Brady Mountain Overlook, November 28,2023. Betsy Darken led
a jovial group of 12 hikers to the top of Brady Mountain and a beautiful view
of Grassy Cove, which is completely surrounded by a ring of mountains. Betsy
made sure everyone was suitably dressed for our first wintry day, then told the
group that, since she was the hike leader, “Everyone has to do what I say.”
Everyone laughed and Lucy made the perfect comeback, “but not as you do!” The
trail tried to scare us off at the beginning with a steep rise up an old road
full of rocks, but we not only persevered but charged ahead, up and up and up,
with a short down somewhere in the middle. Perhaps inspiration came from the
brisk weather, which was in the mid-thirties. The wind felt bad only in the
parking lot. Near the top we scrambled steeply up past two sets of boulders and
arrived at the flat top—a nice change of pace. Shortly we took a spur trail to a
perfect overlook. We basked in the sun in the sheltered leeward spot, having
fun spotting the steam rising from Watts Bar nuclear plant toward the southeast,
the super-tall chimney of the coal plant to the northeast, and the tiny cows in
the Grassy Cove fields well below us. Lora informed us that Grassy Cove is the
largest sinkhole in the state, with whatever water accumulating in it sinking
underground and eventually resurfacing at the head of the Sequatchie River.
After eating our snacks/lunch we shot back down the mountain, this time
inspired by a northerly wind that was picking up speed. A fine time was had by
all!
Sorry, no pictures taken during this hike.