Damascus South on AT to TN LIne

We got up bright and early and headed to Damascus to hike the always nicely maintained Appalachian Trail.  We chose to hike south as we would meet through hikers coming into town, which was bustling with activity when we arrived.  We found the trailhead and began to hike up, and up, and up to the TN line.  Fortunately, the unusually hot weather we had this week wasn't quite as bad today, and the humidity was lower as well, so we trudged on.  We did our usual thing, which is to take frequent breaks and take lots of pictures.  We found a patch of pink lady slippers and the flame azalea was blooming.  And of course, we saw through hikers.  Some from New York, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania and Arkansas.  We didn't have spectacular views, but we enjoyed the wildflowers, meeting some hikers, and of course our company.

Lunch Spot

Pink Lady Slipper

Flame Azalea

Lake Keokee Loop

We hiked the Lake Keokee Loop today in some beautiful sunshine.  This 3.7 mile loop was one of the first hikes our club completed when we organized in 2013.  The first time, it was early June, and the ferns were waist high.  This time, in early May, the ferns were just beginning to unfurl, but the spring wildflowers were plentiful.  Painted trillium, which can be pretty difficult to find, were spectacular.  We also spotted a lady slipper, another hard to find wildflower.  We had a great day and were grateful for the volunteers who had recently cleared the trail of blow downs.

Painted Trillium

Lady Slipper