Cumberland Mtn. State Park 5.15.18

This is one of my favorite times of the year to hike.  Everything is green and lush.  We had quite a large group on today's hike.  All told there were 17 of us and one intrepid dog.  The length of today's hike was 4.65  miles of humidity led by Bootie.  I would rate this 3 hour hike as easy as it was a very flat hike around a lake and stream.  We had hoped that the Rhododendron would be in bloom.  It looked hopeful as the one in front of the ranger station was beautiful.  Unfortunately, that was the only blooming one we saw.  There were several beautiful Mountain Laurel along the way though.  Upon finishing the hike we had lunch at the restaurant right there at the park.  If you would like to see some pictures of the hake as well as a map of the hike and just where were, click here.

Leggett Road to Rock Creek

We met at Durham Street parking lot at 8am and departed for the Lower Leggett trailhead.  We (John, George and Tom) departed the trailhead at about 8:20.  I will call this the 'Reptile Romp with Flowers'. The weather was pleasant, I believe the temperature was in the lower 70's.  We expected to see more flowers along the first part of the trail but saw few.  George thinks because of the colder than normal April weather, that may have pushed the blooming back by a week.  Later on the hike, we did see white, red, orange and yellow flowers (can you tell there was not a hiker among us who had much of a botany background).  We briefly stopped at an overlook I believe about 2 miles in.  The trail is pretty much closed in by foliage and the views of the creek and rock formation that were available on the winter treks, are now less observable.  Me made it to the Rock Creek Bridge at 5 miles by around a little after 11am and had our snack prior hiking out.  The trip back was a little more eventful.  I (Tom) was at the lead for about a mile back when for some unknown reason I stopped and said to John – why don't you take the lead.  John did so and not 5 steps further John says “whoa”.  Curled up on a rock in the middle of the trail looking like a nice pile of leaves was a 3 foot timber rattler.  I did not see it and would have stepped on the critter. John this time had his camera ready and took his picture.  John flipped the snake off the trail and we continued for about another 100 feet or so and John stops because an eighteen to twenty inch copperhead lay across the trail.  This snake was not as laid back as the rattler and took off as we approached and we were not able to take its' picture.  We continued our exit and encountered two more reptiles, a frog or toad and a box turtle.  The temperature continued to rise and we exited the trail around 2:20.  So I would say if your out trekking in snake country, take John along – he seems to be able to do a great job spotting them. If you would like to see some very nice pictures, click here.

Heiss Mtn. Flower Walk 5.12.18

Another beautiful day for a walk in the woods.  Although there were only four of us today, it was a very nice time on this 2.7 mile walk.  I would rate the difficulty as moderate.  Our purpose was to see the Rhododendron in full blume.  Unfortunately, while they were certainly blooming, it was just the start of their bloom.  Give it another week or so and it will be much better.  If you would like to see a few pictures, click here.

Reflection Riding 5.11.18

This was a new adventure for us.  Previously we had made an arrangement with Reflections Riding Arboretum and Nature Center that would allow the club to hike the trails on the facilities property without having to pay admission each time.  It was now time for the group to fulfill its part of the agreement.  Therefore, we we agreed to spend some time at Reflection doing some work of their choice.  There choice was privet removal.  As you can see from the photos, we did a bang up good job in the over two hours we spent pulling.  I would rate this as severe.  Now for those of you who didn't make it, the great trail hiking spirit in the sky is not happy.  The next time it rains or you fall on the trail, remember this occasion.  Following our job, most of us went to the Mojo Burrito and had a nice lunch.  If you would like to see some pictures of the work we did, click here. 

Ritchie Hollow 5.8.18

What a hike!  We started on an absolutely beautiful day.  The temperature was perfect and not a cloud in the sky.  Today we had 14 hikers on what has been a confusingly rated trail.  This trail has be rated from easy to severe.  I'm now going to set the record straight.  Although it is a short hike of only about four miles in and out, I will rate it as moderately severe.  It is a constant up hill climb after a short flat start.  About 3/4 of the way up, there is a turn off to the falls.  Today the falls were absolutely beautiful.  After waiting a short time for the stragglers, we decided on on Chinese Buffet near Walmart at Signal Mountain.  If you would like to see some pictures, click here.