Duck River Float Trip

Monday, August 17, 2009

Duck River Float Trip

We had a wonderful weekend. 22 friends floated the Duck River from Normandy Dam to Three Forks Bridge. It was good to see some of our Murfreesboro and Nashville friends. Frank Fly was with us as a reminder of the time when we were fighting for a free flowing Duck River. We had lunch at Cortner Mill... after it was over we all went to Gary Fergus' place for chicken, and fixings and a Gary Fergus' bon fire, about the size of a small cabin. We had so much food left over that we decided to have another party last night at the Dick and Camille McClure pad which coincides with the Templeton library at Sewanee (thanks guys for hosting). Lots of fun, fantastic view of the sunset and of course the Cowan Decherd, Winchester lights...Sure wish all of you were with us it would have been to your liking ... Good exercise, good fellowship, good food, ... enjoyable. [Bunches of pictures - Click here] Another chance to enjoy the view on October 17th's Eat-Hike -Eat put it on your calendar.

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September Events

September 6,
Saturday – “Prentice Cooper Medley”, Sections of Mullens Cove Loop and Pot
Point Loop, Prentice Cooper State Forest, west of Chattanooga. 6.5 miles.
Moderate. Our hike features
highlights of Mullens Cove Loop and Pot Point Loop. We begin at Snoopers Rock, a bare rock
promontory offering a wide view of the Tennessee River Gorge. Next we hike to Mullens Cove Overlook which
provides a view of Mullens Cove where it joins the river gorge. Our next stop is Ransom Hollow Overlook, one
of the best views of the region and our lunch spot. Then we visit McNabb Gulf to enjoy the cool
cascading stream lined with Hemlocks. A
brief walk along Tower Drive past an experimental tree farm of Yellow Poplars
takes us back to our vehicles. Bring
lunch, snacks, a lot of water, hiking shoes and hiking sticks and insect
repellent. Contact Joan Hartvigsen at jhartvigs@comcast.net or 931-962-0811
for carpool information.

Sept. 13,
Saturday – Great Stone Door Ranger Station to Savage Gulf Ranger Station via Stage
Coach Road Historic Trail. Difficult 15.1
miles, 845 ft. elevation change. This is
Hike #11 of the Hike All 14 in 2014 and a joint hike with the Friends of South Cumberland
and Highland Rim Chapter. This is a
tough fifteen mile hike with boulder fields on the Connector Trail and a steep
ascent on the Stage Coach Trail. Meet at
Savage Gulf Ranger Station off Hwy 399 at 8:00 a.m. CT and we will shuttle to
our starting point at Stone Door Ranger Station in Beersheba Springs, TN. Prepare for an all day hike with plenty of
water, lunch, snacks etc. Wear sturdy
hiking boots and bring hiking sticks and a headlamp. Contact our leader, Naullain Kendrick, at naullain@hotmail.com or 931-224-6225 for
more information.

Sept. 19-21,
Friday-Sunday – Camping on Devils Step Island, Kayaking on Tims Ford Lake,
Winchester, TN. We plan to reserve
Devils Step Island in Tims Ford Lake September 19 through September 21. Six people are permitted to stay on the
island. Camping on the island is
primitive but very beautiful. Others
can camp at Fairview Campground located next to the Devils Step Public Lake
Access and Boat Ramp. Sara Pollard, TTA
Murfreesboro Chair, has reserved one campsite at Fairview Campground for tents
only. Contact Sara at sara.pollard@mtsu.edu to reserve a
place in the Fairview Campground. Devils
Step Public Access is located at the end of Fairview Road. From Winchester Square drive west on Hwy 50
West toward Lynchburg for 2.8 miles then turn right on Fairview Road. The Dollar General Store is just past the
turn onto Fairview Road. Drive one mile
on Fairview Road and turn right onto Fairview Campground Road or stay straight
to reach Devils Step Boat Ramp.
Non-campers can meet us at 9:00 a.m. CT Saturday, Sept. 20, to paddle
Tims Ford Lake. We plan to paddle to
Maple Bend Island for a rest and snacks then head down Owl Hollow Creek. Sunday morning we may explore Little
Hurricane Creek. This is a joint
activity with the Murfreesboro Chapter.
Register early with Joan Hartvigsen at jhatvigs@comcast.net or 931-962-0811.

Sept. 21,
Sunday – Tennessee Green Hike-a-thon.
Cumberland Trail, Black Mountain State Natural Area, near Crossville,
TN. Fundraiser Hike for Tennessee Parks
and Greenways Foundation. Registration
donation is $30.00 per person before Sept. 7, $35.00 day of event. Option of one hour to four hour hike. Please contact Cheryl Heckler, TTA Plateau
Chapter Chair and Tennessee Green Hike-a-thon Task Force Member. thehecklers@charter.net
931-200-7436 for more information or http://www.tenngreen.org/website/2013/11/20/tenngreenhikeathon/

Sept. 22,
Monday – Chapter Meeting – We will have dinner at Ruby Tuesday, 1936 N. Jackson
St., Tullahoma, at 5:00 p.m. CT. Our
meeting is 7:00 p.m. at D. W. Wilson Community Center, 501 N. Collins St.,
Tullahoma. Robert Davis, AKA Santa’s Helper, will speak
on his recent 306 mile hike on the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) and share his
photos of his hike in southern California and Oregon. The Pacific Crest Trail is a 2,650 mile
hiking and equestrian trail closely aligned with the highest portion of the
Sierra Nevada and Cascade mountain ranges, which lie 100 to 150 miles east of
the Pacific Coast. The trail extends
from Mexico to Canada through California, Oregon and Washington.

Sept. 27,
Saturday – National Public Lands Day – Work Day at Tims Ford State Park,
Winchester, TN. National Public Lands
Day (NPLD) is the nation’s largest, single day volunteer effort for public
lands. Our Chapter will celebrate NPLD
by working on the Ray Branch Shoreline Trail at Tims Ford State Park. We will meet at 9:00 a.m. CT at the new
Visitor Center Parking Lot. Bring a lot
of water, snacks and lunch. Bring insect
repellant, work gloves and wear long pants.
Bring hand pruners and a hammer. We
will need several volunteers with weed eaters and chainsaws. Please register with Joan Hartvigsen, jhartvigs@comcast.net or 931-962-0811.

October Events

October 5,
Sunday – Old Stone Fort State Archaeological Park, Manchester, TN 4 miles,
moderate. We will enjoy a Sunday
afternoon autumn hike along the cascading waters of the Duck River in dense
forests of mature oaks, hickories and yellow poplars. We will hike the Old Stone Fort Trail, River
Fork Loop, Backbone and Little Duck Loop and the Old River Channel Trail. On the Backbone Trail we will be walking
along a high ridgeline looking down onto the tops of the trees. We will see the confluence of the Little Duck
and the Duck Rivers on the Forks of the River Trail. And along the Little Duck Loop we will see
tall limestone bluffs bordering the river.
Meet Joan Hartvigsen at 1:00 p.m.
at the Visitor Center. Bring water,
snacks, hiking sticks and wear sturdy hiking boots. Please register with Joan at jhartvigs@comcast.net or 931-962-0811.

October 11,
Saturday – Franklin State Forest, Sewanee TN, 6 to 8 miles, moderate. Marietta Poteet will lead a hike in Franklin
State Forest featuring waterfalls, wildflowers, fall colors and beautiful views
of Sweeton Cove. The hike will be from
six to eight miles long depending on the group’s preference. Bring water, snacks, lunch and lots of
water. Please call or email Marietta
Poteet, nannietta@blomand.net or
931-924-7666.

October 18,
Saturday – Eat-Hike-Eat, Caldwell Rim Trail, Sewanee, TN. 4-5 miles easy. Meet our hike leader Carolyn Fitz at the Blue
Chair Restaurant in Sewanee no later than 9:00 a.m. CT for breakfast with our TTA friends. The hike will depart from the Blue Chair at
9:30 a.m. Bring water and snacks for the
hike. The Caldwell Rim Trail is named in
memory of Dr. Hugh Caldwell, beloved philosophy professor and legendary founder
of the Sewanee Ski and Outing Club. The
loop atop the plateau features scenic overlooks and bluff lines. The Caldwell Rim Trail begins by following
Depot Branch, affording several views of the streambed and Point
Disappointment. The trail crosses
several creeks and follows the bluff line overlooking Lost Cove. After we complete the loop we will retrace
our steps to the Blue Chair. Hiking time
is projected to be about two hours.
Please register with Carolyn Fitz at 931-598-0597 or cfitz@sewanee.edu.

Oct. 24-26,
Friday-Sunday - TTA Annual Meeting,
Montgomery Bell State Park, Burns, TN
Join your friends at our TTA Annual Meeting at Montgomery Bell State
Park west of Nashville on Hwy 70.
Consult this newsletter for registration and hike information.

Oct. 27,
Monday – Chapter Meeting. We will have
dinner at Red Lobster, 1913 N. Jackson St., Tullahoma, TN at 5:00 p.m. CT. Our meeting is 7:00 p.m. at D. W. Wilson
Community Center, 501 N. Collins St., Tullahoma, TN. Our speaker, Carolyn Fitz will present a
program on her recent Arizona hikes near Phoenix, Tucson and Sedona. The program will feature Art, Architecture,
American Indian culture and awesome photos of Arizona. Carolyn visited many Arizona sites, including
Papago Park, Tucson Mountain Park, Salt River Canyon, Canyon de Chelly, Bell
Rock and Cathedral Rock.

Tennessee Trails Association - Highland Rim Chapter

Come and Hike with Us - Build a Trail

Monday, August 17, 2009