Hiking off Turkey day gains was counter productive

The trip to Old Stone Fort was, short, as usual, but superb. The middle Tennessee TTA family was out in full force with 31 folks hiking the 4 miles or so. Some showed up for the first time and others have been many times. It is always a treat to show off our backyard State Parks and natural areas. It is always nice to hike with the members of other chapters of which there were quite and few.

I am constantly impressed with the water at different times of the year of the year. The Big Duck was making a real show with the light reflecting off the falls. Tony Jones captured a lot of the natural ambiance with his Face Book photos. [Thanks Tony]. The light play at the confluence made for a nice show.

Thanks to Mother Theresa who led the group  However she managed to lead many of us out to look for either rabbits or golden squirrels, not sure which. Several deer, and a coyote was spotted as well. With over 30 folks we could have lost up to 3 people without penalty under the Highland Rim Chapter 10% Rule.
Several showed up at Cracker Barrel before the hike.  About 18 stayed for lunch at the J and G Pizza afterward. I guess it goes to show that we are social diners with a serious hiking habit.

Buggytop - Eat-Hike-Eat Hike

A diverse gaggle of hikers spent Saturday having a nice gathering at the Blue Chair follwed by a hike to Buggytop. The caves were posted against entrance due to the white mildew bat problem. However this didn't dampen the enjoyment in this slow paced 4.5 mile trip. For more pictures click here.

Hal Tutor took a series of pictures with a cell phone and that produced a rather interesting sepia effect. [Thanks Hal] These too are on his FB webpage.

Sipsey Hike

Not much detail but some very intriguing pictures to share.

Annual Meeting a Great Success

Congratulations to the Highland Rim Chapter for the excellant turnout at the Annual meeting. We had 23 folks plus a couple of dogs, no they did not hike at the meeting. With about 200 participants we made a significant presence.  The hikes were good, and varied, the weather was perfect, and all was well done. A small boggle on breakfast but we are hikers and backpacker are we not? Rosemary Marshall did a great job in her two years. New chapters have been formed, 2 more coming into existance as of the Board meeting. Tony Hook is doing an outstanding job obtaining grants and juggling the many areas associated with the CTC. (Let's help in the CTC Spring Breakaway). Cindi Johnson won the Golden Squirrel award and it was all in good humor. Congratulate her when you see her. Our new Board of Directors Chairman is Don Dresser and he is hitting the ground running. Millette Jones is VP and will take over in a couple of years.

For this old codger, it has been a wonderful couple of years as we worked hard to get the Highland Rim family together. I hope to continue with the website and to help where ever possible. We are planning on a Christmas Party on December 11th, and other seasonal festivities. I understand there will be a New Years hike for all TTA members, be on the lookout for that. Check out the left hand side of the site for other events that are on the near horizon. I added a link for the TN Trails and Greenways, it is pretty good for planning hikes and includes maps. We will be including hikes to complete the South Cumberland RA "I Hiked Then All  and 100 miler awards." Please volunteer if asked and enjoy your participation. See you soon- Tom (here are some other annual meeting pictures )