Three hikers enjoyed a warm but beautiful Saturday on the trails in Frozen Head State Park. We tackled a tough hike by taking it nice & slow with plenty of breaks. The trek is a 9-mile out-and-back hike with approximately 2,000 feet of elevation gain & rated moderate in difficulty. Sometimes, you wonder who rates these trails?! This one sure feels difficult at times as you climb the mountain!
Our path began at the Panther Branch Trailhead. From there, we made our way to Debord & Emory Gap Falls. With the lack of recent rain, both waterfalls were dry. We will need to repeat this hike again in the winter or early spring when these waterfalls are flowing beautifully. After exploring the falls, we made our way up Panther Branch Trail until it intersected with the North Old Mac Trail. We took that to the W. Lookout Tower Trail. We stopped for lunch at the Tub Springs Campsite.
At lunch, we discussed some history about our hike site… how
a notorious prisoner & jail break inspired an ultramarathon in the
mountains of Frozen Head State Park. James Earl Ray, the man convicted of
killing Civil Rights Activist Martin Luther King, Jr. was imprisoned at Brushy
Mountain State Penitentiary located at the foot of the mountains inside Frozen
Head State Park. In 1985, he & a few other prisoners managed a very daring
escape. However, authorities found Ray in the Frozen Head mountains. He had
managed to only get 8 miles away in almost 60 hours of escape. This inspired a
very eccentric man to start an ultramarathon in the mountains of Frozen Head.
Elite runners from all over the world compete each spring to try to complete 5
grueling loops of 20+ miles each… 100 miles total in under 60 hours. They
aren’t running on real trails either. They must make their way through brush
& overgrowth & are often bruised & bloodied by the time they
finish. If you would like to know more about this grueling race, be sure to
watch the documentary The Barkley Marathons: The Race That Eats Its Young.
Finally, we made our way up the final steep section to reach the Lookout Tower. There, we were met with gorgeous sweeping views of the valley below. We could also see the huge wind turbines located on Buffalo Mountain in Anderson County at Wind Rock Park. 18 turbines there produce enough power for approximately 3,800 homes in the area. Some of these turbines stand 260 ft. tall with blades that span a whopping 135 ft!
We made our way back down the mountain & had a lovely dinner at a good Italian restaurant in downtown Wartburg. It was a beautiful day for a great hike, great conversation, & a good meal with hiking friends!
If you would like to see some really nice pictures taken during this hike, click here.
Never trust a train. They have Loco Motives.
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