Brush Creek 10.9.2021

 It was a cool foggy morning.  There was absolutely no view at the Boyd Gap overlook, our statarting point to hike Brush Creek in the Cherokee National Forest.  We approached our first wooden bridge, which was passable since the rangers had cut back the fallen tree.  The rest of the trail was rather easy, only a few rocks and gentle ascents and descents as we passed through the forest.  Tulip Poplars grew straight and tall as if standing in silent attention while the Sourwoods flaunteed their red leaves.  The Ocoee river made brief appearances between the tree branches.  As the day warmed, the fog dissipated, the sky becaame a brillant blue.  Creatures appeared, a snail sliding across a stem, a shy black snake hustling into the brush, and a praying mantis posing for her photo op.  We finished our 6.6 mile trail by crossing under the highway 64 bridge to the trailhead just west of Brush Creek as it flows into the Ocoee.  We drove back to Boyd Gap and were greeted by a splended view of the Cherokee mountains.  If you would like to see a few really nice pictures taken during this hike, click here.

Chickamauga Battlefield, 10.5.2021

 It was a dark and ominous day when we ventured off with Jim Ogden, head historian of the Chickamauga Battlefield.  It is always very informative hike when Mr. Ogden leads us and explains some of the battles and other events surrounding the battle at Chickamauga.  On this day, which never rained, we visited Snodgrass Hill and Mr. Ogden explained what happened there.  It is so interesting to hear the history of what actually happened there from both the Confederate and Union sides.  I believe there were eight of us on this hike and not a single complaint.  The temperature ranged from the mid 60’s to the low 70’s on this 3.4 mile hike which I would rate as easy. 

If you would like to see some photographs and a map of this hike, click here.  Also, anyone can identify the fungus I photographed in the fairy ring that I photographed, please let me know.  I have never seen this particular fungus in a fairy ring before. 

Burgess Falls & Windows Cliffs 10.2.21

 I do not have a discription of this hike. I do know that it was a large group and everyone had an excellent time.  If I do get a description, I will post it.  

If you would like to see some pictures taken during this hike, click here.  

White Oak Mountain 9.28.2021

 Eleven human hikers and one dog, Holly, trekked up and down and around White Oak Mountain for four miles.  A cool start quickly warmed into a beautiful day with sunshine and blue skies.  A few bikers shared the trail, as we called out, "Biker!" and scattered to the edges of the path.  We also met the scorpion hunters, a group of students (from Southern Adventist University?).  They had collected many scorpions from under the rocks near the top of the mountain and had placed them into plastic baggies.  The crteatures were to be subjects of research.  One study was to discover the lethal dose of the scorpions-Yikes!  The rest of the hike was a pleasant walk in the woods with fine companions.  Just a note;  the venom of the Yellow Scorpion goes for $60,000.00 a gallon!

If you would like to see some very nice pictures, click here.  

Lula Lake 9.25.21

 

It was a beautiful day and four intrepid hikers, including Betsy, Tom, Tammy, and Randy, had a fine time exploring not only the best known sights in the Lula Lake Land Trust but also some lesser known areas. The first part of the hike was a first for most of us—walking down the road from the relatively new parking lot close to the entrance off Lula Lake Road. After about ¾ of a mile, we arrived at the old parking lot, crossed the bridge over Rock Creek, and headed south on the aptly named South Creek Trail. This is a very pleasant trail, first following the southern part of Rock Creek, which placidly wends its way down through the wood with a few gurgles here and there, giving no hint of what is to come a little ways downstream.After a half-mile or so, the trail takes a sharp turn to head gradually uphill along the eastern flank of the creek. We turned right onto the uphill Ovenbird Trail (where did that name come from?) and right again onto the Turkey Trail (hey, an ovenbird!) to continue uphill, arriving at the top to encounter the Bluff Trail near its southern terminus. The geography here is rather odd: Rock Creek somehow managed to dig itself a trench that parallels the mountain bluff for at least a few miles before the creek decided to finally plow its way over the edge of the mountain. Thus the Bluff Trail traverses a little ridge, with the escarpment overlooking Chattanooga Valley to the east and a gentle wooded downslope to the west. As anyone who’s been here knows, there are spectacular views to the east, with Flintstone GA in the valley below us and one mountainous ridge after another rippling off to the eastern horizon. We envied several folks stringing up their hammocks, settling in to enjoy the mesmerizing view.At the northern end of the Bluff Trail, there are three choices for hiking back down to the creek. Naturally, our trip leader Betsy chose to take us down the short but attention-getting High Adventure Trail. The latter includes a couple of steep sections, with knotted ropes aiding in the descent; all reached the bottom without mishap. We took a short right jog on North Creek Trail to take the relatively new Lula Falls Trail, which is a trail-building marvel that makes its way by cliffs and around boulders and rock fields to arrive at Lula Falls. This 120-ft falls was in rare form due to all the rain we’ve had lately, with its spray spreading far and wide. This had the unfortunate effect of making the downstream rocks exceptionally slippery. Naturally, the best photo ops were to be had by going over some of these rocks. It was hard to follow the trip leader’s motto of, “Never trust a wet rock,” since almost all of them were wet. One of our number scared the rest of us by slipping into a crack between two boulders, but despite some loss of blood and getting very wet, had no trouble hiking the rest of the way out. This included scrambling up the Old Falls Trail, which goes straight up a series of wooden steps back to the North Creek Trail. We headed back on this trail, with a stop at the gem of Lula Lake. This lake (really a pond) is a beautiful bluish-green color, surrounded by cliffs and set off by a dazzling white cascade of water plunging into it.Once the highlights of the hike were behind us, we slogged our way back along the creek and up the road to our cars. A fine time was had by all.    If you would like to see a few pictures from this hike, click here.