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.

Pot Point Nature Trail

After yesterday's hike of wandering in the wilderness, I decided to find a hike labeled "well labeled." This morning Secret the Wonder Pup and I headed to the Pot Point Biological Field Station off of River Canyon Road. The drive there is a mixture of gorgeousness and the movie Deliverance. Driving along the Tennessee River down Suck Creek Road and then deeply onto River Canyon Road makes you forget you are still only minutes from downtown Chattanooga.

At one point I came over a little rise in the road and it opened up into this view...Chattanooga the beautiful at its finest! I actually slowed down and snapped this photo out of the window on the way back home because it was just so beautiful and surprising as you come around that curve.

Pulling up to Pot Point Nature Preserve, I was glad there was a big sign because you literally feel like you are pulling into someone's yard...because you are. The nice big parking lot allows you to head out to two different trails. Secret and I decided to walk the Pot Point Nature Trail. I had read the about the different "stops" along the trail before I left so we did not take the time to stop and read. That's a pretty neat little informational option to trail hiking because you learn a lot about the area and its history.

When we started off the first part of the trail goes steeply up. Secret looked back at me like "What's gotten into you lately?" And I was wondering the same thing. Thankfully that doesn't last too long and then flattens out. The trail was very narrow with poison ivy and sumac trying to tickle your legs if you take a misstep. Obviously that was not the kind of danger I was looking for but if you are a consider looking at this type of plant specimen- this is the place to be! Also, I feel fairly certain that the trail should have been named "Spider Web Trail." I literally was walking with my hiking pole in front of me the whole time knowing down the spider webs and I still had to stop 3 times and wipe down my face and arms of all the webs. At one point Secret even threw her body to the ground on the trail and started rolling around to get the webs off of her. It was CRAZY.

At "stop" 6 (which we weren't stopping at) I asked myself "why do you keep walking through these webs and how many spiders are now on your body." So I made an executive decision and decided to hike back the way we had come instead of making the loop and avoid more of the webs.

As we walked back through the yard we didn't do as good of a job at avoiding the "mud" in the yard and that's when I realized that wasn't mud but it was a septic tank leak. Yep. Needless to say we rode home with the windows down, the shoes went into the washer and Secret and I both got showers.

Here's hoping my next trek is a bit more hiker friendly!
 

Intertwining Signal Mountain Trails- Oh my!

So this is a blog post about lessons learned while hiking. Secret the Wonder Pup and I headed to Signal Mountain because I wanted to go to Edward's Point from Shackleford Ridge Road. Mistake #1 was I didn't know exactly where the trailhead started. I actually pulled off on the side of Shackleford Ridge because I saw trail markers and another car. We hit the trail and it was almost immediate that it became almost impossible due to downed trees and lots and lots of puddles and streams across the path. Mistake #2- I didn't turn back. We found blazing for the orange trail and the blue trails and followed them for quite a while. What I didn't realize was how many forks there were in the trails. I also thought I was a lot closer to Edward's Point than I was. I didn't want to just trot up to it but I also didn't bank on 4 hours in the woods.


We never made it. The fallen trees were so bad when we were about 1/2 a mile from the point that I had to get off the trail to go around. I had dodged puddles, jumped over fallen trees but this was ridiculously covering the trails to the point I had a hard time even finding the trail. By this time I was sweaty, tired, I was drinking water like I had an addiction and the gnats were driving me insane. Secret even had a little wobble in her step. So, we turned around.

Yes, with 1/2 a mile to go. You see our middle school teachers have been challenging each other to read Carol Dweck's book on Mindset and so I am reading it again. As I stood there in the woods I asked myself, "what was your ultimate goal?" The answer, "exercise." So I turned around and headed back. 

I tend to have a pretty good sense of direction and on Signal you are either going to hit a road or walk off the side of the moment. I knew the way back to the car but as I was walking back it became quickly evident I had not realized how many trail splits there were. And I will be honest, I got confused. I found myself looking for our tracks walking in to make sure that I was heading back the way we came. We saw NO ONE on this trip, nor heard no one. So I was a little leery when I looked down and saw bear tracks!

As we continued to walk back to the direction of the car, (Mistake #3- I should have dropped a pin where I parked), the trails became more confusing but I knew I was heading the right direction. So we kept plodding along...both of us exhausted. We heard the traffic off Shackleford Ridge and knew we were close, I also knew I wasn't on the trail we came in on. We popped out of the woods and walked about another 1/2 mile back to the car. I cried. I knew I wasn't really lost but there was that sense of lostness a few times. So my new rule is, only walk on well marked trails when alone or take  marking tape.

Leaving you with the positives- It was a pretty walk in the woods. If I knew my fungi it would be a good place to collect mushrooms. It was completely shady which was nice in the July heat.

Big Soddy Creek Gulf - Coolness along the creek bank

Oh my goodness, this was a gorgeous place to be! Secret the wonder pup and I parked in the fairly crowded parking area at the front of the trailhead and starting walking. This starts off with a nicely wooded gravel path that rose above the bubbling Big Soddy Creek. Most of the the walk had high cliffs on the right that often had small cascading falls dripping off the side of the mountain. It gave a sense of coolness when passing one of these waterfalls that was an unexpected delight on that very hot, sticky July day.

Big Soddy Creek Gulf is a 285-acre tract that runs along the side of Walden Ridge. On the day we were there, many people were enjoying the area both in and out of the water. When I first pulled up I was fairly disappointed with how crowded it appeared but it immediately became obvious that the length of the trail against the waterway made it easy for everyone to spread out. In fact, it felt like I was hunting for Easter eggs when I would peak over the edge of the road down to the creek and see various people enjoying the water and me having no idea they were even there!

According to my research, this area was bought by the City of Soddy Daisy in 2014. It is well marked and offers benches for resting, picnic tables, and garbage cans along the way thanks to various churches and civic organizations. At one easily accessible area along the trail we came across several families enjoying a swimming hole. I immediately wish I had worn my Chaco sandals instead of my hiking shoes that day.

Secret and I walked about 1 1/2 miles into the trail and found a ford in the creek that I thought she might enjoy. She's not a swimmer but she doesn't mind walking in a creek bank. I found a nice large rock to sit upon and Secret started drinking the creek. It didn't take her long to plant herself in the rushing water and enjoy a good cooling off- I'll admit, I was jealous. 




After a brief rest, we turned around and hiked back to the car. It was a fairly quick day hike but so nice. This is definitely a place I would like to visit again.