Twin Arches Day Loop

We had 13 hikers from various chapters hike the 5.5 miles Twin Arches day loop in the Big South Fork. It was a clear and beautiful day for a hike. We explored the campus at Charit Creek Lodge and then enjoyed lunch at Jakes Place before the climb out. We spent some time at the arches and climbed many steps to get to the top of one of the arches. 

Hikers were Jim Barritt, Debra Dodd, Wendy Fish, Judy Fries, Joan Hartvigsen, Mark Hubbard, Karen Jones, Mandy Mew, Debbie Owens, Sara Pollard, Marietta Poteet, Amy Sutton and Gloria Dale Williams. 

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Pogue Creek Canyon to Pickett SP

The Highland Rim, Murfreesboro and Nashville chapters had a Pogue Creek Canyon hike starting from the kiosk and ending at the Pickett State Park picnic area near the swinging bridge. The total was a about 7 miles. It was a beautiful day for a hike, and we enjoyed lunch below an overhang. We encountered ladders, steps, and boulders to walk over along the way, but it was an interesting hike.  

The hike was coordinated by Mark Hubbard and we had twenty two hikers from various chapters - Highland Rim,  Memphis, Murfreesboro, Nashville and Plateau: Scott Armstrong, Jim Barritt, Jay Brain, Jean Breuer, Cindy Clark, Wendy Fish, Joan Hartvigsen, Mark Hubbard, Scott Jordan, Kathy Lofton, Sarah Lovett, Lora McBride, Lori Olinger, Debbie Owens, Sara Pollard, Marietta Poteet, Zary Rahimi, Cheryl Smith, Todd  Stanley, Amy Sutton, Gloria Dale Williams, and Kathy Woods.  

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Scott's Gulf Wilderness State Park

The Murfreesboro and Plateau chapters hiked Amber's Glen, a new trail at Scott's Gulf Wilderness State Park. Sheila Miller of the Plateau chapter led the hike with 7 others. After leaving cars at the Virgin Falls trailhead, we drove to Welch's Point to begin the hike. The group photo was taken at Welch's Point and Carol Hill of Spencer joined our group but didn't make it in time for the photo. We hiked the Amber's Glen Trail down to the Caney Fork River. Morgan Brown, an experienced caver knew exactly where the Amber's Den cave was located near the river. We had lunch at Big Laurel Falls and then hiked to the Virgin Falls trailhead on the steep Hemlock Springs Trail. The hike was longer than the map indicated, and the total hike was about 7 miles. Hikers were Jay Brain, Jean Breuer, Morgan Brown, Carol Hill, Mandy Mew,  Sheila Miller, Bob Obohoski, and Sara Pollard.

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Mullens Cove Loop

Cheryl Smith led a hike on the Mullens Cove Loop - a side trail of the Cumberland Trail and located in the Prentice Cooper State Forest.  Along with her grandchildren Shy and Albany, there were 4 other hikers. By starting the trail counterclockwise, we got the rock garden out of the way first. We enjoyed lunch at the Mullens Cove overlook. We hiked through the Hemlock Branch campsite, which was dry and then on to take a break at Snooper's Rock. It was a challenging hike with lots of ups and downs, but the fall colors were beautiful, and perfect weather for a hike. Other hikers were Jay Brain, Anna Lina Buckley, Sara Pollard, and Hoa Smith. 

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North Chickamauga Gorge Overnight Backpack

We had four backpackers to hike into the Stevenson Branch campsite to camp overnight. We started the hike at the Barker Camp Road trailhead on Thursday morning. The hike to the campsite was pretty easy until we descended down to hike along Cooper Creek. The trail was narrow and rocky. We came to our campsite after crossing the Cooper Creek bridge. There was only a trickle coming from the waterfall and the Stevenson Branch was dry. We could still filter plenty of water though from the North Chickamauga Creek next to our campsite. After setting up camp and eating lunch we decided to take a short hike to the Cable Crossing Campsite. Even though it was only a mile away, it took us over an hour to get there. The trail after leaving Stevenson Branch was extremely steep, narrow and rocky. We had to do a lot of boulder scrambling. We enjoyed a nice fire that evening and hiked out the next morning to our vehicles. Backpackers led by Sara Pollard were Scott Jordan, Cynthia Skidmore and Todd S.

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Peacock Hill Nature Park

We had a small group of hikers to enjoy the day at Peacock Hill Nature Park about 30 miles from Murfreesboro and in Williamson County. We first stopped in the Visitor Center that was a Bed & Breakfast in the past. The owners restored the cabin with antique items that were originally there. We hiked all the trails for a total of 6 miles. It's a well-maintained park with plenty of benches, a chapel, small pond, and lookout tower. Hikers were Jay Brain, Cindy Charest, Sara Pollard and Raisa Zavelion.

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Normandy Lake Paddle

There were 5 kayakers who spent several hours paddling Normandy Lake in Manchester. We headed left from the boat ramp, paddled under the Mountain Road bridge and explored the northern section of the lake. We enjoyed a nice take out for lunch at a picnic table. Kayakers were Jim Barritt, Judith Fries, Joan Hartvigsen, Lacee Lanier, and Sara Pollard. 

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