & valleys of the Cumberland plateau.  Back on the loop, hiking through the towering pines which provided us a soft trail of needles, we followed the next spur to Leggett Point overlook.  Another fine view & time for lunch.  By then, the sunshine & blue sky warmed us.  Shedding our coats we finished the loop & returned to the trailhead by retracing our steps on the connector trail.  

If you would like to see some really nice pictures taken during the Rock Creek hike, click here.  If you are trying to view the photos through the TTA website and having trouble, please go directly to the blog at www.sdctta.blogspot.com.