Sewanee Perimeter Trail 10.19.2021

 This was an absolutely perfect day for a hike.  The temperature was in the mid 60's under a clear blue sky with almost no wind.  There were eleven hikers gathered today for this 4.4 mile hike.  Six of the hikers elected to go a little further, about 1.5 miles, so the hike was about 5.9 miles for them.  This hike took 3hrs and 27 minutes and the average moving speed was 1.8 mph.  It was a very nice hike although there had not been any rain for a few days so some of the smaller falls were only a trickle.  The hike covered just about every type of terrain except large boulders.  We went up and down and around over rocks, dirt, streams and roots.  There was not a lot of undergrowth so we could see well into the forest.  We stayed at Bridal Veil Falls for a bit and had our snacks there before starting our hike back.  The falls were flowing nicely and everyone took pictures.  I would rate this hike as moderate for our club.  Everyone had a very good time and there was lots of conversation among the hikers.  

If you would like to see some pictures from this hike as well as maps and altitude graph, click here.  

Booker T. Washington S.P. 10.16.2021

 Booker T. Washington's Trails have never been my favorite hikes because the trails tended to have excessive roots along the trail that I was always stumbling over and the trails always seemed to be muddier than other trails. Yesterday the trails were transformed – the fallen leaves covered the trails, which made for drier trails and I didn't find myself tripping over the roots. The weather was cool and overcast when we started the hike. It was a welcome beginning after months of hot, humid, or rainy hiking. We hiked all three trails in the park for a total of 7+ miles. 4 of us began our hike going on the outer loop trail in a counter clockwise direction. We proceded to the Inner Loop #2 trail. When we got to the entrance to Loop #2 trail, which was on a point at the edge of Chickamauga Lake, a.k.a. The Tennessee River, the wind was blowing briskly, so we didn't spend much time enjoying the view. We did the inner loop #2 trail and once we were away from the lake, the winds disappeared and we shed our outer garments and had a nice hike through the woods. When got back to the outer loop, the winds picked up again and we proceded to inner loop trail #3 and did that trail. Again once away from the lake, the winds went away and it was a pleasant walk through the woods. Once we finished loop #1 trail and were back on the outer loop, we continued hiking until we almost reached the lower parking lot. We stopped long enough to have our lunch. At that point, the sun had come out, we were out of the wind, and we were able to enjoy the view of the lake and watched a group of sailboats taking advantage of the winds to have a regatta on the lake. We then proceded to upper parking lot trailhead and ended our hike. A very nice hike in my estimation.

If you would like to see a few very nice pictures including a trail map, click here.