Hiking,
history, & humidity… We had them all on our hike of the Dog Cove Loop
Trail, Dry Falls Creek Trail, Rylander Cascades & Lost Creek Falls &
Cave!
Seven hikers
set out on a beautiful hike through Dog Cove. We walked through open meadows
& saw two historic homesteads built in the late 1890’s. We also found
remnants of another homestead with the chimney being the only piece still
standing. The open meadow was full of beautiful wildflowers… purple passion flowers
(Tennessee’s state wildflower), bellflowers, ironweed, butterfly weed, &
others. After a nice, flat walk in the cove, we headed uphill for what felt
like forever. But, the climb was worth it. At the top of the hill sits Low Gap
Arch, a 10’x20’ rock arch. It made a great lunch spot. After eating lunch, we
finished the 6-mile Dog Cove loop. Some hikers were finished here & drove
their car down to the Lost Creek Falls parking area. They were able to do a
short hike to see Rylander Cascades & Lost Creek Falls & Cave.
Three hikers
decided to push on to complete the 12-mile point-to-point hike that includes
the Dog Cove Loop Trail, Dry Creek Falls Trail, Rylander Cascades, & Lost
Creek Falls & Cave. On the Dry Creek Falls Trail, we walked through a
precariously placed set of rocks, stopped at Meditation Rock, & looked at
where the “falls” should have been. They don’t call the two waterfalls Dry
Creek Falls for nothing. They are usually dry in the summer & times of
little rainfall. They are breath-taking in the winter & early spring,
though! Next, we came to an impasse with a large Timber Rattlesnake. He was in
no hurry whatsoever to move off the trail, so we waited him out. Once, he moved
slightly off the trail, we found a way to get around him. We then hiked on to
Rylander Cascades which had some water still trickling down, and finally, we
made it to Lost Creek Falls & Cave. The waterfall was flowing beautifully,
& the cold air coming from the cave felt like air conditioning after 12
miles of hiking in super humid conditions. It was a welcome sensation!
Overall,
despite the humidity & the impasse with the rattlesnake, we had a great day
on the trail! A big thanks to all that came out… Tom, Tim, Tammy, Mary, Kim,
& Donna!
If you would like to see some really nice pictures taken during this hike, click here.
Ducks have feathers to cover their butt quacks.