Rock Creek Loop

1.14.12  Nance Jo, Earl  A little cold, low 40s, but otherwise a beautiful day for a hike.  We did the Rock Creek Loop which is always a good hike.  Rock Creek was roaring with lots of water and very cold.  The Rock Creek Overlook is especially pretty this time of year as it is not blocked by so many trees.  In fact, someone has cut down the trees that used to block the view.  Unfortunately they left some ugly stumps where the trees used to be.  Near the end of the hike we spotted a lone hiker up on the side of the mountain where there is not a trail.  We never saw him again, but wonder what he was doing up there.  At the end of the hike we met Zack and Jessica who are new to the Chattanooga area.  They were carrying there two young children.  We talked about local trails and invited them to join us sometime.  Total distance for this hike was 4.3 miles and I would rate it as moderate.  For a few pictures of the hike, click here or on the Rock Creek Loop tab up above.

Leggett Road to Rock Creek

1.7.12  Nance Jo, Earl  Even though it was forecast for rain, we met at the lower Leggett Road parking lot.  Nance Jo and Earl were scheduled for the hike to Rock Creek and return.  The rest of the group of nine were going to go past Rock Creek on to Retro Hughs Road where there was a car staged.  The rain began shortly after beginning the hike and continued off and on throughout.  We were prepared and the rain really didn't cause us much difficulty except to slow us down slightly.  We had a good time and ate our snack next to Rock Creek.  This was an easy hike of 2.4 miles.  To see a few pictures, click here or on the Leggett Road tab above. 

Hotwater Road (Cumberland Trail)

1.6.12  Nance Jo, Earl  Today was scheduled to be a workday on the Cumberland Trail.  We arrived early before Tony Hook and his gang of workers, so we decided to go ahead and do some blazing with the new plastic markers.  It was a fantastic day for hiking with the temperature in the upper 50s.  We marked the trail in both directions going about 2.4 miles in before we ran low on markers.  We then hiked out for a total of 4.8 miles.  Tony Hook's crew has built a boardwalk over one of the wetter sections of the trail.  The boardwalk is not quite finished, but will be next time the crew goes out.  This will be in about one week.  For a few pictures, click here or on the Hotwater Road tab above. 

Booker T. Washington State Park

01.03.12  Nance Jo, McBob, Earl  The first hike of the new year.  Brrrr was it cold.  It was in the twenties when we started and barely into the thirties when we finished.  It was also very windy which made it seem even colder.  Despite this, we had a great hike.  We had beautiful views on a bright sunny day.  We only saw one other hiker on the trail.  The distance was 4.1 miles.  To see a couple of pictures click on the Booker T. tab above of here.

South Chickamauga Creek Greenway

12.31.2011  Caroline, Nance Jo and Earl  What a beautiful day for a walk.  The temperature was in the 60s and the sun was shining brightly.  Caroline directed us to this previously unwalked, by us, path.  In the future this trail will connect with the River Walk and be something really special.  When walking East, you quickly run into a boardwalk that is something else.  It stretches for about a mile and follows the Creek.  At the very end is a gravel road that is rather steep but short.  At the top is another small parking area where we sat down and had a snack.  On the return we ran into numerous other hikers and bicyclists, all very friendly.  When going West from the parking lot, in about .64 miles, there is a low spot that causes the path to be completely submerged.  At this point we turned around and returned to the original parking area.  Just to make things more interesting, one of the hikers who shall remain nameless, decided to go grave hunting.  This involves "Find a Grave.com".  This website provides the name of some deceased individuals and the cemetery where they are buried.  It seems that people are actively looking for pictures of the burial plaque of their loved ones.  If found, pictures are then posted and the interested party can see the grave site.  I had no idea!  We found several sites from a list and they will be followed up on.  The overall distance of the actual hike was 5.7 miles with another 1.5 miles or so at the cemetery.  For some pictures of the hike, click here or click on the South Chickamauga Creek Greenway tab above.