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

Guest River Gorge Hike

Ahhh!  We were like birds out of a cage after enduring the worst snowy weather I've ever experienced!  The weather was darn near perfect.  Plenty of sunshine and warm enough to shed our jackets in the afternoon.  This nearly 12 mile out and back hike along a rails to trails path is easy walking, but the length of it is a little tough.  Our aches and pains began to emerge on the last few miles!  But we enjoyed it nonetheless.  The river was rushing and echoing off the huge cliffs.  We spotted the eagle's nest resting on a ledge.  Several waterfalls were flowing out of the mountain and down to the Guest River.  We saw quite of bit of erosion from the recent heavy snow and rain, but none that caused any difficulty navigating the trail.  We walked all the way into the gorge where the Guest River flows into the mighty Clinch.  Another hike on the books for the hiking club....fun, friends, fresh air....:)

Old Rail Tunnel

Bob poses at the 5.8 marker.

Eagle's nest 

Old retaining wall built where the river turns to prevent railway washout.

Purchase Ridge First Day Hike

Our second annual First Day Hike!  We chose to do our own hike rather than a park sponsored one. We hiked Purchase Ridge at Natural Tunnel.  It was cold, and the predicted sunshine, as usual, never materialized.  The trail however, had enough of an elevation change to keep us warm.  Only four of us made the 3.3 mile trek, but hopefully we can get more hikes scheduled and increase our participation in 2015!

A view of the tunnel from Purchase Ridge Overlook

Devil's Bathtub

Our second trip to Devil's Bathtub was on the first chilly day of fall this year.  We headed out in low 40 degree temps and some brisk winds, but just as I suspected, there was little wind in the Devil's Fork hollow.  The weather was near perfect for hiking and the creek was low, making it easier to navigate than on our first trip last year.  We all managed to stay dry and didn't even need the gaiters we were sporting; they were just a fashion accessory.  The leaves had begun to turn and some had fallen to sprinkle the shale creek bed with gold.  It's a very beautiful area and I can imagine it would be quite refreshing to take a dip on a summer day.  On the return trip we stopped in Ft. Blackmore at Mann's Farm to purchase some apples and other goodies.  Ah..fall has arrived.

High Knob Recreation Area

The hiking club got back on the trail again after about a 6 week hiatus.  The humid, stormy weather that continued throughout August kept us waiting for a nice weekend.  Yesterday was perfect.  We had most of the gang out and a couple grandsons too.  We visited the newly reconstructed observation tower first.  It was very nice and offered some great 360 degree views.  From there, we hiked down Chief Benge trail for a 2 mile round trip and then headed down to the lake area.  At the lake, we were pleased to find restrooms and picnic tables.  After a picnic lunch, we headed out on lakeside trail.  We found it interesting that the area was well kept, with some nice touches, like fairly new cedar benches, and a trail bridge for viewing the spillway at the dam, but there is so little information on the trails.  There are many miles of trails connecting the recreation areas in the national forest between Wise and Scott counties.  It would be great to have a good map with accurate mileages.  We only logged 3 miles on the trail, but we were happy to be in the woods again!  And those kiddos sure seemed to enjoy their hike too!

AT to Watauga Dam

We finally got our crew together for a hike!  Vacations, reunions and sickness had kept this group of regulars from hiking together for quite some time.  So we didn't lack enthusiasm as we headed out and caught up with each other.  Even the the "bears are active in this area" warning signs did not deter us.  This was a nice, not too difficult hike along the AT to Watauga Dam, an earthen TVA dam.  The weather, though hot, wasn't terribly humid except for a couple of times when we were deep in the thickets of rhododendron.  There were nice scenes and it was interesting to see glimpses along the way of the many ways people enjoy the lakes in our region.  We saw stand up paddleboarders, jet skiers, pontoon fishermen, kayakers, mattress loungers, trail runners, backpackers, and of course, the common bass boat fishermen.  I think several of us were wishing we could frolic in the lake after being on the trail a few hours!

Shillalah Creek Road

The club had only one member willing and able to attempt this 10 miler!  The trail is actually the route that Cumberland Gap National Park staff uses when they take people up the mountain to tour Hensley's Settlement.  Bob said he made it despite the straight up hike without switchbacks to relieve the climb.  He also got wet, as we have had several days of storms in the area.  Bob returned with lots of good information though, because he got the opportunity to hike with the new Cumberland Gap Park ranger, and also because Bob doesn't mind asking questions. LOL!