TTA PLATEAU CHAPTER: October 2020

Saturday October 3 - Hit the Trails Festival.

https://hikingmarathon.com/trails-festival/

The festival is the conclusion of the September

month long Cumberland

County hiking marathon.

Information booths will be

setup from various outdoor

activity organizations and

vendors. There will be music

and food. The Festival runs

from 10am – 3pm at the

corner of Stonehenge Drive

and Peavine Road in Fairfield

Glade.

Wednesday October 7 -

Lost Cove East, West and

North - Sewanee, TN.

SHORT HIKE: Lost Cove

East - Sherwood Forest Loop

2 mi moderate trail and a

Natural Bridge. Lost Cove

North - A short walk to

another Natural Bridge, a 27

foot natural sandstone bridge.

Lost Cove West - Buggy Top

Cave - This is a moderate to

difficult 4 mile in/out hike to

Buggy Top cave. The cave

has an impressive mouth

carved out of a 50 foot cliff.

Don’t forget tick/bug spray

and sunscreen. Depart 7:30

am CDST from Trinity

Tabernacle parking lot off HY

127S, one mile South of

downtown Crossville. Gas

cost $8. For additional

information contact the hike

coordinator, Deb Westervelt,

text/call 931-267-2243 or

email plateauhikes@tennesseetrails.org.

October 9-11 Fall Getaway -

Linville Gorge, NC. Depart

from Dorton United Methodist

Church (next door to Certified

Cylinder) on HY 70 East at

7:30 am CDST. Gas cost is

$20 per person. For

additional information contact

the hike coordinator, Deb

Westervelt,

plateauhikes@tennesseetrails.org

or text/call 931-267-2243.

Wednesday October 14 -

Window Cliffs State Natural

Area, Baxter, TN.

Window Cliffs is a TN Natural Area

located near Burgess Falls.

Water shoes are highly

recommended. Short Hike:

4 mi in/out moderate hike

with all the Creek crossings

turning back before the climb

to the cliffs. Long Hike: The

trail is in/out for a total of 5.4

moderate to strenuous miles.

The trail features 9 stream

crossings each way, a few

small cascades, a couple of

steep slopes and a 20-ft

waterfall along Cane Creek.

Depart 7:30 am CT from

Tractor Supply on West Ave.

Carpool cost is $4. Pack

water, snacks and lunch.

Don’t forget tick/bug spray

and sunscreen. For

additional information, contact

the hike coordinator, Deb

Westervelt, text/call

931-267-2243 or email

plateauhikes@tennesseetrails.org.

Wednesday October 21 -

Big South Fork,

Jamestown, TN - John Muir/Sheltowee Trace Trail

to Angel Falls Overlook.

Fall colors should be in full

swing. Hike starts from

Leatherwood Ford parking lot.

Short Hike: 4 easy to

moderate miles in/out along

the Big South Cumberland

River. Long Hike: 7 easy to

moderate miles in/out along

the river then climbing to

Angel Falls Overlook passing

rock formations along the

way. Depart 7:30 am CDST

from Cracker Barrel's rear lot

in Crossville. Bring lunch,

water and snack. Don’t forget

tick/bug spray and sunscreen.

Gas cost is $6. For

additional information, contact

the hike coordinator, Deb

Westervelt, text/call

931-267-2243 or email

plateauhikes@tennesseetrails.org.

Wednesday October 28 -

Pall Mall, TN - Ranger lead

Tour and Hike.

Pickett State

Park Ranger will meet us at

the Sgt Alvin York Welcome

Center at 9am. Hike will be in

Pogue SNA. Hike to the Palace

natural arch and will be approximately

5 miles round trip. However, hike

will take 3 to 4 hours due to steep

elevation change. Be prepared for

rain. 80% chance with potential

heavy rainfall at 2pm. Depart 7:30

am CDST from Cracker Barrel's rear

lot in Crossville. Bring lunch, water

and snack. Don’t forget tick/bug

spray and sunscreen. Gas cost is

$5. For additional information,

contact the hike coordinator,

Deb Westervelt, text/call 931-267-2243 or

email plateauhikes@tennesseetrails.org.

Looking ahead -

The 2-night 24 mi backpacking trip on the CT from Nemo Bridge to Peavine Rd is 13-15 November. Starting time TBD. We will be primitive camping, leave no trace, both nights. NO bathroom or showers. The CT is always strenuous. You must sign up for this trip, Deb 931-267-2243.

January 9, 2021 joint hike

with Soddy Daisy Chapter.

Flats Mountain Trail in

Cherokee National Forest.

Looking ahead -

November TBD 2 night

backpack trip on the CT from

from Peavine Rd to Nemo

Bridge.

January 9, 2021 joint hike

with Soddy Daisy Chapter.

Flats Mountain Trail in

Cherokee National Forest.

WELCOMES ALL HIKERS

NOTE 1: Check Blog the Evening Before hikes and/or Early Morning on hike day; It May Be Necessary To Change/Cancel some hikes.

NOTE 2: Hike Information - contact plateauhikes@tennesseetrails.org

Hiking Rules & Information

Leadership—Wednesday hikes are leaderless. Unless otherwise announced there are usually hikers familiar with each hike, so we rarely get lost. But each hiker is responsible for his own safety, maintaining contact with the rest of the group, etc.

Hike Difficulty—Hikes typically range from 5-10 miles. There is usually a lot of elevation change and rugged terrain. Neighborhood walkers and inexperienced hikers will find nearly all our hikes difficult. More experienced hikers accustomed to climbs of thousands of feet in the Smoky’s would place most of our hikes in the moderate to difficult class.

Hazard—Hiking is not “a walk in the park”. Hazards exist on all our hikes. They range from high cliffs, steep rock scrambles, falling icicles, stream crossings, just to name a few. These hazards are so commonplace they are rarely mentioned in the trail descriptions.

Supplies and Equipment---Hiking boots are recommended for all our hikes. Several of our hikers wear snake proof gaiters. We have lunch on the trail. Drinking water is mandatory to prevent dehydration, leg cramps and other complications. Failure to bring adequate food and water is a hazard and an imposition on other hikers. Other discretionary items include compass, pocket knife, first aid supplies, etc.

Gasoline reimbursement---We car pool to trailheads typically a half hour to 2 1/2 hours from Crossville. Riders are expected to pay for the gasoline. Drivers incur wear and tear on the vehicle and risk that it may be damaged. Since the riders’ contribution varies with mileage and gas price, cost is decided before each hike, and indicated on the Blog. (Typical gas costs vary from $2 to $12 per person depending on driving distance.) Please bring extra shoes to avoid tracking mud into vehicles.

Trail etiquette---Experience has taught us that bad things happen when individuals separate from the group. Time and energy is expended looking for separated hikers even if it turns out they have not missed a turn. Therefore, each hiker should maintain eye contact with at least one other hiker. Small goups should maintain eye contact with the rest of the group. At least one hiker from the main group needs to be informed of bathroom breaks and other delays so that individuals don’t get separated. The group doesn’t split up unless there are extraordinary circumstances (eg, worn out hikers take a short cut). Under those circumstances there must be at least two hikers in each group and a clear understanding of the obligations of each group for driving arrangements or waiting at the trailhead.

Hike Pace---We normally hike around 2.5 mph depending on terrain. Practical experience indicates that this pace keeps us together pretty well. However, individual preferences vary with respect to desired time spent at a waterfall or other scenic highlight. There is no silver bullet for resolving these differences other than courtesy. Photographers and others who want to take a closer look need to be sensitive to the will of the majority as do the get-down-to business hikers. Since we spend a lot of energy and time to see sights that can not be seen from a car, ties should be broken in favor of the sightseers.

Liability---Bad things can happen on hike: auto accidents,injury,equipment damage or failure, etc. Our group does not assume any collective or individual liability for any such mishaps. Each hiker is individually responsible for his own safety.

Punctuality---Zero tolerance. We leave the car pool location promptly at the time announced on the Blog.

Hunting season---Hike plans are formulated to avoid the worst of the hunting hazards but, we cannot avoid all exposure to hunters. Therefore it is each hikers responsibility to dress in blaze orange or other bright,visible clothing during hunting season.

TTA PLATEAU CHAPTER

October 2020

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