We had 15 hikers today on the trail out toward Shady Valley, TN where the AT crosses TN 91. We had never been in the area and the road, though paved, was in very poor condition. Fortunately, little traffic afforded us the ability to stay away from the edge that was eroding on the mountain portion. But once we arrived, we were at a lovely farming area sitting at 3,500 ft. The openness allowed for views in all directions. It was an almost perfect day that was sometimes marred with clouds and light winds. But shirtsleeves were good for most on this early April day. We headed out across the farm and took in the views. We then entered the wooded portion. Not much to see today; no wildflowers were up yet. We stopped at an AT camping area and spring for lunch. Most of the group hiked on to Double Springs shelter and returned, making a 6 mile round trip for them. The rest of us logged 4.4 miles on the AT today.
As we headed back to Elizabethton, we stopped for a short hike down to the Blue Hole, a neat series of waterfalls to a swimming hole guarded by high cliffs. Beautiful area it was! Overall a great day for hiking.
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| Heading Out |
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| Nice Panoramas |
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| A Well Placed Bench |
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| The Blue Hole |
