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.

Gee Creek Trail - Branching out a bit for fun!

Secret the wonder pup was good as new this morning (after a couple of days of Advil and resting) and we decided to branch out a bit farther. This morning we headed to Gee Creek Trail because quite honestly I think I am the only educator at Chattanooga Christian School that has never been there! My plan was 3 fold so we had a lot to get done. As I drove through Benton, Tennessee and got just to the McMinn County border, I turned onto Gee Creek Road. At this point I immediately thought, "where the heyday am I going?" And then the banjo music began and I decided "Oh well, what the heck, lets do this"...the paved road became a gravel road and I pulled up to a horse and buggy with Mennonites on my left and thought, "this must be the place!" Secret and I waited a little bit to give the Mennonite family a head start and we hit the very rocky but flat trail.

 It immediately became a beautiful walk and perhaps one of my favorites thus far. The trail itself goes to Gee Creek Falls 2.9 miles in but we didn't go the whole way...call me chicken or lazy if you want but I was pleased with what we accomplished. Along the walk there are mini waterfalls along the trail and easy access to them. 

Thankfully I wore my Chaco sandals and Secret and I waded into the water a few times and enjoyed the cool air coming off the even cooler water. She LOVED today. She waded deeper than she has ever waded and lapped up water like it was a fine wine. I think it is fair to say we spent less time hiking and more time enjoying our surroundings. I think it is also fair to say that I probably rolled my ankle 6-7 times on the walk. When I say "rocky trail," I'm not joking. But I loved it!

After our walk on Gee Creek Trail, we went to Sandy's Blueberry Farm in Benton, Tennessee and picked 2 pounds of amazingly plump and delicious blueberries here. It's a great place to pick because it is located in the yard of Harold and Sandy Hood so there is no bramble to fight. Secret laid in the shade while I picked and my new friend Mike Stoner even picked some for me as we chatted. He was helping watch over the blueberry farm while Sandy was at work. I can't wait to bake a blueberry cobbler with these blueberries. She charges $2/pound and they are worth it!

We then headed back towards Chattanooga and took a side trip to the sunflower fields on Ooltewah-Georgetown Road at the Smith-Perry Berry Farm. And of course I had to get a pink bucket to support the Mary Ellen Locher Scholarship Foundation....which I wouldn't have known about if it weren't for my friend Cindy Pare. For $15 you can pick a LARGE bucket of sunflowers and wildflowers and if you choose the pink bucket, the foundation gets $2. Win, win!

Needless to say, today was a full day for Secret and myself. I'm enjoying the wonderful memories that we are making this summer as we explore the Chattanooga area. What will tomorrow bring?

Enterprise South Nature Park

Secret the Wonder Pup was still recovering from partying too hard on Independence Day and I had some errands to run near Hamilton Place Mall. So being someone not at all like myself, I got up early on this steamy July 6th day and headed towards Enterprise South Nature Park. To get to this park, one most drive through the newest industrial area in Chattanooga- past the Amazon Distribution Center and the Volkswagen plant. I can't help but drive down this road and think "jobs, jobs, jobs..." So many new jobs for our area thanks to these two newer mega hiring entities in our city. Enterprise South Nature Park is situated on "2,800 wooded acres and was once a part of the Volunteer Army Ammunitions Plant. The property’s heritage has been preserved in the concrete magazines used to store explosives during the days TNT was manufactured on the property." (http://www.hamiltontn.gov/esnp/)  So don't be surprised to see bunkers along your walk! 
I parked early, trying to beat the summer heat and headed out on Poe Run Path. Along the way I enjoyed the coolness of being in the shade the entire walk. 
If I lived in this area this would definitely be a place of escape for me. The trails are well maintained and you feel safe in this area. While I didn't go to the welcome center, it was nice to see it there as a if it was standing vigilant over the area. 

The trail I was on was about 3 miles round trip. On the way back around I took the upper Poe Trail just to mix things up a bit. It also was a bit more challenging and less of a flat walk- but easy nonetheless. 

I passed bunkers and very woodsy feeling varieties of plants. The mix between seeing a bunker and feeling you were in the middle of nowhere left you with an eery feeling. My favorite part of this walk was the number of chipmunks that would run across the path about 7-10 feet in front of me as I travelled along. I bet that happened about 6 or 7 times. The first time it was startling but the more it happened the funnier it became. I imagined a morning meeting of the Poe Trail Chipmunks and duties assigned for the day. Let me just say that this little brigade of chipmunks did an excellent job of keeping this hiker on her toes. 

It was a quick but sweaty hike that ended with me back at my car putting on new deodorant and spraying myself down with Axe Body Spray so I could run my errands...cause let's be honest, as an educator around middle schoolers everyone knows the way to defeat unwanted body odor is to mix it with Axe Body Spray and hope for the best. (As educators we also know it just leads to a nauseating combination- but heck, it also signals "I tried!") 

I then went on to Hamilton Place Mall to run my errands and hope that I wouldn't run into anyone I knew. Thankfully, only strangers had to deal with my eau de toilette. 

Walks without the Secret the Wonder Pup

This week I have tried to continue walking daily but there have been a few things that have come up that have made my goal of hiking not possible. So 2 days this week I've walked in my own neighborhood to keep up my challenge of staying active. And like I've mentioned before, it's a pretty picturesque walk with Signal Mountain looming down at us on a regular basis. And you never know what you might see when you are on a walk in my neighborhood!

Yesterday being Independence Day, I got a quick morning walk in because we were having friends and family over to celebrate. Secret the Wonder Pup spent much of the day running around the pool because she often feels like she is a lifeguard (albeit a lifeguard that doesn't like to swim). This morning when she woke up she could hardly walk due to the pads of her feet being raw from the concrete and her hip being a bit sore. She's not a young dog anymore but these are some of her favorite days! She loves people, stealing food off of forgotten plates of food, and getting lots of attention.

So Secret the Wonder Pup got a day off from hiking and a dose of medicine to make her feel better.  Today I drove to White Oak Park, opened by the city of Red Bank in a former landfill location in 2003. The park also includes the Red Bank Dog Park, picnic pavilions, wide open spaces, and a playground. It's another example of the Chattanooga area rebeautifying something ugly to something useful and green in Chattanooga for it's people. Being a long time Chattanooga resident, I remember when the area was a landfill. It's amazing to see what the area looks like now. The paths are wide and paved with very small parts of it in the shade. It's rolling hills make it a good challenging exercise if you increase your heart rate. As I was walking along a little later in the day than I usually do, it was extremely warm. The heat of the day had made the blooming mimosa trees (pink poofs looking like they are straight out of Dr. Seuss book) extremely fragrant. The lack of moving air and high humidity as seem to make me fairly fragrant as well- but not in a good way. That's when I thought, "this is the smell of summer in the south." Fresh cut grass, mimosa trees, magnolia blossoms on the infrequent wind mingled with the scent of sweating southerners glistening in the humidity of our summers.

At one point I looked up to my right and realized there was a huge steep hill that would have been an amazing place to ride a sled in the wintertime (that's how we southerners push ourselves to exercise in July, we think about the winter)! I also imagined it could be a great place for grass surfing with a piece of cardboard...but that was not even something I would have considered doing on this hot day. But maybe some other time!

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. 

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.