Raccoon Mountain

1.8.13  Today we had 16 hikers, which was a record for our little club.  The weather was great, cool and crisp but not too cold and no wind.  On the way in, we saw a couple of deer crossing the road.  You can see a couple of pictures in the picture section.  The only other wildlife we saw were some off road bicyclists.  We started at an off road parking area and ended at the switch-yard   You can see why it is call a switch-yard if you look at the pictures.    The hike itself was beautiful with great scenery.  I would rate this hike as easy and our total distance was about 4.7 miles.  To see a few pictures of the hike click on the Raccoon Mtn. tab above.   

Long Branch Trail

1.5.13  I won't list everyone's name since there were ten hikers and I might leave someone out.  It was definitely on the cold side as we started this hike.  It was around freezing when we started.  Once we were on the trail, it was OK.  We were shielded from the light breeze that was blowing.  Today we had one new hiker with us and I hope she will return.  We didn't see any wildlife on this hike, just a few trail joggers.  Both bridges over the Long Branch Creek were beautiful with lots of water flowing.  The distance of this hike was just over 5 miles.  I would rate this hike as easy.  If you would like to see a few pictures of the hike click on the Long Branch trail tab above.

12.29.12   On this cold blustery day there were twelve hikers.  One young man was carrying a pack with 75lbs of weight in it!  All I know is I couldn't have done it.  He was preparing for an upcoming event where he would be carrying even more weight.  It was drizzling or raining during much of the hike.  The actual proposed hike was interrupted by nature as there was an overflowing stream blocking our trail.   We had to do a bit of detouring and change course to avoid it.  The other stream crossings were relatively minor, but did get your feet good and wet if you didn't have water proof shoes on.  While the weather did put a bit of a dampener on the hike, all were in good spirits and a good hike was had.  Thanks George for leading this one.  We did see one deer crossing the road as we finished the hike.  After the hike we had a very good meal at Park Place Restaurant. I would rate this trail as easy and the distance was 5 miles.  If you would like to see a few pictures, click on the Chickamauga Battlefield tab above.

Little Cedar Mountain

12.18.12  On today's hike there were 10 happy hikers.  The day was perfect for hiking.  Cool and the sky's were clear although most of the hike was in forested areas.  Everybody had a good time.  There was only one casualty and it was a pretty hard fall, but no injuries.  We hiked out to an overlook called Gray's Bluff and took in a great view of Nickajack Lake.  We got a little confused about where we were a couple of times since the intersections are not well marked and we walked right past a couple.  We eventually found our way and nobody was complaining.  The total distance of the hike was 5 miles and I guess with the exception of one hill, I would rate it as easy.  After the hike we went for our obligatory lunch and this time it was at Cracker Barrel.  We all had an excellent feed.  For a few pictures, click on the Cedar Mountain tab up above.

Mushroom Rock

12.16.12  Finally!  After somehow losing John's picture of Mushroom Rock, he sent me another copy.  Now everyone who is interested can see a why they named it Mushroom Rock.  To see a better copy of the picture, click on the Mushroom Rock tab.  Any speculation on how long it will be before that big rock topples off?  This picture was taken on the Signal Point to Hwy 27 hike.  To see a few more pictures of the hike click on the Signal Mountain to Hwy 27 tab up above.