Stone Door Trail -Beersheba Springs, TN

Secret and I headed out one more for our hiking adventure. Google Maps took me down Suck Creek and up and across the mountain into Whitwell, Tennessee. I loved the drive through small towns like Palmer, Gruetli Laager, and then Beersheba Springs. We weaved in and out of the country side and into reduced speed zones multiple times. At one point we were on a 2 lane road behind a very full dump truck going 20 miles an hour for far longer than I am normally patient with...but on this day, it was fine.

When I pulled up to the trailhead I immediately knew it was going to be a good day. A well maintained area with a ranger station and bathroom greeted us. After seeing our options I decided first I would take the short Laurel Falls Loop so we could get our need to see area waterfalls out of the way.

The trail was pretty steep but the stairs made the journey much easier and the sweet little observation deck to see the waterfall was a nice plus. The loop actually let you walk up above the falls itself once you had the great view. Secret of course needed to try the water in the area so she lapped up some from the slow flowing creek.

After the quick trip to the falls we headed to the "Stone Door Trail." Wow! The overlook views along the way plus walking the trail down the rock crevice doors were beautiful. I immediately noticed that it felt cooler there than at home. I'm guessing it was from being on the Mountaintop.

The trails were well maintained and it was a fairly easy and short hike but we spent some time wandering around a bit and hanging out on the overlook. It's quite amazing to realize you are looking for miles and miles at mountains and you see absolutely no sign of life anywhere (except the sound of some of the park crew using a chainsaw over my shoulder at times). How often do we get to experience solitude? I saw no houses, no cars, heard nothing but the beating of my heart and the panting of the dog for quite a while. I am naive enough to believe that there weren't houses and people milling around down there, but I couldn't see them in that moment. It felt like unspoiled nature and it was delightful. It was so delightful that we wandered around and did trails again, took some side trails and just spent time in this wonderful little spot off the beaten track. This trail was a little farther from home and a wee bit secluded in Grundy County so I took a lunch and Secret and I just relaxed and smiled a lot.  It was a great day!

Rainbow Falls in Reliance, Tennessee

I have to say that the drive along the Ocoee River in Polk County, Tennessee is one of my favorite. Winding curves and picturesque landscapes make for relaxing scenery. It also makes me long for a Jeep again so I can take it all in with the top down. Rainbow Falls lies in the Cherokee National Forest and can be reached from the Clemmer Trail Head. Turning off of US Highway 64 onto Tennessee Highway 30, this trailhead is the next immediate left.

Secret and I headed out early one morning to go to Rainbow Falls. Once again it was obvious we were the first ones on the trail that day because of the spider webs we walked through but we persevered. There are actually 3 different "falls" on this hike ending with quite the spectacular last one. It's labeled as 1.7 miles of moderate trails but you are going to have to cross the creek twice along the way. I would suggest downloading the All Trails map for the trail so you can make sure you are following the trail.


When Secret and I headed out on the trail it had rained a lot in the area earlier. Crossing the creeks were a little harder than I expected for a moderate trail because the water current was flowing briskly. I honestly didn't expect Secret to want to cross. As soon as I stepped into the water she was right behind me in the first crossing and I could tell she was quite proud of herself for managing the feat.

The next crossing was a little deeper, coming up to her shoulders and I thought for sure she would just stand on the bank and bark at me but once again she followed me through it. I will say this is the summer of Secret somewhat overcoming her fear of water.

In July who cares if you have to cross creeks? It felt refreshingly cool. By the time we made it to the big falls I felt we had traversed an adventure. We had seen a couple of ladies when we started off but they chose a different trail and we had the entire falls to ourselves. I walked along the edge of the cliffs under the spray of trickling small waterfalls and found a place to sit. I sat down and realized there were small translucent bluish butterflies (or moths) all around. It wasn't long before I had 3 landing on my feet at all the same time- I felt like the butterfly whisperer!

I didn't stay as long as I would have liked to at the last waterfall because Secret the Wonder Pup obviously thought she was invincible and kept trying to find a way to get down to the water below. Because I wanted this to be a relaxing hike and not a catastrophe, we headed back.

On the way back, to my surprise, she even swam a bit in the deepest of crossings. She was obviously feeling sassy so when we happened upon a lady trying to walk 3 dogs and her pit bull miss got loose to be aggressive with Secret, Miss Secret did not back down. No dogs were hurt, mainly just egos were shown and another hiker happened to see the issue and heroically grabbed the pit bull's leash and saved the day. I'm glad we chose to head out early because the trail was much busier as we headed out!

Rainbow Falls in Reliance, Tennessee was a beautiful treat and Secret and I both enjoyed it a lot.

Chickamauga Battlefield- Hiking the Day After Severe Weather

Because I travelled this week, I hadn't gotten in as many hikes as I normally have each week so after attending a beautiful wedding Saturday morning I decided to take on the Ramble Trail at the Chickamauga Battlefield. It's a loop trail that is little over 6 miles. Secret and I headed out to Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia to get our hike on. I was expecting it to be crowded because it not only is a tourist attraction but a great place to be outside. Almost as soon as we started on the trail I realized this was going to be a messy, muddy day for my new hiking shoes! It was so beautiful on Saturday that I forgot about the Tornado Watch the night before and the crazy amounts of rain that came down in our area. Alas, puddles and downed trees were abundant. I decided on a different tactic and decided to walk along the paved roads in the park. Not near as "hike-y" but exercise nonetheless.

After taking a side road, I immediately saw a wide trail that didn't look quite as muddy so Secret the Wonder Pup and I went that way. We weren't 20 feet along the trail when I looked up and saw a young deer with spots staring back at me. We played the stare down game for a while as I took a few photos and watched Secret looking perplexed back and forth from me and the deer. As I started walking closer it bolted off for the woods and my day was officially made! It wasn't surprising to see deer in the park. It is known for it's abundance. In fact if you drive through the battlefield in the evening you can easily see many deer grazing in the fields along the way. It's always a majestic sight.

As Secret and I came up to where the deer was standing I realized I was in an old campground that wasn't currently being used. The upside was that there were not many people and the pathways were paved. Secret and I meandered around these camp sites and did several large loops that brought us back through the fields and to our car multiple times. I always felt like I was pranking Secret because we would just pass the car and keep on walking. Even the campground area was muddy but it was a good sweaty workout that we both enjoyed! I will say it was a great quick place to check out but coming on a less muddy day would probably have been better. It is a great place to learn about Civil War history though! And once again, the hikers were all nice!

If you are going to visit the battlefield, go to the welcome center first- it's worth it. Also, if you are in the area, check out Sears Shoe Store. It has been there forever and worth the visit in Fort Oglethorpe.

Glen Falls Trail - "I thought that waz a barrrr!"

The day after Hickey Gap Trail I was hurting! My hip I feel on was sore but more than that my quads were burning from the steepness of that trail. I decided to take an easy trail the next day, so Secret the Wonder Pup and I headed to Glen Falls Trail. I've passed the entrance to that trail a gazillion times and never noticed it! It's literally on the side of the road as a pull off on Ochs Highway going up Lookout Mountain. In fact, you can pretty much hear the highway traffic for much of this short hike but it still feels like a lush green oasis.
This is definitely a meandering path that starts with kudzu right up to the path but quickly opens to a wider trail flanked by boulders along the way. Then you come around a corner and hear water and see a bridge. The coolness was noticeable on this very hot and humid July day. The falls themselves was more of a trickle but the clearness of the shallow pool at the base was very inviting to Secret.

We didn't see anyone at all as we made it to this point. We then when over the bridge and hiked around the ridge of a drop-off for a while before turning around. It was after we turned around that Secret noticed the stairs right before we got back to the bridge. At this point I could hear and see people up above the falls but they couldn't see me. Secret and I took the stairs up to the stone door and as we walked into the "cave" to come out on the upper side of the falls Secret startled a couple that was about to come back through. It wasn't her fault, she wasn't being aggressive or anything the man just wasn't expecting her and he yelled out "Oh law, I thought that waz a barrrr!" As I suppressed my giggle, I apologized and they told me they were from Mississippi and that THIS type of thing was what they wanted to see by coming to Tennessee. I had that swelling in my chest for Chattanooga the beautiful!

 The couple went along their way and Secret and I did some more exploring. We then walked back down the stairs and across the bridge and saw a mom with her two toddlers playing at the bottom of the falls. I told her she must be the smartest mom in Chattanooga taking advantage of that beautiful location and cooling off at the same time. I kinda felt sad that I had never done that with my girls when they were little.

The walk was short but lovely and well worth the day and I can imagine it is gorgeous in the fall as well. If you choose to do this hike it is extremely convenient to both Rock City and Ruby Falls, as well as the Starbucks at the top of the mountain! When you finish...make sure you eat lunch in St. Elmo-my favorite places are the Purple Daisy Picnic Cafe , Mojo Burrito, or Mr. T's Pizza. Wanting something more boushy? Head to 1885 Grill.

Hickey Gap Trail...officially the middle of nowhere

I'm way behind on these blog posts but that's probably ok since I think I'm the only one reading them! I feel like I'm just doing this for posterity purposes now. You know, to look back and think about "the summer of hiking." Most bloggers will admit they blog for themselves more than anything. I can definitely say that is the case for my professional blog, www.techhelpful.blogspot.com, it allows me to gather my educational thoughts and to deal with them. But I digress.

I recently downloaded the All Trails app that allows you to look for trails by area. I did a little traveling this week and my plan was to hike while I was in the Jasper, Alabama area but the weather didn't agree. That being said, once I got home I started looking at the app and reading about different trails and I was immediately intrigued by what was said about the Hickey Gap Trail in the Cohutta Wildlife Management Area. This is the farthest I've driven to hike but reading that you had to use ropes to get to parts of the trail sounded really awesome. So I clicked "get directions" inside the All Trails app, it opened in Google Maps and I headed out.

The journey to get to this trail is not for the weak at heart. In fact, I was fairly certain I was headed to no man's land or the shadowland of the crazy outcast hyenas, except it was beautiful. I immediately was glad I had my Toyota Forerunner. I'm fairly certain I wouldn't want to tackle that drive in a regular car- it was rocky with lots of potholes. I really expected to make it to the dot on the map and be nowhere but to my big smile I came to a sign after driving approximately 6-8 miles on a one lane gravel road which screamed isolation and banjo music, but boy was it pretty!

I was more than a bit surprised when I pulled up and found a couple of vehicles already parked there. I was convinced I was the only one crazy enough to take this trail on. Hikers are almost always friendly and I met this sweet little couple that said, "did you see that little bear back there?" And after my gasp I said, "no I didn't." My first thought was "if there is a little bear there is probably a big bear." But I had come this far, I decided I wasn't turning back! Secret and I got ready for the adventure.

The hike is labeled moderate but there was nothing moderate about parts of that hike. It's 4 days later and I'm still feeling the burn in my quads! I will say it was gorgeous! The meandering along the creek was wonderful and using the ropes to get down below the falls wasn't too terrible (even Secret managed it well). It was busy there that day to my surprise I probably saw 15 people. Also to my surprise I took my first hiking fall. I decided to step into the water off a large rock and it was much slicker under my Chaco's than I expected. I've got a nice black and blue bruise on my hip from it. That being said, there is a much easier way to get into the water there...at the bottom of the falls is a rope swing. I wasn't that brave on this particular day but it looked like loads of fun.

 Secret and I spent some time sitting at the bottom of the falls for quite a while watching butterflies and listening to the excitement of children. As we headed back Secret thought the trail went one way and one more step and she would have had a 15 foot drop. I screamed her name and she crouched to "hold on." I was in the process of trying to figure out how to pull her back when she did this magnificently quick 90 degree turn and pulled it out...in case you are wondering why I call her "Secret the Wonder Pup" - name was earned on this hike! As we headed back to the Forerunner yet another hiker asked me if I had seen the elusive bear. Alas, I never saw it...but I can't say I am sad about that either. Hickey Gap was an amazing day of adventure nonetheless!

Greenway Farm- North Chickamauga Conservancy

I'm a Hixson, Tennessee girl. We moved to Chattanooga when I was in fifth grade and lived on Big Ridge. I have so many fond memories of that area and that time in my life. Hixson will always have a place in my heart. My father-in-law used to always say "You can take a girl out of Hixson but you can't take it out of her walk." I'm not really sure if that was a compliment to my mother-in-law (also from Hixson) and myself but we took it as one...and today, I took a walk in Hixson.

Secret the Wonder Pup and I headed down Hamill Road to Greenway Farm, for me it will always be known as Spangler Farm. As a kid I always was intrigued by this farm off Cassandra Smith Road that had cows but also a putting green right in the middle of the front field. It seemed so bougie before I knew what bougie was! But in 1990 the Spangler family sold the property that runs alongside the North Chickamauga Creek and the 180 acre park was eventually opened giving access to gentle rolling hills, trails, access to the creek and a dog park.

I have always enjoyed looking at North Chickamauga Creek because of its unique aqua blueness. Today Secret and I put in about 3 miles under almost all shade along the creek (but you can't really see it that well while on these very wide, nice paths). We saw more people on this jaunt than any trip we have done thus far. Trail runners and dog walkers were all over the place this morning! The Outdoor Chattanooga Barn is also located at the park and there were a lot of vehicles parked near this portion of the park.


I immediately noticed the labeling and QR codes across the park to identify plant life. It made me think of our fifth grade science teacher at CCS and how she wants to create something like that at our campus. What a great field trip this could be to show the students examples! I also had never noticed the cemetery dating back to the 1800's on the property before. Nor did I realize that this creek had been part of the civil war! It's amazing what you learn about your city when you take the time to look!

So I am currently in a quandary about our hiking expeditions. Secret and I seem to enjoy the more rigorous and less traveled paths so that she doesn't have to stay on a leash the whole time but I am currently ankle deep in poison ivy itching so I took a break from the more wilderness approach. I also like loop trails that aren't going to take all day to get done and if there is water nearby, that's an added bonus both Secret and I love. Am I getting too picky?

I did love this quick, easy hike today in Hixson and I think that's just one of the things that makes Chattanooga so great. Want to spend the day hiking in the area? You can easily do that. Want to get a quick hike in so you can get other things done? That's always a possibility too. Regardless of which choice you make you are bound to see something that makes you go "ahhhh" in Chattanooga the Beautiful.