Saturday, December 7, 2013, Hike -- CANCELLED -- Leatherwood Loop/Sunset Overlook, Big South Fork, Jamestown, TN



Hike CANCELLED due to rains Friday and freezing overnight temperatures. Hiking conditions on Saturday may be dangerous for hiking.

Leatherwood Loop/Sunset Overlook is a moderate 6 mile hike offering a variety of scenery including a couple nice overlooks. Depart from Cracker Barrel at 8:00 am CT. For more information and to register, contact Cheryl Heckler at thehecklers@charter.net (931-456-6437) or Howard Owens at owenshb@charter.net (931-484-1328). Gas cost $6.

Wednesday, December 11, 2013, Hike -- Rock Island State Park

We will do 3 - 4 short hikes at Rock Island State Park for around 5 miles, and then have lunch at the Rock Island Deli (good inexpensive country food). We may add a little something else to this hike if we finish early. Depart Tractor Supply at 8:00 am CT. Gas cost $6.00.

Wednesday, December 11, 2013 -- Virgin Falls State Natural Area Dedication

The Virgin Falls Dedication is at 9:30 am CT. Join the Honorable Governor Bill Haslam, TDEC Commissioner Bob

Martineau, Tennessee State Parks Deputy Commissioner Brock Hill,

TWRA Director Ed Carter, and other land conservation leaders as we

celebrate the successful purchase of 1,551 acres including Virgin Falls,

Sheep Cave Falls, Big Laurel Falls, and Big Branch Falls. Dedication at

Welch’s Point at Bridgestone/Firestone CentennialWilderness followed

by breakfast and optional hike (8 miles round trip, rated difficult).

RSVP (615) 329-4441

Thursday, December 12, 2013 -- Plateau Chapter Christmas Party

Our Chapter Christmas Party is from 5:30 - 8:30 pm at VF Outlet Mall entrance D (north side). Cover charge for room rental will be $2 per person. Please bring an appetizer or dessert to share while socializing with your hiking buddies. Bring drink of your choice (alcohol permitted). Decaf coffee, ice, cups, plates, etc will be provided. Bring a gift valued at $15 if you want to participate in the "Dirty Santa" gift exchange. “Dirty Santa” is a Christmas gift exchange where each participant supplies one wrapped gift. The gifts are placed in a central location, and a number is put in a basket for each present that participants draw to determine what order you get a gift. The first person opens a wrapped gift and the turn ends. On subsequent turns, each person gets the choice of “stealing” any unwrapped item or choosing a wrapped one from the gift pile. When a player's gift is stolen, they can choose to steal an opened gift or select a replacement gift from the pile of wrapped presents. There is a limit of 3 “steals” per turn. Each turn ends when a gift is unwrapped. The game is over when the last person has taken their turn. For questions contact Linda Barclay at linbarc@yahoo.com

Wednesday, December 18, 2013, Hike -- Black Mountain Rock Formations

This hike is easy and close to home. We will do the trail and explore the interesting rock formations on top of Black Mountain for 3-4 moderate miles. Depart the Vanity Fair parking lot at 8:00 am. Gas cost $3.

Saturday, December 21, 2013 - Roam around Rugby -- Gentlemen’s Swimming Hole, Meeting of the Waters, and Massengale Homeplace Loop, Rugby, TN

Escape the pre-Christmas shopping frenzy, and join us in historic Rugby. Rugby is a community established in 1880 as a utopian experiment. It remains as a town with a historic presence and Victorian architecture. We will combine a series of hikes to make a 5 – 6 mile loop within Rugby. This is a moderate hike over a variety of surfaces, including hiking trail, paved trail and road walks. Depart from Cracker Barrel in Crossville at 8:00 am CT. For more information and to register contact Carolyn Miller at cardan@frontiernet.net or 931-839-3213. Gas cost $6.

*****************************************************
* COMPLETED HIKES with PHOTOS (SEE BELOW)    *
*****************************************************