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.

Brown's Ferry Federal Road- Who knew?

The weather in Chattanooga wasn't very conducive to being outside this week. We had lots of rain associated with many thunderstorms. I found myself trying to sneak in walking time where I could and I decided not to go places that I couldn't get back to the car quickly. Maybe that proves I'm a novice hiker but I'm good with that. I looked for places close to home this week and remembered a hiking trail I had seen off Pineville Road. I drove the corner of Pineville Road and Riverside Avenue and parked my car at the trailhead knowing nothing about this trail. Secret the Wonder Pup and I got out of the car and I read the very well marked trail information while she got her obligatory sniffs in.


I soon found out that I was standing on what was known as the Moccasin Bend National Archeological District which is a part of the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park. This road bed had been part of the Trail of Tears as the Cherokee were driven to Brown's Ferry in 1838. It also served as a roadway for the Union army supply wagons during the Civil War. I was standing on historical ground, which is easy to do in Chattanooga.

 The hike was a short round trip 1.2 mile easy walk to the Tennessee River and back. It was obvious that some of the trail way had been worked on lately with new mulch in place but there were times I found myself making a lot of noise because the grass was a little high to walk through and I wanted to make sure all the snakes knew I was coming. Along the walk you could see some foundations of buildings left over from times gone by and I wondered what had been in this location in the past. I would say this was probably one of the easiest natural pathway walks that Secret and I had taken- very flat and well marked.

When we pulled up to the parking area I had noticed another car there. As we came around a bend we saw a couple having lunch on some hewn log seating facing the Tennessee River. I don't know why I surprised to see the river right there...I mean, it made sense geographically but none of the trail information had mentioned the river itself so walking up to it as "the destination" was a pleasant surprise. Secret and I looked at the river for a bit and then turned around to go back the way we had progressed.

On the way back I let Secret off her leash and she ran ahead sniffing and drinking out of puddles. On a Secret the Wonder Pup scale, this trail apparently had the best puddles in Chattanooga! The trail way was wide and the green of the landscape was not lost on me. Everything looked so lush with all the rain we have been experiencing in Chattanooga lately. As we loaded up in the car I thought "this could be a recurring place for us. It's easy to get to, close to home and scenic." Just another opportunity to walk the dog and experience CHA the beautiful in my own backyard.

Craven's House to Sunset Rock...this southern girl didn't glisten she got her sweat on!

I've often said "I don't sweat, I glisten" but today I got my sweat on. Secret the Wonder Pup and I headed to Craven's House on Lookout Mountain this morning a little before 9am on this warm but overcast June 25th day. (Craven's house is located off Lookout Mountain Scenic Hwy- follow the signs to Ruby Falls and you will see a big brown sign labeled "Craven's House to your right- I think that was Craven's Terrace.) The nice thing about parking here is that it is free, whereas if you parked at Point Park you would need to pay the park fees. Secret and I parked and then did a little sightseeing around the house itself- which isn't open to visitors on a regular basis but you can walk around it and look off its wonderful back porch for an amazing view. In fact, if you are just interested in seeing a view and learning a bit about Chattanooga during the Civil War, this is a pretty good stop. State monuments and cannons on flat surfaces await you from about 50 feet from where you park. Easy and worth it. Craven's House was the headquarters for the confederate soldiers when they occupied Lookout Mountain and is currently part of the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park. This stronghold was taken over during the renowned Battle Above the Clouds and the Confederate soldiers fell back and off the mountain as the "Union soldiers climbed to Point Lookout just above here and planted the U.S. flag" according to the placard at the house. 

Secret and I walked around the grounds a bit and then headed for the trails. My plan was to hike to Point Park but we were doing so well I decided to go on to Sunset Rock instead. The trails were well traveled and easily marked. Along the way to Sunset Rock, we saw a couple doing some bouldering but we pretty much had the trail to ourselves otherwise. The trail between Craven's House and the turn up to Point Park wasn't too bad. There were definite times one had to focus on one's foot falls but the incline to that point wasn't too hard. Along the way the lush green vegetation was gorgeous and gave us some wonderful shade for our journey. We saw some blackberries growing, as well as some wild hydrangea growing along the path that gave a bit of white contrast against all the green. We even happened upon some beautiful red blooming mountain laurel, which was a surprise and a treat as we worked our way along the edge of a giant boulder to our left and some fairly ominous drops to our right up the side of the mountain. 

Immediately the incline got more intense as we weaved our way around rocks in the path and in some places stepped up some pretty steep nature made stair steps. It was about that time that I realized the gnats were becoming annoying but I feel fairly certain the appearance of gnats was in direct correlation to my stinky sweat at this point! It was also about this time that I'm also quite sure both Secret and myself thought "This hike would be a lot easier if she wasn't along." Secret the Wonder Pup was a lot more sure of her footing than I was at that point and I was slowing her roll.

The hike from Craven's House to Signal Point is labeled as 1 1/2 miles but it's a tricky hike once the incline starts. It had stormed badly the day before in the Chattanooga area so there were some places where Secret got some good drinks of water along the way. I will say, considering how much it had rained, the path wasn't very muddy. As I said before, it is a well used path by hikers and climbers so the dirt is packed down pretty good and because it's literally a one-way footpath during most of the upward climb, the water keeps rolling down the mountain instead of puddling in the trails.

A friend of mine asked if it was kid friendly, I'm going to go with a "no" for little kids. While there was safety "railing" (guide wires) along the path in some places, there were also many places where it would be really easy to lose your footing and tumble way down to the unknown. I even got nervous for Secret a few times. One of my favorite moments along the way was getting a little peep teaser through the trees of the view we were seeking.

As we got near the top of our destination, getting to Sunset Rock meant walking up some pretty steep rock steps. Along with this came a wonderful breeze that was a needed refreshment in that moment.  Climbing that part with Secret the Wonder Pup with the hip issue got a little intense but she was a champ and made it to the top without any problem. Once there, we sat on the rock for ten minutes or so and enjoyed the breeze and the view of the gorgeous Tennessee Valley. Once again I found myself thinking "Wow! Chattanooga the beautiful!" There really is something magical about hiking on Lookout and Signal. The meandering trails in the woods feel so much cooler than down in the valley. It is as if you have left Chattanooga but yet it is right there below with Mocassin Bend waving it's currents at you as you are perched high above the Scenic City!

On our way back to the car we passed just a few more hikers and the boulder climbers were making progress. And then off in the distance I heard a train whistle and I thought, "Yes, this is Chattanooga!" I imagined being a visitor to our fair city doing that hike this morning and it felt like the sound of the train was the perfect cue to a true Chattanooga experience. Welcome to Choo Choo city!

I will say when we made it back to Craven's House (it probably took us 1 1/2 hours), there wasn't a dry thread on me but it was a good sweat because it was a good hike. Secret made a few friends along the way, we chatted with a few people on the trails and before getting in the car we sat on the porch of Craven's house and cooled down while Secret bobbed for blueberries in her bowl of water. Have I mentioned that I am thoroughly enjoying this challenge I've set of walking the dog and seeing more of #CHAthebeautiful?